Meet the hare that tricked a lion, the turtle that beat a rabbit at Narayanpet Panchatantra park

Hyderabad: Once upon a time, the jungle came together to offer an animal a day to the lion to satiate its hunger. One day, the food was late and the lion took the hare that was passing by to be its food. We all know how the story goes. The smart hare tricks the lion into believing that the lion's own reflection is another lion challenging him. Blinded with pride, the lion jumps into the well.

Now you can find the lion, the hare, and the well at a children's park in Kosgi municipality in Narayanpet.

At the newly-opened Panchatantra Park in Narayanpet, you will also see the turtle than outran the rabbit and taught all of us that 'slow and steady wins the race.'

The new park has several characters from the Panchatantra, an ancient Indian collection of animal fables.

Narayanpet district collector Harichandana said, "Along with various characters from Panchatantra, we also have five storyboards that narrate the stories."

The park was inaugurated a few days ago. The park also has a play and seating area for both children and families. It took three months for the park to be built.

The Panchatantra park was built under the state's Pattana Pragathi program. Pattana Pragathi is a 10-day programme that began on 3 June with a mission to increase liveability in urban areas.

"The structure of a crow dropping pebbles into a pot to get to the water (another Panchatantra story) is a crowd favorite," Harichandana said. One can also find the honest woodcutter who showed no greed when a goddess offered him a gold and a silver axe. The foolish crocodile who was tricked by the monkey's quick wit can also be found in the middle of the park.

Around 10 other structures that are stills from various Panchatantra stories have been erected in the park.

"Nowadays, not many children are watching or reading Panchatantra stories. We wanted to make the park an immersive learning space where children can learn about tales from the Panchatantra that impart moral values," the district collector added.