Tenali Ramakrishna.

Once the regular barber of the Great King Krishna Devaraya was being tried to be used as a ploy to insult the most favorite witty poet Tenali Ramakrishna. They induced the barber to make a request on the King while performing daily massage of the Body, for sending a poet to heaven to please and entertain the forefathers of the King Krishna Devaraya; by which the King would be pleased with the advice and reward suitably. The stupid Barber in his greedy to gain expensive rewards had done the same while he was giving the King a nice Body Massage. With this request, the King also thought the poor barber had made a request for his forefather but not anything for himself and hence had not doubted the real intention of wicket jealousy courtesans behind the request made through the barber.
In the next Assembly session, the King Krishna Devaraya had declared that his fore father were feeling bored for want of a good entertaining poet, hence requested for suggestion of the best poet who could be sent to heaven so that he would go and entertain his forefathers. At this the wicket courtesans promptly suggested the name of Tenaali Ramakrishna who is the best entertainer of all the poets in the Vijayanagara Kingdom as such would be the most suitable person for the assignment. At this advice the King promptly asked Tenali Ramakrishna if he was willing to accept the task.
Tenaali Ramakrishna, being a smart and intelligent person, had understood the wicked idea of the people behind the whole episode, promptly agreed but requested the King for sometime so that he could prepare himself for taking a soujourn to Heaven and made a request to leave for Heaven from a particular designated place nearby his home and sought for about a month time for the preparatory exercise.
The King was pleased at the ready acceptance of the Poet Tenali Ramakrsihna and gave the time he had sought for.
Meanwhile, before the expiry of the time given, Tenali Ramakrishna, with help of his confidants, had dug a small tunnel from the backyard of his house to the designated place from where he had requested for making a trip to Heaven; and covered with some makeshift thatched hut kind of place.
On the appointed day and time, the King and all the people were assembled at the pre-designated place for sending Tenali Ramakrishna to Heaven in the service of entertaining the forefathers of the King Krishna Devaraya. While going, Tenali Ramakrishna had whispered something in the ears of the King that he would come back any time after One month at the call or even thought of the King about the Poet Rama Krishna. Thus Tenali Ramakrishna had been sent inside the Thatched Hut where a big pit was dug into which he had gone and the thatched hut was dismantled by throwing debris into the Pit where Tenali Ramakrishna was sent into.
After about One month, King started feeling the absence of the witty poet who used to regularly entertain the King in his witty style of poetry. He just thought of Tenaali Ramakrishna; which Ramakrishna was very sure that the King would certainly remember him sometime or the other, about which he wittily thought and whispered into the ears of the King before going.
After about One and half month, when the King Krishna Devaraya was assembed in his famour “Bhuvana Vijayam” Assembly hall, there comes a message that a person with a long uncut hair and beard is seeking the entry into assembly requesting for the audience of the King.
The King being very polite to all sadhus and sages, promptly gives permission to give entry to the person.
The person is brought in with long bearded with uncut hair in a very weird way; and was requested to be introduced.
The person introduces himself as Tenaali Ramakrishna directly coming from Heaven at the thought of the King Krishna Devaraya.
The king feels surprised since he thinks the Poet Tenali Ramakrishna had been sent to heaven and would never come back. He asked the Tenali Ramakrishna to prove his identity. At this he requests the king to get a barber who could cut his hair and bear so that his identity could be known.
After a proper hair cut and share had been given, Tenali Ramakrishna’s identity had been made out.
The King felt surprised and asked Tenaali Ramakrishna as to how come he could come back from the service of his forefathers. At this, the witty poet had told the King that the forefathers of the King were leading a good life except one great happiness.
At this the King promptly asked the Poet as to what that unhappiness was about. The witty Tenali Ramakrishna had told the King that the Great King’s forefathers were not having a good barber and hence they were all having long uncut hair and bear as such feeling highly irritated at the uncut hair. Hence a most dedicated and reliable barber was the utmost urgent need for them in the heaven. In proof of that, the poet had shown his own beard and uncut hair which had been grown due to lack of barber services in the heaven.
The King had immediately summoned his official Barber and asked him to be ready to go to heaven in service of the forefathers of the King.
The barber got jittery and fell on the feet of the Poet Tenali Ramakrishna for having made unsual request to appease some of the mischievous courtesans.
The King had been told of the whole story and once again felt highly entertained at the whole and gave enormous gifts to witty Poet Tenaali Ramakrishna.