But he wanted his loved ones around him, and for this he was willing to endure the tortures of hell. His life was a series of tests, trials and tribulations but he never failed to rise to the occasion.

    Born from the pure flames of a sacred fire, Draupadi was devoted wife to the five famously talented and virtuous Pandava brothers. The evil Kauravas wanted her for themselves, and eyed the Pandava kingdom as well. Raging at their impertinence, and ranting at her husbands’ helplessness, Draupadi inspired a deadly war which wiped out the Kaurava scourge for ever.

    Gandhari's hundred Kaurava sons, however, were more of a curse. Did they become evil by some divine plan or was it because she was proudly blind to their faults? Helpless as they heaped dishonour on the family, she was furious with Lord Krishna for abetting in her son's eventual slaughter. Unfortunately, her grief was overpowering, and threatened to wreak further havoc...

    Only the great Lord Vishnu could make things right again. He got both devas and asuras to churn up life-giving nectar from the ocean of milk and then ensured that the asuras were kept away from this gift of immortality.

    But sometime, the sun's glare got uncomfortably fierce, and Sanjna could not bear it. She devised the perfect cover for herself - Chhaya, her mirror image! Away from the blazing Surya, the lonely Sanjna pined for her beloved. Eventually, a way had to be found to ensure everyone's happiness.

    When her father is exiled from his kingdom, Hothal disguises herself as a man and fights alongside the valient Odha, who she eventually falls deeply in love with.

    Maya, their gifted architect, had created for them three cities fortified with iron, silver and gold and the great lord Brahma himself had decreed that these cities would be indestructible, unless struck by a single arrow. The three cities, known together as Tripura, orbited the earth and only once in a thousand years fell in a straight line, directly one above the other. Would Shiva be waiting to destroy them with a twang of his deadly bow?

    Would he succeed in killing the noble Rama and Lakshmana? Not while Hanuman was around, for this faithful friend had a trick or two of his own. The Bengali "Krittivasa Ramayana" written by poet Krittivasa in the 15th century describes how Hanuman manages to get around the wily sorcerer's schemes.

    The Kaurava brothers tricked their Pandava cousins out of a kingdom, and even Lord Krishna could not stop the horror and bloodshed that followed. Veda Vyasa composed an epic poem, the longest in the world, to describe the events that unfolded. In this epic tale of superhuman heroes and gory action, Veda Vyasa explores human ambitions, relationships and conflicts to find the true purpose of life

    Sambhaji had a tough childhood. His father was too busy to look after him and his mother died when he was only two. The young Sambhaji's main support came from his grandmother. When she died, he was bereft of love and care. To make matters worse, his step-mother was campaigning to make her own son the next ruler, trying to poison Shivaji's mind against Sambhaji. This Amar Chitra Katha traces the events that led up to the coronation of this wise and just Maratha ruler.

    Without Vishnu, he was afraid, chaos would ensue. So he and his son Narada, the wandering sage, set in motion a plan to get Vishnu to return to earth.A talking anthill, an arrogant sage, an irate cowherd, and even the asura king Ravana, each have their parts to play in these stories that describe the founding of the Venkateshwara temple at Tirupati. Set amongst the lovely Tirumala hills, this temple to Lord Vishnu, is one of the most beautiful temples in the world. It is said that more than 50,000 people visit this shrine every day, to pray to Venkateshwara to wash away their sins.

    Bullies and misers, dreamers and the narrow-minded, all got a taste of his wit, much to the delight of readers.

    Kalidasa, the greatest of Sanskrit poets, wove a tale that caters to every reader's taste. Warring cousins, wily courtiers, jealous wives, disguised princesses, all play their part in his play, which continues to thrill centuries after it was first written.

    As he rises into the sky he spreads light and warmth all over the world. The great Ganga king, Narasimha Rao, commissioned 1200 artisans to recreate this scene in stone. The Konark Sun Temple is a place where the lines between fact, fiction and folklore have blurred over time. Amar Chitra Katha interweaves the history of the 13th century monument with some of the mythology associated with it.

    Gossiping neighbours and an unhappy marriage would have ruined many women, but Prafulla was not one to give in easily. With hard work and good sense, she turned her life around. An attractive heroine in Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s novel, Prafulla rose from poverty to a life of riches and fame.