The Tiger King- Kalki

1. Who is the tiger king? Why did he get that name? (2013)

The king of Pratibandapuram is called the “Tiger King” because he promised to kill one hundred
tigers. He made this vow to avoid being killed by a tiger, as it was predicted that a tiger would be the
cause of his death.

2. What did the chief astrologer predict about the Tiger King? (2014,17)

The chief astrologer predicted that the prince’s death would come from a tiger. According to him,
since the prince was born during the time of the bull, and bulls are enemies of tigers, a tiger would be
the reason for his death.

3. How did the tiger king celebrate the killing of the hundredth tiger?

To celebrate his victory over the killing of the hundredth tiger the Maharaja ordered the tiger to be
brought to the capital in grand procession. Accordingly, the hunters took the dead tiger in a grand
procession through the town and buried it and a tomb was erected over it.

4. What explanation was given by the chief astrologer to the query of the tiger king? (2016)

The chief astrologer answered to the query of the young tiger king. He explained that the tiger king
was born during the time of the bull, and since bulls and tigers are enemies, a tiger would be the cause
of his death.

5. What did the Maharaja decide to do when he remembered the astrologer’s prediction? (2019)

When the Maharaja remembered the astrologer’s prediction, he decided to hunt the hundredth tiger
himself. He banned anyone else from hunting tigers. He made an official announcement that if anyone
dared to disobey his order then all his wealth and property would be taken away.

6. How did the hundredth tiger take its revenge on the tiger king? (2020)

The tiger king bought a wooden toy tiger and thought it to be the perfect gift for his son’s birthday.
While playing with that wooden tiger one of the silvers pierced the king’s right hand. The infection
spread all over the arm. Even though three doctors tried to operate, they couldn’t save him. In this
way, the hundredth tiger finally took its revenge on the king.

7. What did the royal infant grow up to be?

The young prince grew taller and stronger every day. He was brought up by an English nanny. He
drank milk from an English cow, was taught by an English teacher, and watched only English movies.
By the age of twenty, he took control of the state. Later on, became a skilled hunter.

8. What did the Maharaja do to find the required number of tigers to kill?

The Maharaja’s tiger hunts were very successful, and he killed 70 tigers in ten years. However, the
number of tigers in his kingdom became extinct. He wanted to marry someone from a royal family in
a place with many tigers. The dewan found the perfect girl for him, which helped him to kill ninety
nine tigers.

9. How did the dewan manage the hundredth tiger for the Maharaja which was supposed to decide his
fate?
The Maharaja had already killed ninety-nine tigers, and he needed just one more to reach a total of
hundred. However, he couldn’t find the hundredth tiger anywhere. The dewan understood how
important it was and made a plan. He released the tiger brought from the People’s Park in Madras
into the forest where the Maharaja was hunting. In this way, the dewan managed the hundredth tiger
for the Maharaja which was supposed to decide his fate.

10. How was at one time the Maharaja in danger of losing his throne?

At one point, the Maharaja was at risk of losing his throne. A high-ranking British officer came to
Pratibandapuram, and he loved hunting tigers and taking pictures with them. However, the Maharaja
refused to let him hunt tigers. By stopping such an important officer from doing what he wanted, the
Maharaja put his own kingdom in danger.

11. How did the Maharaja manage to retain his Kingdom?

The Maharaja had to make the high-ranking British officer happy and give him a bribe. He had fifty
different designs of expensive diamond rings brought from a famous jeweller in Calcutta. The
Maharaja sent all the rings to the officer’s wife, and she accepted them all. Although the Maharaja lost
three lakhs of rupees, he was able to keep his kingdom.

12. Why did the dewan warn the Maharaja not to double the land tax forthwith? What was the reaction
of the Maharaja?

The hundredth tiger could not be found. The angry Maharaja called the dewan and ordered him to
immediately double the land tax. The dewan warned that the people would rebel against this, and their
state could fall into the hands of the Indian National Congress. However, the Maharaja didn’t change
his mind. He told the dewan that if he disagreed, he could resign from his position.

13. What impression do you form about the Tiger King after reading the story?

The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram was identified through different names like Jamedar- General,
Khiledar- Major,Sir Jilani Jung Jung Bahadur,M.AD, A.C.T.C etc.but he was mainly called the ‘Tiger
King.’ The chief astrologer predicted that the prince’s death would come from a tiger. According to
him, since the prince was born during the time of the bull, and bulls are enemies of tigers, a tiger
would be the reason for his death. The young prince grew taller and stronger every day. He was
brought up by an English nanny. He drank milk from an English cow, was taught by an English
teacher, and watched only English movies. By the age of twenty, he took control of the state. Later on,
became a skilled hunter. The Maharaja focused on hunting tigers and, in ten years, killed seventy of
them. When tiger population in his state became extinct, he planned to marry a girl from a state with
many tigers. This helped him in killing ninety -nine tigers.

At one point, the Maharaja was at risk of losing his throne. A high-ranking British officer came to
Pratibandapuram, and he loved hunting tigers and taking pictures with them. However, the Maharaja
refused to let him hunt tigers. By stopping such an important officer from doing what he wanted, the
Maharaja put his own kingdom in danger. The Maharaja had to make the high-ranking British officer
happy and give him a bribe. He had fifty different designs of expensive diamond rings brought from a
famous jeweller in Calcutta. The Maharaja sent all the rings to the officer’s wife, and she accepted
them all. Although the Maharaja lost three lakhs of rupees, he was able to keep his kingdom. The
Maharaja knew how to get things done. However, he could be hot-headed and decided to double the
taxes on the people. He even threatened to fire the dewan if he didn’t obey him. Nevertheless, even
though he was successful in killing the ninety- nine tigers, in an ironic twist, the King met his end
because of a wooden tiger toy. The tiger king bought a wooden toy tiger and thought it to be the
perfect gift for his son’s birthday. While playing with that wooden tiger one of the silvers pierced the
king’s right hand. The infection spread all over the arm. Even though three doctors tried to operate,
they couldn’t save him. In this way, the hundredth tiger finally took its revenge on the king.

14. Why was the Maharaja of Pratibandapuram called the Tiger King? How did his campaign of tiger
hunting continue? How was he avenged by the hundredth tiger?

The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram was known as the Tiger King because tigers dominated his life
from the moment he was born. He felt the necessity to kill a hundred tigers to protect himself because
a chief astrologer had predicted that a tiger would cause his death. The chief astrologer predicted that
the prince’s death would come from a tiger. According to him, since the prince was born during the
time of the bull, and bulls are enemies of tigers, a tiger would be the reason for his death. The
astrologer specifically warned him to be careful with the hundredth tiger.

The Maharaja was successful in his tiger hunting and managed to kill seventy tigers in ten years.
However, he faced a problem when the tiger population in the forests of Pratibandapuram became
extinct, stopping his hunting campaign. To solve this issue, the Maharaja decided to marry a girl from
a state that had many tigers. After marrying a girl from the family family, he killed five to six tigers
whenever he visited his father-in-laws house. This strategy helped him to kill ninety- nine tigers. In a
twist of fate, the Tiger King died because of a wooden toy tiger. He had given his son a wooden tiger
as a birthday gift when the boy turned three. While playing with the toy, a sharp piece from it pierced
the Maharaja's right hand. This led to an infection that spread throughout his arm. Despite the efforts
of three surgeons to save him, he eventually died. In the end, the astrologer’s prediction came true,
and the hundredth tiger took its revenge on the King.

15. Give a brief character sketch of Tiger king?

The Tiger King, also known as Maharaja Jilani Jung Jung Bahadur, is the central character in the story
“Tiger King” by Kalki. He is a strong and determined ruler who is deeply influenced by the idea that
he must kill a hundred tigers to avoid a predicted death by the chief astrologer. This belief shapes
much of his life and actions. From a young age, the Tiger King is portrayed as ambitious and fearless.
He grows up with a strong sense of duty to prove himself as a skilled hunter. His determination leads
him to successfully hunt seventy tigers in ten years, showcasing his hunting skills and single-minded
focus.

However, he also displays a ruthless side. He is willing to impose heavy taxes on his people and
threaten his officials to achieve his goals, showing that he values his kingdom and reputation above all
else. He is not afraid to bribe high-ranking officials to maintain his power, revealing his willingness to
go to great lengths to keep his throne. Despite his strong personality, the Tiger King ultimately meets
an ironic end due to a wooden toy tiger, which highlights the unpredictability of fate. This twist shows
that even a powerful king cannot escape his destiny. To conclude, the Tiger King is a complex
character who embodies both strength and vulnerability, driven by his fears and desires while facing
the consequences of his actions.