King Krishnadeva Raya was very fond of jewellery. His favourite ring was the one with a large diamond at the centre and pearls around. At the emperor’s palace, there were eight servants who looked after his clothes and jewellery. They also helped him get ready to go to the court. No one else was allowed to enter his room. One day, the Emperor wanted to wear his favourite ring. But it was missing. The King ordered a search for the ring. But no one could find it. The King then asked his men to call Tenali. When Tenali came, he told him about the robbery and asked for help.
Tenali called all the eight servants who were in charge of the king’s room. He gave each of them a stick of the same size and asked them to come back with it the next day. He told them that the stick of the person who had stolen the ring would become longer by one inch that night. The next morning, the eight servants stood in a line with their sticks. Tenali caught hold of one of them and took him to king. The man fell at king’s feet and admitted that he had stolen the ring. The king was surprised. He asked Tenali how he found out the culprit. Tenali said the thief had cut his stick by an inch fearing that it would grow.
