The tale of Raigamaya and Gampolaya is one of the funny folktale stories with moral lessons from Sinhalese folklore. The story is about two men with the same attitude getting to know each other and becoming friends. Whether you are searching for funny bedtime stories for kids, short bedtime stories for kids, funny folktales for kids, bedtime stories with moral lessons for kids, folktales with moral lessons, or whatever, this story will suit your requirements. Happy Storytelling!
Once upon a time, in Ceylon, there were two cunning men. We call one of them Raigamaya and the other Gampolaya. Raigamaya was from the Raigama area. Gampolaya was from the Gampola area.
One day, Raigamaya and Gampolaya met each other at an ambalama (An ambalama is a structure in Sri Lanka, constructed for pilgrims, traders, and travelers to rest and spend the night while they are traveling.) They had both been on their way somewhere. As the night fell, they both decided to spend the night in the ambalama and depart in the morning.
“Where are you from?” One man asked from the other.
“I am from Raigama. Where are you from?” The other one replied and asked.
“I am from Gampola,” the other one replied.
Both men got into an interesting talk. They both had stories to share and experiences to share. First, they shared their resources and prepared their dinner. While having dinner, they started to talk. Both men got to know that both of them were looking to earn some money. So, they talked about what they could do. Finally, they decide to sell betel leaves and betel nuts at a local fair in a nearby town.
“I will sell betel nuts,” Raigamaya said.
“Okay, I will sell betel,” Gampolaya said.
The next morning, the two men left the ambalama and went separate ways. The day that they agreed to meet again arrived. As agreed, Raigamaya and Gampolaya both met at the same ambalama before the sun went down. Both men had brought two bags of goods to sell. Raigamaya’s bag seemed to be filled with betel nuts and Gampolaya’s bag seemed to be filled with betel leaves. The two men kept their bags by their sides and slept for the night.
The next day, at dawn, Raigamaya woke up earlier than Gampolaya. While Gampolaya was sleeping, Raigamaya placed his bag where Gampolaya’s bag was and took Gampolaya’s bag. Raigamaya had not brought betel nuts. Instead, he had brought a bag full of kitul palm nuts to make it look like a bag full of betel nuts. Raigamaya had planned this from the beginning. So, he took Gampolaya’s bag, left his bag, and went to the fair while Gampolaya was sleeping.
Soon after Raigamaya left, Gampolaya woke up. He looked around. He saw that Raigamaya had taken his bag. Gampolaya thought Raigamaya had taken the bag by mistake. But Gampolya was not upset. Instead, he was happy. Gampolaya had also been planning to trick Raigamaya and take his bag. Therefore, he had brought a bag full of black pepper leaves instead of betel leaves. So, he took the bag that was there and left the ambalama before sunrise.
The two men got a place on the fair and sat with their bags. The fair was getting full of people as the sun rose. Raigamaya opened the bag. He took the leaves out of the bag. That is when Raigamaya saw that the leaves were not betel leaves. They were black pepper leaves. Meanwhile, Gampolaya also opened the bag and saw they were not betel nuts. They were kitul palm nuts. Raigamaya had tried to trick Gampolaya and earn money and Gampolaya had tried to trick Raigamaya and earn money. At the end, they both were tricked and fooled by each other. The two men received the results of their actions instantly.