Kiranmala: The tale of the princess who conquered Magic Mountain - Malay Bera
192,640 Views
277 Questions Answered
TEDEd Animation
Let’s Begin…
Inspired by a king’s visit, a trio of siblings began building a palace, traveling far and wide to collect rare jewels, seeds, and marble. A holy man stopped by and told them of a Magic Mountain, east of north and north of east, where they’d find their most meaningful treasures. But, he said, only a true hero could complete the journey. Malay Bera shares the Bengali tale of Kiranmala's quest.
13
Create and share a new lesson based on this one.
Additional Resources for you to Explore
Like the tale of Neelkamal and Lalkamal, which you may recognize from another TED-Ed lesson, the enchanting story of Kironmala also first appeared in print in 1907 in Thakurmar Jhuli (literally, “Grandmother’s Bag [of Tales]”), an anthology of Bengali folk tales collected by Dakshinaranjan Mitra Majumder which remains to be the most popular volume of Bengali fairy tales to this day.
Kiranmala stands out in Thakurmar Jhuli as it is the only story featuring a female warrior as the protagonist in the collection. While female characters are abundantly present in Bengali fairy tales (rupkatha, in Bengali), they are typically portrayed as damsels in distress or as the embodiment of a monstrous feminine (rakkhoshi, or rakshasi). The characterization of Kiranmala, however, does not cast her in these moulds. She is depicted as a “manly” woman – a courageous and determined heroine who proves her heroism through her strength, intellect, and ambition. In fact, her heroism is more innate to her very being because it comes from within her even though she was not trained in the same way as her brothers while growing up. Furthermore, though born as a princess, Kiranmala grows up in a humble household, which emphasizes her personal merit over her royal lineage.
Though Kiranmala is the only warrior princess in Thakurmar Jhuli, she is not alone in the entire world of rupkatha. Another example of a warrior princess can be found in the tale of Pushpamala, found in Thakurdadar Jhuli (“Grandfather’s Bag [of Tales],” 1909), also collected by Dakshinaranjan Mitra Majumdar. Both Kiranmala and Pushpamala disguise themselves as male warriors to embark on their adventures. A translation of the story of Pushpamala can be found in Francis Bradley Bradley-Birt’s Bengal Fairy Tales (1920).
Though the trope of crossdressing in Kiranmala and Pushpamala reflects patriarchal constraints of the time by subscribing to the idea that a perilous adventure is for men, it also subtly subverts gender norms by allowing female characters to adopt traditionally male roles. If you are interested in more stories that feature crossdressing heroines in Bengali fairy tales, you may want to check out “The Foolish Vow” in The Orient Pearls (1915) by Shovona Devi, and “The Story of Prince Sabur” in Folk Tales of Bengal (1883) by Lal Behari Day.
The story of Kiranmala has inspired several adaptations across media. The story of Kiranmala was made into a film, Arun Barun Kiranmala in 1968 by the Bangladeshi director Khan Ataur Rahman. The most notable adaptation in Bengali language, however, is the popular TV serial “Kiranmala”, which first aired on Star Jalsha from 2014 to 2016. This contemporary retelling brought the tale to a modern audience while retaining its magical essence, though the inconsistencies and weak links in the new elements introduced to the plotline have been critiqued. Kiranmala has also had an impact in the anglophone world and South Asian diaspora attesting further to its popularity across time, space, and linguistic borders. Kiranmala’s adventures inspired Sayantani Dasgupta’s fantasy trilogy, Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond, which reimagines the character in a magical world weaving in elements from Bengali folklore at large.
If you are interested in reading the “original” story in Bengali, it can be accessed in Thakurmar Jhuli (1907), the anthology in which it was first published. A translation of the story was published in English in 1920 by Francis Bradley Bradley-Birt in Bengal Fairy Tales, illustrated by the renowned Bengali painter and children’s writer, Abanindranath Tagore. A relatively modern translation of the story can also be found in Sukhendu Ray’s rendition in the enlarged and updated edition, Tales from Thakurmar Jhuli: Twelve Stories from Bengal published by the Oxford University Press in 2012.
If you are interested in oral retellings, a relatively recent version of the story of Kiranmala as transcribed by Subrata Basu in 2007 can be found here. The story of Kiranmala in its many adaptations has inspired academic scholarship as well in the recent years. For example, Lopamudra Maitra Bajpai reflects on media adaptations of Kiranmala in this article about changing reflections of a brave princess, and Sohini Dasgupta writes about empowering girlhood journeys with reference to Kiranmala in this article.
Kiranmala stands out in Thakurmar Jhuli as it is the only story featuring a female warrior as the protagonist in the collection. While female characters are abundantly present in Bengali fairy tales (rupkatha, in Bengali), they are typically portrayed as damsels in distress or as the embodiment of a monstrous feminine (rakkhoshi, or rakshasi). The characterization of Kiranmala, however, does not cast her in these moulds. She is depicted as a “manly” woman – a courageous and determined heroine who proves her heroism through her strength, intellect, and ambition. In fact, her heroism is more innate to her very being because it comes from within her even though she was not trained in the same way as her brothers while growing up. Furthermore, though born as a princess, Kiranmala grows up in a humble household, which emphasizes her personal merit over her royal lineage.
Though Kiranmala is the only warrior princess in Thakurmar Jhuli, she is not alone in the entire world of rupkatha. Another example of a warrior princess can be found in the tale of Pushpamala, found in Thakurdadar Jhuli (“Grandfather’s Bag [of Tales],” 1909), also collected by Dakshinaranjan Mitra Majumdar. Both Kiranmala and Pushpamala disguise themselves as male warriors to embark on their adventures. A translation of the story of Pushpamala can be found in Francis Bradley Bradley-Birt’s Bengal Fairy Tales (1920).
Though the trope of crossdressing in Kiranmala and Pushpamala reflects patriarchal constraints of the time by subscribing to the idea that a perilous adventure is for men, it also subtly subverts gender norms by allowing female characters to adopt traditionally male roles. If you are interested in more stories that feature crossdressing heroines in Bengali fairy tales, you may want to check out “The Foolish Vow” in The Orient Pearls (1915) by Shovona Devi, and “The Story of Prince Sabur” in Folk Tales of Bengal (1883) by Lal Behari Day.
The story of Kiranmala has inspired several adaptations across media. The story of Kiranmala was made into a film, Arun Barun Kiranmala in 1968 by the Bangladeshi director Khan Ataur Rahman. The most notable adaptation in Bengali language, however, is the popular TV serial “Kiranmala”, which first aired on Star Jalsha from 2014 to 2016. This contemporary retelling brought the tale to a modern audience while retaining its magical essence, though the inconsistencies and weak links in the new elements introduced to the plotline have been critiqued. Kiranmala has also had an impact in the anglophone world and South Asian diaspora attesting further to its popularity across time, space, and linguistic borders. Kiranmala’s adventures inspired Sayantani Dasgupta’s fantasy trilogy, Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond, which reimagines the character in a magical world weaving in elements from Bengali folklore at large.
If you are interested in reading the “original” story in Bengali, it can be accessed in Thakurmar Jhuli (1907), the anthology in which it was first published. A translation of the story was published in English in 1920 by Francis Bradley Bradley-Birt in Bengal Fairy Tales, illustrated by the renowned Bengali painter and children’s writer, Abanindranath Tagore. A relatively modern translation of the story can also be found in Sukhendu Ray’s rendition in the enlarged and updated edition, Tales from Thakurmar Jhuli: Twelve Stories from Bengal published by the Oxford University Press in 2012.
If you are interested in oral retellings, a relatively recent version of the story of Kiranmala as transcribed by Subrata Basu in 2007 can be found here. The story of Kiranmala in its many adaptations has inspired academic scholarship as well in the recent years. For example, Lopamudra Maitra Bajpai reflects on media adaptations of Kiranmala in this article about changing reflections of a brave princess, and Sohini Dasgupta writes about empowering girlhood journeys with reference to Kiranmala in this article.
About TED-Ed Animations
TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »
Meet The Creators
- Educator
- Malay Bera
- Director
- Héloïse Dorsan Rachet
- Narrator
- Alexandra Panzer
- Sarangi played by
- Vanraj Shastri
- Violin by
- Shruti Bhave
