Everyone loves the stories of folklore around the world. These tales bring us fascinating folktale characters that stay in our minds for a lifetime. Whether they are scary folklore characters or funny folklore characters, we find the stories around them fascinating. Andare, in Sinhalese folklore in Sri Lanka, is a classic instance of a funny folktale character that is memorable. He is without a doubt the funniest character in Sinhalese folklore and almost every story of Andare is appropriate for children. Therefore, Andare stories definitely fit the bill for being bedtime stories for kids. And, certainly, ideal as bedtime stories for adults. Just with a lot of humor!
Who was Andare?
According to folklore, Andare was the jester at the court of the Sinhalese King, Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe (August 11, 1747–January 2, 1782) in the Kandyan Kingdom, the last kingdom in Sri Lanka. Some sources say King Rajadhi Rajasinghe was the one who employed him and he served under the king for 17 years, from 1781 to 1798.
Even before his appearance as the jester, he was funny. Folklore says he has been cunning since childhood. He played pranks on people, regardless of their power or wealth. He was a keen, intelligent, and talented person who could compose poetic verses that suited any situation, find loopholes in people’s words and even in king’s orders, and get away with anything while mocking the average mind. The king appointed him as the jester for the royal court. Since then, he has served the king, making him and the court laugh.
Also, he was a skilled archer. It is said that he could shoot down a frog croaking in a pond at night with the sound it made. For that, the king offered him the title “Sadda Vidda Palanga Pathira“.
Did Andare really exist?
All the sources for the existence of this court jester come from folklore. There are no historical records or archaeological records supporting his existence up to date. Therefore, one theory is that he was an imaginary character born out of creative minds. In that case, it is possible that the things that the tales say this prankster did were actually done by several individuals. Then those things that outsmarted others might have created the character of Andare. Maybe the intellectuals in society created the character to mock the brainless acts and poor communication of the average person.
Another theory is that Andare was really a person who existed, as ascribed in the folktales. Accordingly, he was born in a village named Dewinura, in Matara. He was the second son of Palawinnage Palliyaguru, who was a linguist and the teacher at the church of Dewinuwara under the Dutch.
According to folklore, this one-in-a-million court jester died out of thirst while on the way to his hometown. And he composed a verse right before his death. After hearing that his favorite person, the court jester, had died, the king visited the place where he had died. He had died with his legs and hands spread wide. It is said that the King got a smile seeing that and said, “Oh, dear Andare, you are making me laugh even after your death.“
The cultural ministry of the southern province of Sri Lanka built a tomb and a monument in 2001 at the place where Andare died, according to the tales. They have created a sculpture of his dead body, as the folktale describes.
Most importantly, the people in Sri Lanka love this funny folklore character very much. Andare stories are always among the stories that kids read or listen to from their parents in Sri Lanka.
Why is Andare the funniest folklore character?
In short, all the stories of Andare are real-life situations. They revolve around his life. Since childhood, he has been a person who has done hilarious pranks in day-to-day life incidents. The sense of humor that is generated from the stories is purely hilarious, pointing out that the mindlessness, carelessness, or poor communication skills of people can lead them to trouble.
When reading these stories, it is clear that he mocked people with low intelligence or average IQ levels using his riddles and tricks. Most importantly, he didn’t care about anything. If he found a chance, he even mocked the king himself with his words and cleverly got away with it, even though the king was to punish him. He had a good situational understanding and provoked language. With his awareness of things around him and how people think, he manipulated situations around him in his favor. Even when he did something offensive under the ancient law of the king, he had the ability to save himself.
The stories are funny because the listener would eventually end up in awe listening to how this 18th-century prankster or trickster did things differently than anyone would anticipate. His behavior is unpredictable; therefore, the stories attract the listener from the beginning to the end. After the end, the listener burst into laughter when he understood what Andare did, why he did it and how he did it.
What are the famous stories of Andare?
There are many stories about Andare in Sinhalese folklore. Among them, a few are written by enthusiasts and some of them and some versions of them still remain folktales. However, a few of the stories of Andare are listed below.
- How Andare defeated a giant
- How Andare arranged a meeting between his wife and the Queen
- How Andare ate Java apple
- Minister’s prank on Andare
- How Andare planted coconut
- How Andare ate curd
- How Andare jumped into the well
- How Andare ate ripened jackfruit
- How Andare lifted the rock
- How Andare ate sugar
Each of these stories revolves around day-to-day life incidents. The stories build up curiosity to its peak and have sudden turn-overs that no one anticipates. As a matter of fact, the humor in these stories focuses on the thoughtless actions of people rather than on people themselves. That makes these stories appropriate for children too, even as bedtime stories for kids. The third story in the above list would be a prime example. What more can an adult give to a kid who loves funny bedtime stories than this?
Since the stories are based on the ancient Kandyan Kingdom of Sri Lanka, they recreate a vivid picture of the historical landscape too. So for people who love stories from other cultures and from the past, these stories will definitely satisfy them.
In summary, Andare is the funniest folktale character in Sinhalese folklore in Sri Lanka, and his stories are not only humorous but also one of the best series of stories from folklore that are suitable for bedtime or campfire stories for both kids and grownups. Not convincing enough? Read a story and see for yourself!