Vetala Panchavimshati

Collection of Indian tales

the television series made by Sagar Arts

The Vetala Panchavimshati (, IAST: vetālapañcaviṃśati), or Betal Pachisi ("Twenty five (tales) of Betal"), is a collection of tales and legends within a frame story, from India. Internationally, it is also known as Vikram Vetala. It was originally written in Sanskrit. One of its oldest recensions is found in the 12th Book of the Kathasaritsagara ("Ocean of the Streams of Story"), a work in Sanskrit compiled in the 11th century by Somadeva, but based on yet older materials, now lost. This recension comprises in fact twenty four tales, the frame narrative itself being the twenty fifth. The two other major recensions in Sanskrit are those by Śivadāsa and Jambhaladatta. The Vetala stories are popular in India and have been translated into many Indian vernaculars. Several English translations exist, based on Sanskrit recensions and on Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, and Marathi versions. Probably the best known English version is that of Sir Richard Francis Burton which is, however, not a translation but a very free adaptation.

A variation of this story replaces the vetal with a minor celestial who, in exchange for his own life, reveals the plot by two tradesmen (replacing the sorcerer) to assassinate Vikrama and advises Vikrama to trick them into positions of vulnerability as described above. Having killed them, Vikrama is offered a reward by the goddess, who grants him two spirits loyal to her as his servants.

It was adapted into 1951 Hindi film Jai Maha Kali (Vikram Vaital) by Dhirubhai Desai starring Lalita Pawar, Nirupa Roy, Shahu Modak, Raj Kumar, and S. N. Tripathi. It was remade in 1986 as Vikram Vetal, by Shantilal Soni, starring Vikram Gokhale, Manhar Desai, and Deepika Chikhalia. The 2017 Tamil film Vikram Vedha was a modern day adaptation of the story with the characterization of King Vikramaditya and the celestial spirit Vetala derived from that plot. The title of the film was also derived from the two key characters from the folktale. In 2022, the film was remade in Hindi under the same title.

In 1985, the story was developed by Sagar Films as a television serial titled Vikram aur Betaal, starring Arun Govil as Vikrama and Sajjan Kumar as the Vetala. It was aired on Doordarshan, the public television broadcaster of India. A remake of that serial by the new generation of Sagar Films, titled Kahaniyaan Vikram aur Betaal Ki, was aired on the Indian satellite channel Colors. Indian animator Rajiv Chilaka directed Vikram Betal, a television film for Cartoon Network in 2004 which was produced by his Green Gold Animations. Another 2006 supernatural sitcom Vicky & Vetaal was inspired by the Baital Pachisi. A web series titled The Vetala was released in 2009, written and directed by Damon Vignale. The series reveals a CGI vetala character in the final episode. 2018 Hindi TV adaptation Vikram Betaal Ki Rahasya Gatha was aired on &TV, where actors Aham Sharma and Makrand Deshpande as playing the role of King Vikramaditya and Betaal respectively.

Some time between 1719 and 1749, Ṣūrat Kabīshwar translated Śivadāsa's Sanskrit recension into Braj Bhasha; this work was subsequently translated in 1805 under the direction of John Gilchrist into the closely related Hindustani language by Lallu Lal and others. This was a popular work that played an early role in the development of Literary Hindi and was selected as a Hindustani test book for military service students in the East India Company. Thus it became the basis of several Hindi editions, and Indian vernacular and English translations; many of these frequently reprinted. — Reprinted several times between 1848 and 1921 (some later editions as Baital Pachisi). — A new edition of the Hindí text, with each word expressed in the Hindústaní character immediately under the corresponding word in the Nágarí; and with a perfectly literal English interlinear translation, accompanied by a free translation in English at the foot of each page, and explanatory notes. — A new and corrected Edition, with a vocabulary of all the words occurring in the text. — Translated from Dr. Forbes's new and correct edition. — Translated from the Hindi text of Dr. Duncan Forbes. — Not a translation, but a retelling "more Burtonian than Indian", based on one or more of the Hindustani editions or translations. — Translated from the Brujbhakha into English.