The Life of Harishchandra, Raghavanka’s thirteenth-century masterpiece, is the first poetic rendering of one of ancient India’s most enduring legends. When his commitment totruth is tested by a powerful sage, King Harishchandra suffers utter deprivation―the loss of his wife and son, his citizens and power, and, dearest of all, his caste status―but refuses to yield. The tale has influenced poets and readers through the ages. A poet from northern Karnataka trained in the twin traditions of Sanskrit and Kannada, Raghavanka negotiates a unique space for himself in the Kannada literary canon through important thematic, formal and stylistic innovations. The conflicts he addresses―of hierarchical social order, political power, caste and gender―are as relevant to contemporary India as to his own times. Accompanied by the original text in the Kannada script, this spirited translation, the first into any language, brings an elegant and energetic narrative to a global readership.