Write the character sketch of the King of Pratibandapuram.

The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram was a brave, resolute, determined, courageous and a firm ruler of his state. When he was born, the astrologers had predicted his death with a tiger. But the baby had something miraculous quality in him. He was only of ten days, he challenged the prediction of the astrologers and asked them the manner of the death. They told that he was destined to be killed by a tiger some day.

The Crown Prince was brought up in English environment. He grew up a tall, sturdy, brave and strong man. He become the king of his state at the age of twenty. He was determined to fulfil his pledge. So he issued a proclamation not to kill the tigers except by himself. The lawbreakers would be taken to task and their properties would be confiscated. Being a man of firm determination and self-respect, he denied permission to the British officer to hunt a tiger. He had to pay a high price to retain his throne. In between ten years, he killed seventy tigers and his forests became extinct. Then he married a princess whose father had large forest cover full of tigers. There he killed twenty-nine tigers but the hundredth one fainted due to the shock of the bullet. His hunters came there and killed it. Thus he fulfilled his vow. In between he did not adhere to the welfare of his subjects. Thus it can be said that he was a brave, courageous king that lacked worldly wisdom.

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The writer has dealt the serious facts in a very humorous and lighter mood. In the very beginning one can see the astrologer's prediction that the baby would be the warrior of warriors and the champion of champions after becoming adult but he would die some day. At this the ten day old baby asked the astrologers the manner of death. The chief astrologer told that he would die from a tiger. If that did not happen, he would tear his books and get his tuft cut. Side by side one can note that the prince is brought up in an English environment under the care of an English nurse.

After having taken the rein of his state, the king starts killing the tigers. In between a high ranking British officer expresses his desire to get himself with a dead tiger so as to brag of his bravery. To save his throne, he has to send rare samples of precious fifty diamond rings to the Englishman's wife. The greedy woman keeps the whole lot. He marries a royal daughter whose father has forests with large tiger population. One can note deep humour and satire in these facts. Then the dewan arranges for a tiger lest he should lost his job. The king is much happy to kill the hundredth tiger but he does not know the truth of its survival. As luck would have it, he purchases a wooden tiger to gift his son.

But this wooden tiger becomes the cause of this mighty Tiger King. Thus we can agree that all these details are humorously presented with an under current of satire and irony in the story ‘The Tiger King.’

At the birth of the Tiger King, the astrologers predicted that the Crown Prince was born in the hour of the Bull. Since the Bull and the Tiger are both core enemies, the King would be certainly killed by a tiger.

When the king came of the age, he took over the charge in his hands. The prediction was also heard by his ears. He killed a tiger and sent for the astrologer who in turn advocated that the killing of one tiger was not enough. It did not mean that the King was safe. He might kill ninety-nine tigers in this way but there is dire need of caution while killing the hundredth one. Consequently, the King decided to kill one hundred tigers. In ten years he killed all the seventy tigers of his forests. Thus the forests became extinct of the tigers.

Even he married a princess whose father had a lot of tigers in his forest. Therefore, he killed all the tigers there and their number came to be ninety-nine. The King was much perturbed for the hundredth tiger. His dewan somehow arranged for the hundredth tiger. The king shot at it and it collapsed but did not die. The king did not know the reality. Thinking himself safe, he was happy and brought a wooden tiger as the birthday present for his son. It had tiny sliver on its surface. One such sliver pierced his hand but was pulled out. Still the infection spread in his complete hand and he died. In this way the hundredth tiger was the wooden one that killed the king. Thus the prediction proved to be true.

The King had made a firm resolution to kill hundred tigers that he could live safely without having any danger to his life. Consequently, he issued a proclamation that none would either kill or harm the tigers in his kingdom. Even the King warned that if anyone dared fling a stone at a tiger, all his wealth and property would be confiscated. At one time, he was in the danger of losing his throne. A high ranking British officer visited Pratibandapurm as desired for being photographed with the tiger, he had shot. But the Maharaja refused permission to hunt the tiger there. He thought the other British officers might make similar request and it could cost his throne even.

It between the British officer's secretary sent a word that the Durai himself was interested in a photograph with a gun and by standing over the tiger's caracass. But the Maharaja did not accede to it. Naturally it had displeased the British officer. In order to resolve the issue, the Maharaja held deliberations over this issue. As a result he sent for samples of diamond rings in Calcutta. He would send them to the British Duraisani. The rings arrived and were sent to her with the hope that she would choose one or two ring and return the rest. Within no time she sent a reply thanking the king for his gifts. The king was happy but he had to pay three lakh rupees for these rings.

The long had killed ninety-nine tigers. No tiger remained even in his father-in-law’s kingdom. He was deeply worried as he became very anxious and restless to kill the hundredth tiger. Then alone he could believe the astrologer’s sooth saying. Soon a good news came to him from a village in his kingdom. The sheep had started disappearing there. He sent his people to look for the tiger and soon went to stay in the forest to find and kill the tiger in vain.

Then his Dewan brought a tiger from the Madras circus and left the old tiger in the forest secretly. The Tiger king hit the tiger with the bullet of his gun. He became overjoyed on hearing that he had killed the hundredth tiger. He told his soldiers to bring the tiger to his palace. He thought he had disproved the predictions of the astrologers. The soldiers found the tiger alive. The Tiger king had missed the target. To keep everything a close secret, the soldiers killed the tiger and brought to pratibandapuram. The king became carefree now. In this way, his worries came to an end.