There was once a prince whose beauty lit up the entire palace and whose virtues were too many for people to count. One day, the prince decided he would travel the world. A sadness fell over the kingdom. The queen gave up food and sleep, but the king simply said:
Very well, let him go.
The people of the kingdom prepared to accompany him in great processions, and the king offered him guards and attendants. The queen brought platters of jewels and precious stones. But the prince took none of it. He refused the entourage, the riches, and the guards. Dressed in a new set of clothes with a new sword hanging at his side, the prince set off alone to see the world.
He journeyed on and on, crossing countless countries, mountains, and rivers, leaving kingdom after kingdom behind him. At last, he came to a deep forest. He noticed a strange silence. In this forest, no birds sang, and there was no sign of tigers or bears. The prince walked on.
After traveling deep into the woods, the prince saw it: a palace of such magnificence he had never seen before. He stood and stared in wonder. The palace spire seemed to touch the sky, and its gates were wide enough to span the forest. But no music played from the spire, and no guards stood at the gate.
Slowly, the prince entered the palace grounds.
Inside, the palace was so clean it seemed to have been washed in milk, gleaming and spotless. Yet there was not a soul to be seen. The palace was still and silent. Not a leaf stirred, not a speck of dust moved. The prince was astonished.
He looked here and there, taking in the whole of the palace. He walked until he reached a place that made him stop in his tracks. Before him was a vast courtyard filled with elephants, horses, soldiers, guards, and sentries, all standing in perfect, silent rows.
The prince called out.
No one answered. No one even turned to look at him.
Bewildered, the prince stepped closer and saw that the endless rows of soldiers and the ranks of elephants and horses were all statues of stone. No one blinked. Not a single hair on them moved. The prince stood frozen in amazement.
He continued into the palace. In one chamber, he found thousands upon thousands of swords, shields, and bows hanging on the walls. The guards there were stone. The soldiers were stone. The prince left his own sword by the door and walked quietly on.
He entered another room and found a great royal court. Golden lamps filled with ghee burned brightly, and jewels glittered from every corner. But on the throne, the king was a statue of stone. In the minister’s seat, the minister was stone. Courtiers, poets, guards—whoever was there, was frozen in place as a statue of stone. No one blinked. No one spoke a word. The prince saw the royal parasol leaning over the king’s head and a ceremonial fan drooping in a handmaiden’s hand. There was no sound, no movement. All was in a deep, silent slumber. The prince bowed his head and moved on.
In the next chamber he entered, it seemed a thousand lamps were lit at once. It was filled with so much treasure—diamonds, rubies, and pearls—that the room could barely contain it. The prince touched nothing and went to the next room.
As he approached, the scent of thousands of flowers washed over him, and he felt faint with the fragrance. Where was such a scent coming from? He entered the chamber and saw, not water, but a million lotus flowers blooming in the center of the room. Their perfume filled the air.
The prince moved slowly toward the garden of flowers. There, among the blossoms, he saw a golden cot. On the cot was a stand made of diamonds, and from the stand, a garland of flowers was draped. Beneath the garland, on a golden lotus with a stem of diamond, a princess of breathtaking beauty lay in a deep sleep. Her hands and feet were hidden by the petals, but her face, radiant as the moon, glowed softly within the golden flower.
Leaning against the diamond stand with its pearl tassels, the prince gazed at her, utterly enchanted.
He watched and watched, and years passed. The princess did not wake, and the prince did not blink. She slept in her profound slumber, and he watched, lost in her beauty.
Then one day, the prince noticed a golden wand lying by the princess’s head. He gently picked it up. As he did, he saw a silver wand on the other side. Amazed, he picked that up as well.
As he held the two wands, turning them over in his hands, the golden wand accidentally brushed against the sleeping princess’s head.
Instantly, the golden cot shuddered. The forest of lotuses trembled. Their petals fell away, and the princess’s hands and feet appeared. Stretching as if from a long rest, she opened her eyes and sat up with a start.
At that very moment, life returned to the palace. Birds began to sing outside. A guard’s shout echoed from the gate. In the courtyard, elephants trumpeted and horses neighed. The clang of swords rang out. In the royal court, the king awoke. The minister awoke. The courtiers awoke. From their thousand-year sleep, everyone, wherever they were, woke up. The soldiers and guards stood ready with their swords and arrows.
Everyone was stunned. Who had come to their palace?
The prince was astonished. The princess stared in wonder.
The king, the minister, and all the people of the court rushed to the chamber. When they saw the prince and princess, they bowed their heads. Drums and horns began to play all across the palace.
The king said:
You are the son of what fortunate king? You have saved us from the grip of a living death!
The people of the court cried out:
Oh, what god-prince are you, son of a divine king? An ogre touched our prosperous golden kingdom with a silver wand and put us all to sleep. You came and woke us, and you have saved us all.
The prince bowed his head and remained silent.
The king declared:
What do I have that I can give you? I give you this princess, and I give you this kingdom.
Flowers rained down from the sky, and the fragrance of sandalwood filled the air. A thousand drums in the palace began to beat with a deep ‘dum-dum’ sound.
Then, hundreds of maids began grinding spices and thousands began chopping vegetables. Auspicious pots were placed at every door, decorated with flowers and mango leaves. Intricate alpana designs were drawn on the floors. As the bride and groom were seated, the sound of conch shells filled the air. The palace pulsed with joy and excitement, shaking with the happy chaos after so many years of silence.
Then, in the bright moonlight, with the fire-priest before them, the king gave his daughter’s hand to the prince. With the kingdom as her dowry, he placed a crown of five jewels upon the prince’s head and married them. Shouts of victory rose from all around.
One year, two years, and many more years passed. The prince who had gone traveling had still not returned home. Weeping and striking her head, his mother, the queen, had fallen ill and taken to her bed. Lost in thought and shedding endless tears, his father, the king, had gone blind. The kingdom was dark, filled with despair.
Then one morning, before the sun had even risen, the sound of drums and horns erupted at the palace gates. The ground shook with the approach of elephants, horses, and soldiers.
The queen cried out:
What is it? What is it?
The king called:
Who is there? Who is there?
The people of the kingdom came running. The prince had returned, and he had brought his new bride, the princess!
Trembling, the king came and embraced his son. Stumbling, the queen came and welcomed the princess into the family. The people shouted with joy.
The prince touched the golden wand to his father’s eyes, and the king’s sight was restored. Seeing her son and her new daughter-in-law, the queen’s illness vanished.
And so, with their son, the prince, and his bride, the princess of the sleeping palace, the king and queen ruled their kingdom in great happiness.