# Andher Nagari

Andher Nagri is a six-act play written by Indian Hindi writer Bhartendu Harishchandra in 1881. It satirizes autocratic government by an incompetent ruler. Bhartendu composed it in a single day for the Hindu National Theater in Banaras.

## Story

This play is divided into 6 acts.
In the first act, the Mahanta appears with two of his disciples who send their disciples Govardhan Das and Narayan Das to beg for alms in a nearby town. He warns Govardhan Das about the bad consequences of greed.
The second act, has a view of the city market where everything is being sold. Govardhan Das is delighted to see this infidelity in the market and returns to his guru with three and a half sers of sweets for seven paise.
In the third act, the two disciples return to the Mahant. Narayan Das brings nothing while Gobardhan Das brings two and a half ser sweets. The Mahant becomes conscious on hearing the news of the virtuous and the demerit getting the same sentiment in the city and asks his disciples to leave the city immediately. He says- "So son, living in this city is not suitable where veggies and sweets are available at Takke Ser. I will not stay in this city any more." Narayan Das agrees to them while Govardhan Das decides to stay there in the greed of cheap tasty food.
The fourth act, depicts the court and justice of Chaupat Raja of Andher Nagari. The king, who is drowned in alcohol, starts from the bania on the complaint of the complainant's goat being buried, reaches the Kotwal through the artisan, chunawalla, bhishti, butcher and shepherd and sentences him to death.
In the fifth act, Govardhan Das, who is fat eating sweets and being pleased, is caught by four soldiers and they take them to the gallows. They tell him that because the goat died, someone must be hanged for the sake of justice. When the noose of the gallows came out from the neck of the thin Kotwal, the king ordered to hang a fat man.
In the sixth act, preparations have been completed to hang Govardhan Das in the crematorium. Then his Guru Mahant Ji comes and gives some mantra in his ear. After this, both the guru and disciple show their haste to climb the gallows. The king on hearing that the person who is going to be hanged in this auspicious position will go straight to Baikunth and ultimately orders himself to be hanged. In this way the unjust and foolish king is automatically destroyed.

## Characters

* Mahant – a monk
* Govardhan Das – Mahant's greedy disciple
* Narayan Das – the second disciple of the Mahant
* kebabwala - kebab seller
* Ghasiram : gram seller
* Narangiwali – orange seller
* confectioner – sweet seller
* Kuzdin – vegetable seller
* Mughal – seller of nuts and fruits
* Pachakwala – Churan seller
* fish seller
* Jaatwala – Brahmin
* merchant
* Raja – quadruple king
* Mantri – Minister of Chaupat Raja
* gardener
* Two servants, two servants of the king
* complainant – one who seeks justice from the king
* Kallu – the bania whose wall collapsed and killed the complainant's goat
* Artisan – Wall maker of Kallu Baniya
* Chunewala – a lime maker
* Bhishti – one who wets lime for building walls
* Kasai – the maker of masks for Bhishti
* Shepherd – one who sells sheep to the butcher
* police officer
* Four Sipahis – The King's Soldiers

## In popular culture

The play has been retold through a graphic novel published by Amar Chitra Katha .