Malgudi - Geography

Geography

Malgudi is a small town somewhere in South India, a few hours journey from Madras. It is located on the shore of the fictional river Sarayu. Mempi Forest is nearby.

Narayan has often asserted that Malgudi is a fictional town. However, this has never deterred fans from speculating about its actual location. It is certain that it is located in South India, for Narayan himself says in an interview:

"I must be absolutely certain about the psychology of the character I am writing about, and I must be equally sure of the background. I know the Tamil and Kannada speaking people most. I know their background. I know how their minds work and almost as if it is happening to me, I know exactly what will happen to them in certain circumstances. And I know how they will react."

The exact location, however, is a matter of speculation. Many are of the opinion that it may be Coimbatore, with a river on one side, forest on the other, and many similar buildings and lanes as Malgudi like Lawley road, Variety Hall, Bombay Anand Bhavan, etc. It is also speculated that it may be Lalgudi on the river Kaveri, or Yadavgiri in the erstwhile state of Mysore.

Agumbe, a small village on the western ghats served the screening of most of the episodes of Malgudi Days, a TV serial based on Narayan's works. The movie Guide, based on Narayan's novel of the same name, was filmed in Rajasthan, instead of South India, a fact that Narayan was not very happy about.