Oral tradition Folktale from India
A man goes in search of truth.
Story
A man goes in search of truth. He travels for many years before reaching a mountain in India, where he finds that truth is not quite what he expected.
Why we chose it
This story was chosen and recorded for us by our storyteller in residence Peter Chand.
Where it came from
Peter read the story in a book called The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness by the storyteller Joel Ben Izzy. Peter met Joel Ben Izzy when they were both working at Belfast Mela. The book is part autobiography and partly a collection of stories that relate to his personal story. In his notes on that particular story he says he has read many versions, but none state the origins. Also his questioning of other storytellers has proved fruitless too. As the version he tells mentions the Himalayas, he has attributed it to India.
Where it went next
The story is well known in the storytelling circuit, but no one really knows where it comes from.
Oral tradition Folktale from India