Shakuntala: The Woman Wronged


Utkarsh Patel - 2015
    What is not so well known, however, is that the gentle, lovelorn Shakuntala immortalized by Kalidasa is very different from the original Shakuntala of the Mahabharata—a strong, fiery woman who stood up for her rights when she was spurned by her beloved.In this thoughtful retelling of the story of Shakuntala, Utkarsh Patel brings to the fore the original heroine, the bold and beautiful daughter of Menaka and Vishwamitra who fights to get herself and her son the recognition they deserve. She does not surrender to anyone, not even the king of Hastinapur. Retold to suit the modern-day context, Shakuntala: The Woman Wronged is a must-read to understand one of the most powerful yet underrated female characters of the Mahabharata.

Revenge of the chandalas (The chronicles of kosala)


Sandeep Nayyar - 2019
    

Draupadi - India's First Daughter


Vamshi Krishna - 2020
    It was more an open-handed smack from him that stung her like an electric shock. On her sensitive red cheeks was now a deep cut where his finger rings made of gold touched her. She could sense a warm stream of sweat running down her forehead and into her bare toes. She felt dizziness and ache in her head; it was not just physical but an intense sorrow crushing her from inside. Her body had become an object of desire for hundreds of lecherous men. She wished she could hide all her beauty somewhere so that she would never have to face any more such humiliations in her life.She had been fighting battles since she was born; it was just the battlefields that kept changing periodically. But that moment, she strongly believed in avenging those lecherous men for the humiliation she was meted out. Did she ultimately emerge victorius? Read her inspiring journey.

Mandodari: Queen of Lanka


Manini J. Anandani - 2018
    In her story, she speaks about her struggles after her marriage, her insecurities and her pious nature that challenged her husband's growing aspirations. She narrates the rise of Ravana's power and the blunders he made that ultimately caused the downfall of Lanka.Despite her husband's faults, Mandodari loved him and advised him to follow the path of righteousness. Ravana's defeat in a thirteen-day war turned him into a villain. But what if he were the real hero on his side of the war? What if his downfall was a result of scheming to push him out of power? This is Mandodari's story.

Krishna and Shishupala


Kamala Chandrakant - 2011
    She extracted a promise from him that he would forgive Shishupala a hundred offences. As he grew up Shishupala had enough reasons to be angry with Krishna. Especially after he was jilted by Princess Rukmini, in favour of the merry-eyed cowherd. He provoked Krishna repeatedly and was forgiven a hundred times. And then one day Shishupala committed his hundred and first offence.

Ashwatthama's Redemption: The Rise of Dandak


Gunjan Porwal - 2018
    the only hurdle in its path is Guru Dronacharya’s son, the mighty but accursed warrior Ashwatthama, who lost all his powers following Lord Krishna’s curse and who unwittingly finds himself drawn into the quest of the lost bow of Lord Rama, the Kodanda. As ghosts of the distant past return to haunt him and the line between friends and enemies blurs, Ashwatthama must fight his inner demons to emerge victorious. He undertakes a perilous journey—across the vast plains of the Ganges, to the snow-capped peaks of the Himavant where the price of failure is a fate worse than death and death is a privilege not granted to Ashwatthama. Is this all part of Lord Krishna’s great plan? Will Ashwatthama be able to regain his lost glory?

The Thirteenth Day


Aditya Iyengar - 2015
    Bhishma, the venerable patriarch of the families, lies fatally wounded on the plains of Kurukshetra. On his deathbed he offers Radheya, his nemesis, a chance to rule the Kuru kingdom by capturing Yudhishthira.In the Pandava camp, Yudhishthira, a reluctant warrior, tries desperately to hold his allies together and escape capture without appearing to be a coward. Meanwhile, his young and impulsive nephew, Abhimanyu, a warrior prince, dreams of glory and yearns for a chance to save the Pandava cause. The lives of these three warriors, Yudhisthira, Radheya and Abhimanyu, collide brutally on the thirteenth day. A story of how stories are created, how fact becomes fiction, how history becomes mythology and how men become legends, The Thirteenth Day re-imagines India's greatest epic like never before.

Kamadeva: The God of Desire


Anuja Chandramouli - 2014
    This enthralling story of the God of Desire explores his many wondrous adventures, as well as his heady romance with Rati, his chief consort.Best friends with Indra, the King of the Gods, tutor to the Apsaras in the art of lovemaking, Kamadeva lives a dream life in the magnificent Kingdom of Amaravathi - until danger strikes when he incurs the wrath of Shiva because of a preordained curse. Follow Kama as he hurtles towards his destiny and the Destroyers dreaded third eye. Find out if he will rise from the ashes to reign supreme as the King of Hearts or if he will be doomed to spend an eternity as Ananga - The bodiless one.In Kamadeva - The God of Desire, the author masterfully marries imagination with stellar research to bring to vivid life one of the most intriguing Gods of the Hindu pantheon. Laced with wit and narrated in contemporary flavour, Kamadeva will take you on a rollicking ride into the heart of desire and its tantalizing dark side.

Menaka's Choice


Kavita Kané - 2015
    That is our motto. Live by it, Menaka or you shall suffer untold, unnecessary grief.Born during the churning of the ocean, Menaka is the most beautiful of all the apsaras in the world, with quick intelligence and innate talent. However, she craves for the one thing she can never have - family. Elsewhere, after severe austerities, a man, now blessed with the name Vishwamitra, challenges the gods and dares to create another heaven. Fearing his growing powers, Indra, the king of gods, decides to put a stop to his ambitions by making Menaka seduce him.What will happen when Menaka and Vishwamitra meet each other? Will Menaka finally find what she really wished for? Or will she again be forced to surrender to her destiny? Find out in this fascinating portrait of one of the most enduring mythological figures.Features:This is untold tale of the famous apsara, Menaka and equally famous Rishi Vishwamitra.The novel is not just a love story of Menaka and Vishwamitra, but also a story of a woman, restricted by her designated role and fighting for her dreams in a male-dominated world; and the story of man defying all odds to achieve his goal and fulfil his destiny.The writing is lucid and narration is gripping.This is the latest book by Kavita Kane, the best-selling author of Karna’s Wife: The Outcast’s Queen and Sita's Sister.

The Ramayana Secret


Anurag Chandra - 2019
    The divine scripts are in his custody and the demon king is invincible. Rama is tasked with the secret mission of securing the scripts and handing them back to their rightful owners. Assuming the identity of Dasharatha’s son, Rama prepares for battle, aided by emissaries from the inner Earth kingdom of Agartha and sages residing in Dandaka. Will this alliance between the kingdoms of Agartha and Kosala save humanity from an impending disaster? Why is Rama’s real identity kept a secret? Who has decided to reveal the secret about Rama’s origins and why? Was Sita the real reason Rama fought against Ravana? The Ramayana Secret is Rama’s story, NOT as you know it BUT as it happened.

The Curse of Gandhari


Aditi Banerjee - 2019
    As she stares death in the face, her memories travel back to the beginning of her story, to life's unfairness at every point: A fiercely intelligent princess who wilfully blindfolded herself for the sake of her peevish, visually-impaired husband; who underwent a horrible pregnancy to mother one hundred sons, each as unworthy as the other; whose stern tapasya never earned her a place in people's hearts, nor commanded the respect that Draupadi and Kunti attained; who even today is perceived either as an ingratiatingly self-sacrificing wife or a bad mother who was unable to control her sons and was, therefore, partly responsible for the great war of the Mahabharata.In this insightful and sensitive portrayal, Aditi Banerjee rescues Gandhari from being reduced to a mere symbol of her blindfold. She builds her up, as Ved Vyasa did, as an unconventional heroine of great strength and iron will - who, when crossed, embarked upon a complex relationship with Lord Krishna, and became the queen who cursed a God.

Ganesha’s Temple


Rohit Gaur - 2021
    You’re supposed to have faith.Not a lot is going right for Taran Sharma. First, he stole his annoying brother’s necklace and ran off into the night. Then, his family got taken hostage by spindly creatures of the dead. And to top it all, he’s just been charged with a mission by Lord Ganesha himself! Now, in order to rescue his family from the hands of the preta, he has to undertake a journey more fantastical than he can begin to comprehend.As Taran embarks on an epic voyage that may lead to disastrous consequence, he realizes that having faith, especially in himself, might be harder than he was led to believe.Dive into this riveting adventure to the Veiled Lands, replete with evil Naga armies, mythical creatures and a supervillain who will stop at nothing to reach the elusive Gateway of Moksha.

Shakti: Tales of the Mother Goddess


Reena Ittyerah Puri - 2018
    She is the power that protects and destroys. She represents the fertile, bountiful earth, and is the protector of all life form. All goddesses are considered to be a manifestation of her. The worship of the goddess has evolved over time. Local village goddesses of the forest, field, river and lake became versions of the one great female principle. Lakshmi, Saraswati and Parvati are also considered to be forms of Adi Shakti. The Devi Mahatmayam or the ‘Glory of the Goddess’, describes her as the fierce and beautiful goddess who fights asuras and wards off evil. She shields the gods against evil and stands up for the worthy.Amar Chitra Katha brings together stories of seven goddesses from the Puranas, folklore and the Devi Bhagavata. Endowed with strength, grace and courage, these goddesses show us the power of being a woman.

Rukmini: Krishna's Wife


Saiswaroopa Iyer - 2021
    Rukmini nodded with a confident smile. ‘Trust me, Acharya. In addition to the mayhem I fought against in my own family, I also fought against the fear of uncertainties that would envelope my life, if, all gods willing, I wed Krishna. I am no stranger to the fact that life would become only more challenging at Dwaraka.’A Princess. A Lover. A GoddessAn overreaching emperor thought he would use her as a pawn.Her eldest brother became a tool of her enemy.In her own family, she had none to call her own.But Rukmini, the princess of Vidarbha, made a choice.She would not bow down to patriarchy.The story of Rukmini is often overshadowed by the glorious exploits of her charismatic husband, Krishna Vaasudeva. For the very first time, this novel gives Rukmini her due. It portrays the life of the feisty bride who made bold choices not only while eloping with her beloved but all through her life to become a resplendent goddess, a fitting partner to the most beloved god of the land.

Tales of Arjuna ((Amar Chitra Katha)


Anant Pai - 2000
    Comic book format containing stories from the mythology of India: Arjuna, the Monkey, and the Boy; Arjuna Defeats Indra; and Arjuna Humbled