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Brief outlime of Harishchandra's life is given below (to help the non-Tamil viewers to understand the drama). Source: Mahabharata and Markandeya Purana.

Harishchandra is the mighty monarch of Sri Rama's lineage Ikshwaku dynasty (36th king of the Solar Dynasty). His legend is very popular and often told as a benchmark for an ideal life.
He had two unique qualities. 1) He kept his word and never went back on what he uttered as a promise. 2) He never uttered a lie in his life.

One day in the celestial court of Devendra some earthly matters came up for discussion. Devendra wondered if there were any truthful human beings on earth. The sage Vasishta stood up and said: "Yes, there are truthful men on earth and mentioned the name of King Harischandra." Sage Vishwamitra who was present in that asembly proceeded to test Harischandra's truthfulness.
Vishwamitra came to the king and asked for a gift (himself being a brahmin and a Rishi). Harischandra readily agreed. The sage asked for the entire kingdom. The king granted the demand unhesitatingly. Now the sage asked for the Dakshina (honorarium) which is given along with a gift/donation to complete the act of donation. But the king has nothing with him now to give since he has already gifted the entire kingdom. So he asks for some time and at last the king got sanctioned a time of 48 days and left the city with his queen Chandramati (or Taramati) and his very young prince Rohitashwa. The citizens wept bitterly and moaned: 'The grace our life has left us.'

Sage Vishwamitra called Nakshatraka, one of his disciples, and ordered him to follow the Royal family as a guest to collect the dakshina and till then give them all sorts of problems to tire the king out from his truthfulness and dharma. Harischandra had to fulfil his promise to pay the dakshina within the stipulated time. He went to Kasi (or Varanasi) to earn money there but couldn't find any work or way of earning. But the stipulated time was drawing nearer. He was restless. His wife suggested that she be sold as slave and pay off the dakshina. After much forcing and with hesitation Harishchandra sells the queen to a Brahmin as a slave to work on household works. Pince Rohitashwa being very young goes to live with his mother. But that money was not enough to pay the dakshina so he sold himself to a low caste man Veerabahu (as no one else came forward to buy him) who owned a cremation ground and thus paid the dakshina.

The king, his wife and son had to sustain tremendous hardships doing their respective chores. The king helped the guard cremate the dead bodies and himself collected taxes, while his wife and son were used as household helpers at the house of the Brahmin. Once, the son had been to the garden to pluck flowers for his master's prayer, when he was bitten by a snake (at the order of the Sage) and he died instantly. His mother, having nobody to sympathise for her, herself carried his body to the cremation grounds and it was night when she arrived there all alone. In acute penury, she could not even pay the taxes needed to cremate her son. Harishchandra did not recognise his wife and son. He asked the lady to sell her golden mangalasutra and pay the tax. It is at this instance that his wife recognises the man as her husband. She had a boon that her husband only could see her mangalasutra. Harishchandra then came to her and recognised her as his wife and was stung by pangs of agony.

Even after recognising their identities, the king, who was loyal to his ‘master’ & was dutybound was not ready to budge, instead demanded payment for the cremation to be undertaken. That very day the young prince of Kasi was missing and upon search the king's men found in dark hours Chandramati carrying deadbody of a yound lad. The king's men wrongly concluded that Chandramati had killed their young prince and on hearing the news, the king of Kasi, without investigation, gave out an order to behead the culprit Chandramti.
Kasi's King's men delivered the order to Veerabahu and they all came to the creamation ground to punish Chandramati. Advised by his master Veerabahu, Harischandra was readying himself to behead his own wife Chandramathi.

Sage Vishwamitra who arrived at the scene compelled the king to utter a single lie, so that Veerabahu could let her free enabling Harischandra to regain all his lost possessions. But again, the king who was committed to Truth and honesty was not ready for any compromise.

He raised his sword to behead his dear wife. And Lo! The sword that was held aloft turned into a garland of flowers and there appeared Shiva and all Devas showering benevolence and blessings upon the king. Then Vishwamitra explained his test to all and blessed the king with half of merit of his own tapasya. Yes, Truth has emerged triumphant in the end! Truth alone is victorious! Satyameva Jayate!
The story of King Harischandra stands as a beacon of truth and the story has gained immortality in India.

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