Kanthapura

by

Raja Rao

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Kanthapura makes teaching easy.

Maharaja Term Analysis

An originally Sanskrit word for a great ruler or king. Over time, it became a relatively common title denoting honor.

Maharaja Quotes in Kanthapura

The Kanthapura quotes below are all either spoken by Maharaja or refer to Maharaja. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Oral Tradition, Writing, and Political Power Theme Icon
).
Section 5 Quotes

And they all rose up like one rock and fell on the ground saying, “You are a dispenser of good, O Maharaja, we are the lickers of your feet…”

Related Characters: Achakka (speaker), Sahib, Maistri, Coolie Chenna
Page Number: 50
Explanation and Analysis:

[Pariah Siddayya] tells you about the dasara havu that is so clever that he got into the Sahib’s drawer and lay there curled up, and how, the other day, when the sahib goes to the bathroom, a lamp in his hand, and opens the drawer to take out some soap, what does he see but our Maharaja, nice and clean and shining with his eyes glittering in the lamplight, and the Sahib, he closes the drawer as calmly as a prince; but by the time he is back with his pistol, our Maharaja has given him the slip. And the Sahib opens towel after towel to greet the Maharaja, but the Maharaja has gone on his nuptial ceremony and he will never be found.

Related Characters: Achakka (speaker), Sahib, Potter Siddayya
Page Number: 52
Explanation and Analysis:
Section 18 Quotes

“Satyanarayan Maharaj ki jai!”

Related Characters: Mahatma Gandhi
Page Number: 172
Explanation and Analysis:
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Maharaja Term Timeline in Kanthapura

The timeline below shows where the term Maharaja appears in Kanthapura. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Section 1
Oral Tradition, Writing, and Political Power Theme Icon
Nationalism and Colonialism Theme Icon
Sometimes, the poet Sastri delivers Harikathas—he has been honored by the Maharaja of Mysore and, according to rumors, even has a permanent role lined up in the... (full context)
Section 5
Nationalism and Colonialism Theme Icon
Labor, Exploitation, and Economic Independence Theme Icon
...the maistri repeated in their native language. The coolies begin worshipping the Sahib as a Maharaja, and the maistri spits in one worker’s face when she asks for pay. The maistri... (full context)
Oral Tradition, Writing, and Political Power Theme Icon
Land, Geography, and Belonging Theme Icon
Labor, Exploitation, and Economic Independence Theme Icon
...harmless unless attacked, and sits to tell the story of a snake he calls the Maharaja, which hid in the Sahib’s drawer and slithered away when the Sahib fetched his pistol. (full context)