The Baital Pachchisi

The Baital Pachchisi is a collection of tales and legends from India, set within a frame story, which was originally written in Sanskrit. The stories are very popular in India and have been translated into many Indian vernaculars. Several English translations exist based on the Sanskrit, Hindi, Bengali and other versions and this 1871 edition is translated into English from the Hindi text of Dr Duncan Forbes (1861). Forbes (1798-1868) was a Scottish linguist who held the position of Professor of Oriental Languages at King's College, London from 1837-61.