7 Books Based on the Indian Mythology

India has a rich literary history and heritage when it comes to mythology. Mythology explores the diverse aspects of life and the traditions and beliefs rooted in the country. If you are interested in reading about mythology but are unable to read the original texts, don’t worry we have brought for you a list of books that might interest you that pertain to the genre of myths and mysteries. Even if you have no interest in mythology, these books will make you intrigued enough to start loving the genre.

The Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi

“Nothing is more important than life. Nothing. You realize the simplicity of that point only when you confront death every day.”

The Immortals of Meluha is the first novel of The Shiva Trilogy. The story begins with the arrival of a Tibetan tribal named Shiva in the land of Meluha set in 1900BC. The people of Meluha believe that Shiva is their savior. The plot's trajectory goes from fierce battles to plot twists that keep the readers on their toes throughout the read.

The Secrets of Nagas is the second of the fantasy series telling the story of Shiva; the man-made God by the tribe of Meluha. The Tibetan immigrant, who is the prophesied destroyer of evil, will not stop till he punishes the evil nemesis who has taken the life of someone he loves and threatens the life of another.

In The Oath of Vayaputras, Shiva gathers his forces. India convulses under the onslaught of a series of brutal battles. Shiva reaches out to the ones who have never offered any help to him — the Vayuputras. The answers to all the mysteries and all the loose ends of the previous books are concluded in this part.

The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

“Expectations are like hidden rocks in your path — all they do is trip you up.”

The Palace of Illusions is based on the Mahabharata, one of the greatest epics in India and worldwide. The narrative of the book is from the viewpoint of Paanchali, the wife of the Pandava brothers. Since the epic, Mahabharata, is mainly male-oriented, the novel gives us an entirely new interpretation of the same events and how they affected the female populace in the epic. The story follows the course of Paanchali’s life right from her childhood. She is portrayed as a strong woman who was a brilliant and fierce warrior in her own right. This is why this novel is one of the most well-known Indian Mythology books.

Asura: Tale of the Vanquished by Anand Neelakantan

“I had lived as Ravana, and I would die as Ravana. I did not intend to become Rama, the perfect man, and God. There was no dearth of gods in my country. It only lacked men.”

Asura: Tale of the Vanquished is based on the epic ‘The Ramayana’. The story is told from the perception of Ravana and the Lankans unlike the original which was told from the point of view of Rama. The novel begins with Ravana dead after his final battle with Rama and works back in flashbacks depicting Ravana recalling his unhappy and impoverished childhood, and his growing rage at non-Asuras. The novel is highly critical of the caste system — especially those who stand at the top of the pyramid — and is one of the most controversial books that are based on Indian Mythology.

The Krishna Key by Ashwin Sanghi

“Our collective energies make miracles happen, not the stone idol.”

Based on the epic ‘The Mahabharata’, The Krishna Key is a murder mystery. The protagonist of the novel, Professor Ravi Mohan Saini, is a historian who frantically tries to find an ancient artifact that will prevent a catastrophe and a massive miscarriage of justice. Along the way, he discovers hidden truths about a young serial killer who was delusional and believed that he was the final avatar of Lord Vishnu i.e., Krishna, and killed people with a seemingly divine purpose. This thriller novel is well-researched, which makes it a particular favorite among its fans of mythology.

Scion of Ikshvaku by Amish Tripathi

“Some good can emerge from the most horrific of events. There is something positive hidden in every negative, and something negative in every positive. Life is complicated, and a balanced person can see both sides.”

When we talk about Indian Mythology in the modern context, Amish Tripathi has become a common name. The author works and focuses on different periods of history and that can be seen in Scion of Ikshvaku, which is the first novel of the ongoing ‘Ram Chandra’ series. The series is a retelling of the epic — the Ramayana. The plot of the novel starts with the birth of Lord Ram, the hardships he faces, and how he tries to establish the perfect society or as we say, the Ram Rajya. So far, the series has covered the life of Ram, Sita, and Raavan. For those who loved the Shiva Trilogy, The Ram Chandra Series is yet another brilliant attempt at mythological fiction.

The Pregnant King by Devdutt Pattanaik

“That’s unnatural. Some would call it a miracle. Careful of the word unnatural. It reeks of arrogance. You are assuming you know the boundaries of nature. You don’t. There is more to life than your eyes can see. More than you can ever imagine. Nature comes from the mind of God. It is infinite. The finite human mind can never fathom it in totality.”

Mahabharata is an epic with an immense number of characters and it is quite natural for people to remember only the characters that played the more significant role. But there are characters that are hardly remembered amongst the plethora of stories in the history of Indian Mythology. One such character is Shilavati, a princess who is denied kingship because she was a woman. This book beautifully explores the gender stereotypes that prevailed in the original manuscript — especially those in regards to their relationship with the ability to rule.

The Rise of Hastinapur by Sharath Komarraju

“The longer you think of your misfortunes, the bigger they seem to grow, and the more they begin to trouble you.”

Women have often been overlooked in great epics like the Mahabharata. Some of the greatest stories in such epics can be viewed from a very unique perspective, a woman's perspective. In this book, Komarraju talks about Amba, who seeks revenge from Bhishma, Kunti who puts everything at stake for her brother Vasudev and Gandhari who marries the blind king. In the background, a shrewd Bhishma pulls the strings, making new strategies. The Rise of Hastinapur is the second book in the Hastinapur series, the first being The Winds of Hastinapur and the third book named The Queens of Hastinapur.

These are some of the greatest books that are based on the grandeur of Indian Mythology written by Indian authors. These authors do extensive research to provide books that will fulfill the young generation's curiosity and maintain the beliefs of the older generations. These epic adventure thrillers bring out some of the most distinctive perspectives of lesser-known characters, who might as well have been forgotten by most of the populace. If you are a mythology buff, we do recommend you to give these books a chance.

Content by : Nimisha Achari

Edited by : Bhavya Aggarwal

Graphics by : Anushka Balyan