Book 1: ‘The IMMORTALS OF MELUHA’ , (He has come)
1900 BC. In what modern Indians mistakenly call the Indus Valley Civilisation. The inhabitants of that period called it the land of Meluha – a near perfect empire created many centuries earlier by Lord Ram, one of the greatest monarchs that ever lived.
This once proud empire and its Suryavanshi rulers face severe perils as its primary river, the revered Saraswati, is slowly drying to extinction. They also face devastating terrorist attacks from the east, the land of the Chandravanshis. To make matters worse, the Chandravanshis appear to have allied with the Nagas, an ostracised and sinister race of deformed humans with astonishing martial skills.
The only hope for the Suryavanshis is an ancient legend: ‘When evil reaches epic proportions, when all seems lost, when it appears that your enemies have triumphed, a hero will emerge.’
Is the rough-hewn Tibetan immigrant Shiva, really that hero? And does he want to be that hero at all? Drawn suddenly to his destiny, by duty as well as by love, will Shiva lead the Suryavanshi vengeance and destroy evil?
This is the first book in a trilogy on Shiva, the simple man whose karma re-cast him as our Mahadev, the God of Gods. Learning – Har Har Mahadev – There is God in everyone.
In ancient times, the Indian subcontinent (including the modern nations of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka) was called by one of two names. The first was Bharatvarsh – literally, the land ruled by the legendary emperor, Bharat. The second name was Jambudweep, the island of the Jambu tree.
In that period, the North Indian subcontinent was referred to as the Sapt Sindhu, the land of the seven rivers: Indus, Saraswati, Yamuna, Ganga, Sarayu, Brahmaputra and Narmada. The Narmada River, which bisects central India, served as the southern border for North India. In the first book of the Shiva Trilogy, The Immortals of Meluha, we travel with Shiva as he explores the land of ancient India, more than 4000 years ago. Most of his time in the first book is spent in the empire of the Suryavanshis, called Meluha -the land of pure life. Meluha is based in the areas of the modern Indian provinces of Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and all of the country of Pakistan. It also includes parts of eastern Afghanistan.
Part 2: The Secret of the Nagas (The gates of Branga) is the second book of the Shiva Trilogy
Shiva’s hunt for the Naga who killed his friend Brahaspati and targeted his wife Sati, takes him down India’s major river networks, searching for traitors and seeking allies in his war against evil. But evil is rising again, more potent than ever. A whole nation is dying. Another, suffering for no fault of its own. Everyone is suspect: new friends, old allies and even his philosopher guides. At every corner, Shiva finds evidence of Naga activity. A crown prince is murdered. A people held to ransom for a miracle drug made only by the Nagas.
Shiva’s journey takes him across the length and breadth of Swadweep, to the land of the Brangas and further south, deep into the Dandak forest. Shiva searches for the truth in a land of deadly mysteries – only to find that nothing is what it seems.
The hunt is on. The sinister Naga warrior has killed his friend Brahaspati and now stalks his wife Sati. Shiva, the Tibetan immigrant who is the prophesied destroyer of evil, will not rest till he finds his demonic adversary. His vengeance and the path to evil will lead him to the door of the Nagas, the serpent people. Of that he is certain. The evidence of the malevolent rise of evil is everywhere. A kingdom is dying as it is held to ransom for a miracle drug. A crown prince is murdered. The Vasudevs – Shiva’s philosopher guides – betray his unquestioning faith as they take the aid of the dark side. Even the perfect empire, Meluha is riddled with a terrible secret in Maika, the city of births. Unknown to Shiva, a master puppeteer is playing a grand game. In a journey that will take him across the length and breadth of ancient India, Shiva searches for the truth in a land of deadly mysteries – only to find that nothing is what it seems.
Fierce battles will be fought. Surprising alliances will be forged. Unbelievable secrets will be revealed in this second book of the Shiva Trilogy, the sequel to the #1 national bestseller, The Immortals of Meluha.
Today, he is a God.
4,000 years ago, he was just a Man.
In the second book of the Shiva Trilogy, The Secret of the Nagas, Shiva travels primarily through the empire of the Chandravanshis which is called Swadweep, the island of the individual. Swadweep comprises the modern Indian provinces of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura.
Part 3: The Oath of the Vayuputras: (An Eternal Partnership)
Evil has risen.
Only a God can stop it.
Shiva is gathering his forces. In this final part of the Shiva Trilogy, Shiva reaches to Panchvati, the capital of the Nagas and comes face to face with Evil, a name which instills fear in the hearts of the fiercest of warriors. Shiva who is also known as Neelkanth by now, prepares for a holy war against his true enemy. Come what may, Shiva must not fail now. A series of brutal battles begins and it convulses India. In desperation to win over Evil, Shiva reaches out to the Vayuputras, who have never offered any help to him previously. He meets the chiefs of the Vasudevas and the Vayuputras in the hidden cities of Ujjain and Pariha.
Shiva also comes to know the reality about many characters that he thinks are close to him and many new characters have been introduced too in this part by the writer. Many people die in the battles but will Shiva succeed in overthrowing Evil? If so, at what cost to himself and to India? Will he finally emerge as a God from a normal mortal existence? This final part of the trilogy reveals the last and the vigorous journey that Shiva undertakes in order to destroy the evil.
In the third book, The Oath of the Vayuputras; we travel to Magadh and Kashi on River Ganga, Kingdom of Branga between Ganga and Brahmaputra, Panchavati on River Godavari, and Pariha or modern Iran, etc. accompanying Shiva and his allies. We end up on the banks of holy Manasarovar Lake at the foot of holy Mount Kailash.
No comments:
Post a Comment