The Tiger King [AHSEC Class 12 English Notes for 2025 Exam]

About the Author

Ramaswamy Krishnamurthy is better known as Kalki. He was a Tamil writer, journalist and participated in India’s freedom struggle. He was a prolific writer and wrote several short stories and novels.

Brief Summary of the Lesson

The writer, Kalki, has narrated interestingly, the story of a king, who sets out to prove wrong a prophecy made by the astrologers in his kingdom. The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram was a man of indomitable courage and known as the Tiger King. He wants to kill a hundred tigers. He successfully kills ninety-nine tigers, but the hundredth one exacts its revenge on him.

Paragraph wise Summary

Prediction

The story is about the Maharaja of Pratibandapuram, who is known as the Tiger King. The author, Kalki, says that he would like to reveal the reason behind the Maharaja being known as the Tiger King. Those who read about him will want to meet a man of such indomitable courage. However, this desire cannot be fulfilled since the Tiger King is dead. The manner of his death is a matter of interest and cannot be revealed before the end of the story. As soon as he was born, the astrologers had predicted that he would have to die one day. They said that though he would be a great warrior and champion, he would meet his death because of the star he was born under.

An Intelligent Question

At that moment, something miraculous took place. The ten-day-old Jilani Jung Jung Bahadur addressed the astrologers causing immense surprise to all. They were stupefied that an infant born ten days back was speaking so clearly. The royal infant continued to speak and said that all those who are born would inevitably die one day. It would be sensible if the manner of death were told. The chief astrologer found it incredible that the infant could not only speak well but could also raise intelligent questions. He replied that the prince was born in the hour of the bull. Since the bull and the tiger are enemies, death will come from the tiger. On hearing tiger mentioned, the prince growled deeply and warned that the tigers beware.

Growing Up

The prince grew taller and stronger each day. There were no other miracles during his childhood. He was raised in the same way that the crown princes of the other Indian states were. He was brought up by an English nanny, taught in English by an Englishman, saw English movies and even drank the milk of an English cow. On reaching the age of twenty, the State previously with the Court of Wards came into his hands. People in the kingdom remembered the astrologer's prediction and continued to discuss the matter. This news slowly reached the Maharaja.

The First Kill

Pratibandapuram had many forests with tigers in them. Thinking that there would be no objection to killing tigers in self-defence, the Maharaja set out on a tiger hunt. He was thrilled on killing his first tiger. He summoned the state astrologer and showed him the dead animal. The astrologer warned him that though he may kill ninety-nine tigers in the same way, he must be cautious with the hundredth tiger. The Maharaja questions him if the prophecy would hold true if the hundredth tiger were also killed. The astrologer said that he would give up astrology if the hundredth tiger were also killed.

Challenges in the Way

A decree was passed that no one other than the Maharaja was allowed to hunt tigers in Pratibandapuram. This resulted in celebration time for the tigers. The Maharaja took a vow that he would attend to all other matters only after killing a hundred tigers. He set about his task bravely. The killings were fraught with danger but every time victory belonged to him. Once a high ranking British officer, fond of hunting tigers, visited the State. He wanted to hunt tigers but was refused permission. The officer's secretary sent a message that the Maharaja could do the actual killing and all that the officer wanted was a photograph of himself holding the gun and standing over the tiger's carcass. Yet, the Maharaja did not relent as he feared that other British officers would also turn up for hunting tigers. On account of antagonizing the British officer, he was in danger of losing his kingdom. Discussion with the dewan resulted in the Maharaja sending fifty diamond rings to the officer's wife. They thought that she would choose a couple of rings and send the rest back. Instead, she kept all the rings and sent a thank you note. The Maharaja had to foot the bill of three lakh rupees but he was happy that he had retained his kingdom.

A Successful Run

The Maharaja received a lot of success in hunting tigers and had killed seventy tigers in ten years. This led to the tiger population becoming extinct in his State. He asked his dewan to search a bride for him from a royal family of a state with a large tiger population. The dewan was successful in his search and the Maharaja killed five or six tigers every time he visited his father-in-law. In this way, he succeeded in killing ninety-nine tigers and their skins adorned the walls of the reception hall in his palace. He became very anxious to kill one last tiger and reach the figure of hundred so that he could become free from his fears. There were no more tigers even in his father-in-law's kingdom and it was impossible to locate tigers anywhere. He was reminded of the astrologer's warning to be wary of the hundredth tiger.

In Search of the Elusive Hundredth Tiger

The news was brought to him that sheep were disappearing in a hillside village in his State. This was supposed to be the work of a tiger. The elated Maharaja announced a three-year exemption from all taxes for that village. He set out on the hunt but could not find the tiger. He was determined and refused to leave the forest until the tiger was found. As the days passed, his rage increased and many officers lost their jobs. He called the dewan and ordered him to double the land tax. The dewan pointed out that the people would become discontented and their State would become prey for the Indian National Congress. The Maharaja tells the dewan to resign from his post.

The Dewan’s Efforts

The dewan is convinced that unless the Maharaja found the tiger, it would be catastrophic. He ordered a tiger to be brought from the People’s Park in Madras and hid it in his house. At midnight, he and his wife put the tiger in the car and drove to the forest where the Maharaja was hunting. On reaching the forest, the tiger refused to get out of the car. The dewan was completely exhausted in his efforts to drag the beast out of the car and push it down to the ground. The next day, the same tiger wandered into the Maharaja’s presence. He aimed at the beast and it fell in a crumpled heap. He was joyful on having killed the hundredth tiger and ordered the tiger to be brought to the capital in a grand procession. After the Maharaja left, the hunters noticed that the tiger was alive. The bullet had missed it and it had fainted from the shock of the bullet whizzing past. The hunters were afraid of losing their job if they told the king that he had missed his target. One of them shot the tiger and killed it. Obeying the king’s command, the dead tiger was taken in procession through the town and buried later.

The Hundredth Tiger’s Revenge

A few days later, the Maharaja's son celebrated his third birthday. The king wished to give him a special gift and went to the shopping centre in Pratibandapuram and searched for a gift. Finally, he saw a wooden tiger and decided that it was the perfect gift. The price of the tiger was two annas and a quarter but fearing punishment under the rules of the Emergency, the shopkeeper said that it costs three hundred rupees. Taking it home, father and son played with the wooden tiger. The tiger was carved by an unskilled carpenter and tiny slivers of wood stood up like quills all over it. One of these pierced the Maharaja's right hand. He pulled it out and continued to play with his son. The next day, there was an infection in his right hand, which developed into a sore that spread over his entire arm. Surgeons were summoned from Madras, and they operated on the king. They were not able to save him and he died. In this way, the hundredth tiger took its revenge upon the king.

Also Read: English AHSEC Class 12 Chapterwise Notes

Very Short Answer Questions (1 Mark each)

1. Who is the Tiger King?

Ans. The Tiger King is the Maharaja of Pratibandapuram. He is identified as His Highness Jamedar- General, Khiledar-Major, SataVyaghraSamhari, Maharajadhiraja Visva Bhuvana Samrat, Sir Jilani Jung Jung Bahadur, M.A.D., A.C.T.C., or C.R.C.K.

2. Why did the Tiger King get his name?

Ans.  When the Tiger King was born astrologers foretold that his death would be caused by a tiger as he was born in the hour of the bull. He made it his life’s mission to kill a hundred tigers. This is how he got the name of Tiger King.

3. What is the natural desire among men regarding the Tiger King?

Ans. The natural desire among men regarding the Tiger King is to meet a man of his indomitable courage face to face.

4. Why can the natural desire to meet the ‘Tiger King’ not be fulfilled?

Ans. This natural desire to meet the ‘Tiger King’ cannot be fulfilled because he is no more. He is dead and has reached the final abode of all living creatures.

5. What did the astrologers foretell about the ‘Tiger King’?

Ans. The astrologers foretold that the death of the ‘Tiger King’ would be caused by a tiger since he was born in the hour of the bull. The bull and the tiger are enemies.

6. Give another word each for ‘enunciated’ and ‘harakiri’.

Ans. Enunciated- Articulated

Hara-kiri-: Suicide

7. How did the chief astrologer caution the Tiger King after he had killed his first tiger?

Ans. The chief astrologer cautioned the king to be careful of the hundredth tiger even if he killed ninety-nine tigers easily.

8. What did the chief astrologer profess to do if the Tiger King killed the hundredth tiger?

Ans. The chief astrologer said that he would destroy his astrology books, cut off his tuft, crop his hair short and become an insurance agent if the Tiger King killed the hundredth tiger.

9. Why was it celebration time for all the tigers inhabiting Pratibandapuram?

Ans. It was celebration time for all the tigers inhabiting Pratibandapuram because the State banned tiger hunting by anyone except the king.

10. Why is it said that the Maharaja’s tiger hunts were highly successful?

Ans.  The Maharaja’s tiger hunts were highly successful as he had killed seventy tigers in ten years.

11. What was the price of the wooden toy tiger?

Ans. The wooden toy tiger cost a sum of two annas and a quarter.

12. How much did the Maharaja pay for the wooden toy tiger?

Ans.  The Maharaja paid three hundred rupees for the wooden toy tiger.

Short Answer Questions (2 Marks each)

1. What did the royal little infant utter in his squeaky little voice?

Ans. In his squeaky little voice, the little infant, the crown prince said that death was an inevitable end to all life. The astrologers’ predictions were not required to know this universal fact.  It would make more sense if he could tell the manner of his death.

2. What explanation was given by the chief astrologer to the query of the little Tiger King?  2014, 2016, 2017

Ans. To the query of the little Tiger King, the chief astrologer explained that the prince was born in the hour of the bull. The bull and the tiger are enemies and hence the death of the little Tiger King would be caused by a tiger.

3. What did the Tiger King pronounce when he heard that his death would be caused by a tiger?

Or

What did the Maharaja decide to do when he remembered the astrologer’s prediction?      2019

Ans. When the control of the State of Pratibandapuram passed into the hands of the Tiger King, the astrologer's prediction of the death of the king was remembered and discussed by people in the kingdom. He banned tiger hunting in his kingdom and proclaimed that if anyone dares to fling so much as a stone at a tiger, all his wealth and property would be confiscated. The Maharaja vowed to attend to all matters of the State only after killing of hundred tigers.

4. What was easier to find than tigers, after the Tiger King killed the ninety-ninth tiger?

Ans. The writer in the story comically said that the tiger's milk was easier to find than a tiger because the Maharaja had killed so many tigers that it almost became extinct both in his kingdom and in his father-in-law's kingdom.

5. Who were Khader Mian Saheb and Virasami Naicker?

Ans. Khader Mian and Virasami Naicker were skilled thieves who stole sheep from the villagers. They were famous for their ability to swallow sheep whole.

6. What was the happy news for the Tiger king after a long time?

Ans. The Maharaja was angry that the hundredth tiger could not be found. It was then that he received good news from a hillside village in his kingdom that sheep were disappearing from the village and it was suspected that a tiger was the reason for it.

7. What was the great miracle that took place? Why did the people stand stunned?

Ans. The great miracle that took place was that a ten-day-old infant spoke with clarity and wisdom to the astrologers of the kingdom. In his squeaky little voice, the little infant, the crown prince said that death was an inevitable end to all life. The astrologers’ prediction was not required to know this universal fact.  It would make more sense if he could tell about the manner of death. This left the people stunned.

8.  How did the Tiger King celebrate his victory over the killing of the hundredth tiger?

Ans.  The Tiger King was elated and full of joy on having killed the hundredth tiger and ordered the tiger to be brought to the capital in a grand procession. It was taken in procession through the town.  Later, it was buried, and a tomb was erected over it.

9. How did the hundredth tiger take its revenge on the Tiger King?         2020

Ans. The wooden toy tiger, bought by the king, was carved by an unskilled carpenter and tiny slivers of wood stood up like quills all over it. The king and his son were playing with the toy tiger when one of these quills pierced the Maharaja's right hand. He pulled it out and continued to play with his son. The next day, there was an infection in his right hand, which developed into a sore that spread over his entire arm. Surgeons were summoned from Madras, and they operated on the king. They were not able to save him and he died. In this way, the hundredth tiger took its revenge upon the king.

10. Why was the Maharaja so anxious to kill the hundredth tiger?

Ans. The Maharaja was anxious to kill the hundredth tiger as he was afraid of the prophecy of his death being caused by a tiger. He resolved to kill a hundred tigers, to feel safe from the prophecy made by the astrologers and prove the prophecy wrong.

11. When did the Tiger King stand in danger of losing his kingdom?

Ans. The Tiger King was in danger of losing his kingdom when a high ranking British officer visited his State and wanted to hunt tigers. He refused to permit the officer to hunt tigers. On account of not giving in to the officer's demand, the Tiger King stood in danger of losing his kingdom.

12. Why did the Tiger King decide to get married?

                                   Or

What will the Maharaja do to find the required number of tigers to kill?

Ans. The tigers in his State had extinct, and he had not yet killed a hundred tigers. He decided to get married to a girl from a royal family in a state that had a large tiger population so that he could go and hunt tigers there.

13. What sort of hunt did the Maharaja offer to organize for the high ranking British officer? What trait of the officer does it reveal?

Ans. The Maharaja denied permission to the British officer to go on a tiger hunt. He offered to organize any other hunt for him, be it a boar hunt, a mouse hunt or even a mosquito hunt. The officer was fond of being photographed with the tigers that he had shot. It shows his vanity and desire to show off.

14. What warning did the astrologer give the Tiger King when he killed the first tiger? Did the predictions of the astrologer come to be true?

Ans. The chief astrologer cautioned the king to be careful of the hundredth tiger even if he killed ninety-nine tigers easily. The prediction of the astrologer came to be true as the hundredth tiger did take the life of the king.

15. What was the Prediction made by the astrologer?

Ans. When he was born, the astrologer foretold that he would grow up to be a warrior of warriors, a hero of heroes and champion of champions, but one day he will have to meet his death.

16. How did the Tiger King grow up?

Ans. The crown prince grew taller and stronger day by day. His childhood was eventful as compared to his birth. Like other princes in India. He was imparted western education and familiarised with the western way of living. He was brought up by an English nanny, taught in English by an Englishman, saw nothing but English movies and even drank the milk of an English cow.

17.  Why was there no objection to the killing of tigers?

Ans. According to the prediction of the chief astrologer, the king was going to be killed by a tiger. He had heard of the old saying that one may kill even a cow in self-defence. There would be no objection to the killing of tigers in the name of self-defence. Hence there were no objections to the killing of tigers.

18.  What were the various dangers faced by Tiger King in his hunting spree?

Ans. The Maharaja seemed well set to realize his ambition initially. During his tiger-hunt, there were times when his bullet missed its mark. Once a tiger leapt upon him. He fought the violent beast with his bare hands. Each time it was the Maharaja who won. Despite all these obstacles, Maharaja's tiger-hunting campaign went on quite well

19. What did the dewan do about procuring a tiger on pain of easing his job?

Or

How did the dewan manage to arrange the 100th tigers?

Ans. The dewan was afraid of losing his job, so he bought a tiger from People's Park in Madras. The tiger was kept hidden in the Dewan house. At midnight when the town slept in peace, the dewan and his wife dragged the tiger into the car and drove straight to the forest. On the following day, the tiger wandered into the Maharaja's presence and stood there in front of him, and finally, the king gets the chance to kill the hundredth tiger.

Long Answer Questions (7 Marks each)  (125-150 words)

1. What did the Maharaja do to appease the British officer whom he had prevented from hunting tigers?

                                                 Or

How did the Maharaja manage to retain his kingdom?

                                                 Or

How did the Tiger King stand in danger of losing his kingdom? How was he able to avoid the danger? Explain.

Ans.  Once a high ranking British officer, fond of hunting tigers, visited the State. He wanted to hunt tigers but was refused permission. The officer's secretary sent a message that the Maharaja could do the actual killing and all that the officer wanted to be a photograph of himself holding the gun and standing over the tiger's carcass. However, the Maharaja did not relent as he feared that other British officers would also turn up for hunting tigers. On account of antagonizing the British officer, he was in danger of losing his kingdom. Discussion with the Dewan resulted in the Maharaja sending fifty diamond rings to the officer's wife. They thought that she would choose a couple of rings and send the rest back. Instead, she kept all the rings and sent a thank you note. The Maharaja had to foot the bill of three lakh rupees, but he was happy that he had retained his kingdom. This was how the danger of losing his kingdom was averted.

2. What did the dewan do about procuring a tiger on pain of losing his job?

                                                 Or

How did the dewan manage to arrange the hundredth tiger?

Ans. The Maharaja was very anxious as one tiger was remained to be killed though he had successfully killed ninety-nine tigers. Under this stress, he was firing people from their posts and taking rash decisions which might prove catastrophic to the State. When the dewan attempted to venture an opinion, he was asked to resign from his post. He decided to do something.   He ordered a tiger to be brought from the People's Park in Madras and hid it in his house. At midnight, he and his wife put the tiger in the car and drove to the forest where the Maharaja was hunting. On reaching the forest, the tiger refused to get out of the car. The dewan was completely exhausted in his efforts to drag the beast out of the car and push it down to the ground. This is how the dewan managed to arrange the hundredth tiger.

3. Describe the comic scene between the Tiger King and his dewan? What did the Tiger King wish to convey to the dewan?

Ans. One day the Tiger King summoned his dewan and brandishing his gun asked him if he was not aware that thirty tigers remained to be shot down. The dewan shuddered at the sight of the gun and cried out that he was not a tiger. To which the king responded that only an idiot would call him a tiger. The dewan said that he was not a tiger and neither a gun. The Tiger King agreed with the dewan that he was neither a tiger nor a gun. He had summoned the dewan into his presence for a different reason. He wanted to get married. Hearing this, the dewan began babbling that he already had two wives. The king told him not to talk nonsense. He didn't want to marry the dewan. What he wanted was a tiger. The dewan pleaded to the Tiger King not to marry a tiger. The State already had a tiger king; it did not need a tiger queen. He reminded the king that his ancestors were married to the sword. He could marry a gun.  The Maharaja laughed and said that it was not his intention to marry either a tiger or a gun, but a human girl from a state with a large tiger population.

4. How did the Tiger King finally die?

Ans. The Maharaja's son celebrated his third birthday. The king wished to give him a special gift and went to the shopping centre in Pratibandapuram and searched for a gift. Finally, he saw a wooden toy tiger and decided that it was the perfect gift. The price of the tiger was two annas and a quarter but fearing punishment under the rules of the Emergency, the shopkeeper said that it costs three hundred rupees. Taking it home, father and son played with the wooden tiger. The tiger was carved by an unskilled carpenter and tiny slivers of wood stood up like quills all over it. One of these pierced the Maharaja's right hand. He pulled it out and continued to play with his son. The next day, there was an infection in his right hand, which developed into a sore that spread over his entire arm. Surgeons were summoned from Madras, and they operated on the king. They were not able to save him and he died. In this way, the hundredth tiger took its revenge upon the king. In this way, though the Tiger King killed ninety-nine tigers easily, the hundredth tiger took his life.

5. Describe the efforts made by the Tiger King to achieve his target of killing a hundred tigers.

Ans. When the control of the State of Pratibandapuram passed into the hands of the Tiger King, the astrologer's prediction of the death of the king was remembered and discussed by people in the kingdom. Word reached the king's ears, and he set out on a tiger hunt. The Maharaja vowed that he would attend to all other work only after killing a hundred tigers. The Tiger King was untiring in his efforts to kill a hundred tigers. He killed seventy tigers in his State in ten years after which there were no more tigers left there. He prevented everyone, apart from him, from hunting tigers. He even risked losing his kingdom by not allowing a high ranking British officer to hunt tigers in his kingdom.  He got married to a princess from a kingdom with a large tiger population and was able to kill twenty-nine tigers more. He became very anxious when the hundredth tiger eluded him.  On receiving news, that a hillside village in his kingdom, was being visited by a tiger, he rushed there and was determined not to leave till he killed the tiger. Without his knowledge, his dewan arranged for a tiger from Madras, that he could kill. When the tiger appeared in front of him, he aimed and the tiger collapsed from the shock of the bullet whizzing by. However, he thinks that the tiger is dead and he has killed the hundredth tiger.

6. Draw a character sketch of the Tiger King in your own words.         2014

Ans: The tiger king as the name suggests was a brave man, and did not fear killing tigers with bare hands when his bullet missed the mark.

 He was an autocratic and authoritarian ruler and his subjects feared him. Because of his conceit and ego to achieve the target of killing a hundred tigers, he completely terminated the tiger population in his and his father-in-law's kingdom. He was with a crazy streak. When the hundredth tiger was not found he ordered the doubling of the land tax.

He was very egoistic because he set out proving the chief astrologer wrong who forecasted his death at the hands of a tiger. 

 He was also a poor father, who could not attend his family matters and ignored his son. He was a badadministrator who vowed that he would attend all matters in his kingdom after killing the hundredth tiger. He was disrespectful towards his own employees. He often showed disrespect to such people as the chief astrologer and dewan and talked rudely with them. Thus, although the tiger king was brave, yet he was insensitive and a foolish ruler.

Exam Questions From 2012-2020

2 mark questions

1. Who is the Tiger King? Why does he get that name?           2013

2. What did the chief astrologer predict about The Tiger King?         2014  2017

3. How did the Tiger King celebrate the killing of the hundredth tiger?          2015

4. What explanation was given by the chief astrologer to the query of the little Tiger King?      2016

5. What did the Maharaja decide to do when he remembered the astrologer’s prediction?          2019

6. How did the hundredth tiger take its revenge on the tiger king?          2020

Long Questions- 7 marks

1. Draw a character sketch of the Tiger King in your own words.           2014