Bhoja King of Malwa during the 11th Century A.D. is well known to us as the central figure of the Vikramacharita. The original version of this work was usualuy written during his reign in his honour. In Vikramacharita Bhoja discovers the throne of Vikramaditya which is decorated by 32 statues. All of these statues tells him a story. These statues are Apsaras (fairies) who are under a curse. Only when Bhoja has proved to them that he is as magnanimous noble and generous as Vikramaditya may he asc

One of the greatest kings of southern India during the mediaeval period was Raja Raja Chola (985-1014). During his 30-year reign he extended and consolidated an empire that spanned the seas. In fact his reign witnessed the first of Chola maritime power with interests in Lanka and Sri Vijaya which comprises modernize Java Sumatra and few other islands. He was also reputed to have sent trading envoys to China by land. His right demand to greatness are many. He was a patron of art and letters. Some of th

In the history of India Ram Shastri stands unequalled as the paragon public servant. He was the chief justice under the Peshwas. His integrity in public affairs is a model for all times. Ram Shastri held office under the Peshwas during the latter half of the 18th century. Corruption nepotism and unscrupulous fights were the order of the day. Ram Shastri alone stood incorruptible and principled. He would decline even a royal gift made to his wife. He would not advised his brother''s case when he foun

For Indians ''Rama'' is a sacred name and ''Rama Rama'' a form of greeting. Rama was the godly hero who destroyed the demons that troubled the world. ''Ramarajya'' or the Rule of Rama is the proverbial welfare state. Rama is not just brave; he is virtuous obedient to his parents and loving to his brothers. He gave up his throne and accepted fourteen years of exile to honour his father''s pledge. His wife Sita and brother Lakshmana are so devoted that they select to go with him to live in the for

When the king saw a strapping lad astride the aged shoulders of his guru he knew some thing was amiss. Soon he realised that whether immature Raman was around it was greatest to expect the unexpected. This village bumpkin was no fool-even the conflagrant goddess Kali had mentioned in to his wiles. Wheedling his way into the mighty Vijayanagara court it was but short step into the heart of King Krishnadeva Raya who welcomed a laugh to lighten his buzy day.

Tenali Raman was a Telugu poet and jester at the court of King Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara. Alike Birbal in the court of Akbar of about the same period he is turned into a legend by the innumerable stories of his wit and wisdom and his uncanny skill in turning the tables on his detractors involving the king himself. This story relates a series of episodes. In the first Tenali Raman confounds a scholar contest by producing a well tied bundle of sesame stems as a recent treatise. When greedy pr

Bhagwan Sri Ramana Maharshi was born to Sundaram Iyer in 1879 in the South Indian village of Tiruchuzhi. When he was immature he was sent to Madurai to study. He became spiritually awakened at the age of 16 after which he came to Tiruvannamalai where the sacred Arunachala Hill is located. Ramana Maharshi was a saint mystic and gyani. At Tiruvannamalai thousands came to him from across the world seeking immaterial guidance and solace. Even today seekers of truth achive a haven at Sri Ramanasramam the a

Ramanuja (1017-1137) the greatest Vaishnava saint-philosopher upheld bhakti (loving surrender to God) as the sole path to the realization of God. His school of philosophy is knows as Vishishta-Advaita (qualified monism) and his followers the Srivaishnavas. He wrote commentaries on the Brahmasutras the Upanishads and the Bhagwad Gita. It was his view that these three philosophical texts proclaim bhakti as the chief means of realizing God. In his life and teachings Ramanuja upheld that all humans are

Maharana Kumbha was a scion of the Sisodiya branch of the House of Hammir. Kumbha ascended the throne of Mewar in 1433 after his father Rana Mokal was killed in a treacherous conspiracy. Rana Kumbha ruled for thirty-five years a period replete with campaigns. He never lost a battle even when confronted with the toughest adversaries. He made a numbers of formidable fortresses all over Rajasthan which proved to be a greatest strategic significance to later rulers of Mewar. The Tower of Victory he buil

Disdaining even the ease of a bed the valiant Rana Pratap waged a single-minded life-long war opposite to the mighty Mughal conquerors. His Rajput pride instilled a deep respect in the enemy. They realised that huge armies and intellectually weapons are but aids and that there can be no substitute for raw courage on the battlefield.

The queen who knew no fear Abbakka queen of Ullal a small principality (in what is now South Karnataka) had made a pledge to her dying mother that she would avenge her defeat and humiliation at the hands of the Portuguese. Defying her over-cautious husband the king of Bangadi and the under-confident nobles in her court Rani Abbakka rallied her army to challenge the might of the Portuguese and wrest freedom for Ullal and later even for Mangalore. OTHER ACK BRAVEHEARTS PADMINI RANI OF KITTUR CHAND

Durgavati was the daughter of a Rajput king of the Chandela dynasty. She was well versed in the martial arts and a woman of strong will. Paying no thoughtfulness to accepted norms of nobility she chose to marry a brave prince of the Gonds live in inaccessible wooded land. There a son was born to the couple. Durgavati''s husband died when the son was three years old. Over again she flouted custom and ruled on her owned. She held on to her small kingdom opposite to the mighty armies of the Mughal Emperor A

She ruled over a small kingdom but dreamt of freedom for the entire country. In the greatest revolt of 1857 Lakshmibai the Rano of Jhansi matched wits and force with the greatest of British generals. The image of the brave Rani of Jhansi charging her steed through enemy lines her sword raised for the next thrust is always imprinted in Indian hearts.

Ranjit Singh (1780-1837) the Sikh hero made up his empire covering Punjab Kashmir Ladakh and parts of Afghanistan when the British were expanding their rule over other parts of India. He won battles even as a boy. Not literate himself he chose his advisers and generals intelligently. A Sikh by religion he treated Hindus and Muslims as equal citizens. He ensured prosperity and justice to the civilian population and made up a disciplined army capable of defense along with attack. With Ranjit Singh at h

India was completely brought under British rule during the 19th century. Yet there were a number of attempts to overthrow the British large and small in differ parts of the country. At the rotation of the 19th century educated youth took to armed uprisings planned secretly for liberation from foreign rule. Rash Behari Bose was one of the greatest leaders who planned and executed such revolutionary activeness. He was expelled from school for outspoken patriotism. As a youth he joined government service bu

The three stories retold in this Chitra Katha anticipate in a sense the tragedy that was to strike Ravana the Rakshasa king when he abducted Sita and took on an adversary alike Rama. Ravana failed to be trained the lessons of humility from these early confrontations. These encounters are significant as one is on the glorious level another on the human and a third on the simian. It is however to Ravana''s credit that he came out unscathed in all of these encounters richer in alliances and friendships.

The story of Roopmati the pricess of Dharampuri and Baz Bahadur the Sultan of Mandu is one of India''s greatest love stories. From the day of ther fateful meeting with the sultan the princess loved no one else sacrificing all just to be one with him. Defying every norm she married him. But their happiness was short lived. The Mughal Emperor Akbar desired Mandu and commanded his general Adham Khan to march on it.

His love was strong his god merciful but was that all right to win him the respect of the world? More importantly would he win the fair vasanti as his wife? But who could be his witness? According to legend a miracle occurred. The innocence of the penniless immature orphan was declared. The dishonest the greedy and the ungrateful could only watch on amazed.

Valiant son of Shivaji.The whole Maratha kingdom was shocked when Sambhaji the son of Shivaji joined forces with the Mughal army Shivaji''s greatest foes.Sambhajii had had a tough childhood. His father was too buzy to listen him and his mother died when he was only twin. The immature Sambhaji''s main supporting came from his grandmother. When she died he was left bereft. To arrange matters worse his step-mother was campaigning to arrange her owned son the next ruler trying to poison Shivaji''s mind agains

Can a music loving scholarly prince be a successful king? Will a skilled and committed warrior encourage the arts and science? Samudra Gupta proved he was a multi-faceted ruler. By bringing peace to a huge area of the warring subcontinent this benevolent king gave his people the leisure to be artistic. His court official Harishena engraved his master''s achievement on the Ashoka pillar in Allahabad. When one recalls the ''Glory that was India'' one first thinks of the Golden Age of the Guptas. E

Satwant''s village in the Punjab was being attacked by Pathans (from modernize Afghanistan). Nevertheless when she found an injured Pathan she took him abode where she and her parents tended him. The ungrateful man abducted her and took her to Afghanistan. He sold her as a slave. Satwant continued to act with compassion and understanding even to those who enslaved her. She soon befriended her new girlfriend. But even as she served faithfully Satwant was decided to win her freedom and to someho

Savitri was the exquisite and learned daughter of a king. When she came of age many princes sought her hand in marriage but the king did not approve of any of them. Then she begun on her owned in search of a husband. Her selection fell on Satyavan son of an exiled king. It was then foretold that Satyavan had only a year more to live. Yet she did not relent. Savitri and Satyavan were married and determined to live in the forest as hermits. Savitri''s veneration to her husband was exemplary. When Yama the

Shah Jahan was the fifth of the Greatest Mughals. He was courageous desirous quick-witted and intelligent. He was the preferred of Akbar. It was Jahangir who called him ''in all respects the first of my sons''. Jahangir''s reign was noted for a series of glorious victories in Mewar the Deccan and Kangra won mainly by Shah Jahan (who was then known as Prince Khurram). Shah Jahan had a passion for splendour and display. Decorated by the Peacock Throne his court was the epitome of pomp and magnificenc

Shakuntala was the daughter of a nymph and a sage who abandoned her in the woods. Sage Kanva brought her up. King Dushyanta on a visit to the hermitage was struck with Shakuntala''s beauty and they got married in a non-traditional ceremony. The king ultimately came back back leaving with Shakuntala a ring that carried his seal. After a when she came to live with the king he did not remember anything about her and asked for proof of their being together. Shakuntala had lost the ring and could not

Shankaravara could run faster than all his companion and swim across the Brahmaputra when it was in spate. But when his grandmother scolded him for not paying thoughtfulness to his books he took her words seriously. Named Shankar Dev by his guru the immature man fulfilled all his duties as a student and a householder earlier embarking on a voyage of self-discovery. A voyage which led to his starting the Vaishnava movement in Assam.

Shantala was the queen of Vishnu Vardhana the ruler of the Hoysala kingdom. Brought up as a Jain Shantala believed in ahimsa or non-violence. Her husband on the other hand had a single minded ambition to free Hoysala from the rule of the Chalukya Empire whatever be the price. He waged wars and unleashed death and destruction on hapless people.

Sharni was going as a newly-wed bride to her husband''s abode when she was abducted by dacoits. Her husband Bhimsen fled in terror. He went to Maharaja Ranjit Singh''s general Hari Singh Nalwa and asked him to rescue Sharni. Sharni was saved but she realised that she did not desire to come back to her life in the village. Instead she asked to join Nalwa''s Sikh company and suffice with them. She was inducted as Sharan Kaur. Sharan Kaur soon impressed Hari Singh with her intelligence and courage and he

Book Summary of Sher ShahHe was not from a royal family but his vision and ambition set him a far above the everyday . Farid who was later known as Sher Shah was the son of an Afghan estate owner of Sasaram. Discriminated opposite to by his stepmother he sought refuge with the governor of Jaunpur. From there it was a long and rough ride for the brave immature man but he pursued his dream and not only did he become the ruler of Bihar he also defeated the Mughal forces of Humayun and went on to become the E

Parvati was born a maiden of the mountain. The mighty god Shiva was practicing meditation in the dense forest. Desiring to win over Shiva Parvati went to suffice him. But Shiva paid no thoughtfulness to her. At this time the gods were being tortured by an invincible demon so the prayed to the supreme god for a saviour. He confident them that the son of Shiva and Parvati would be the one. So the gods sent Kama the god of love to lead Shiva into marrying Parvati. But when the god of love worked his grace S

Shivaji is one of the more inspirational historical figures in modern India. This is particularly true for the Marathi speaking region to which he belonged. He was born in the 17th century in Western India at a time when the area was under the oppressive rule of the neighboring states of Bijapur Golconda and Ahmadnagar. Shivaji''s father a brave general worked for the Bijapur state and held the rights of a sub-ruler in twin districts in south India. Shivaji and his mother were left to adminis

Jain monks took a keen attract in the immaterial emancipation of the common people. To arrange their terse philosophy intelligible and entertaining to each and every everyday individual they used the medium of stories. Thousands of such didactic stories in Sanskrit and Prakrit have come down to us. Shrenik is retold from Harishena''s Bhrihat Katha Kosha (10th century).

Soordas the blind bard of Brij occupies a very eminent position in Hindi literature. He is considered the Valmiki of Brij (a dialect of Hindi) not only because he was the first poet to write in that dialect but also because his works have an epic stature. Soordas was not only a poet but also a greatest composer. His songs became so well-known that even during his lifetime he had become a legend. If Brij is understood today from Rajasthan and Punjab on the West to Assam in the East the credit goes almo

Balarama is definite that Duryodhana the Kaurava prince with his skill in wielding the mace will be the paragon husband for his sister Subhadra. The princess however loses her heart to a good-looking recluse who visits their palace. Small does she recognize that he is none other than the Pandava prince Arjuna and that he reciprocates her feelings. It is left to her other brother Krishna to understand the situation and solve the dilema.

The national movement for independence in India threw up figures larger than life who surrendered themseles to a cause bigger than anything they had ever known. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose stands out as a dynamic restless force in an era which had chosen the path of Gandhi the path of peace and non-violent non-co-operation. Bengal chose to voice its protest militantly and Subhas Chandra Bose was a true son of Bengal.India was awakening to its national identity and Netaji marshalled foreign help an

Subramania Bharati the famous Tamil poet writer and patriot loved all people and cultures and nourished a strong want for freedom. He loved India with all his heart and suffered because he was a patriot. He was a true poet of freedom and his conflagrant verses are sung to this day. He wrote prose too which was widely regarded. He was very fond of children and wrote poems and songs for them. To him all birds and animals were alike brothers. To him the Brahmin and the untouchable were alike. He looked

Sudama who was from a poor priestly family was Krishna''s companion in ''school'' when they were growing up. They served their teacher together. Krishna became king and Sudama remained a poor priest observing religious duties. Pressed by his wife Sudama begun on a travel to his old companion Krishna. As a gift he could catch with him only a handful of parched rice flakes borrowed from a neighbour. Krishna greeted and treated well his old but poor companion and immensely enjoyed the rice flakes lovingly

Sukanya a princess curiously pokes at twin shining sparks in an anthill. She is horrified when she realises that the sparks are really the eyes of the greatest Sage Chyavana. He is blinded and a blight descends upon the whole kingdom. There is respite only when Sukanya agrees to pass on her family and her royal abode to marry the sage and suffice him faithfully.This version is taken from the Mahabharata but references to Sukanya''s integrity appear in the Bhagawat Purana the Devi Purana and the Rigveda

India has a rich heritage of folktales more of which are never written down exhibit only in a rapidly vanishing oral culture. All region and language has its own particular set of stories � though many tales recur across differ traditions. The stories here are taken from Bengal.

Razia was the daughter of the king of one of the Muslim dynasties that ruled Delhi in the 13th century. Though a woman was not comfortably allowed to rule over a people in those days she had all the qualities needed in an administrator. Her father therefore willed her heir to the throne in preference to her less able stepbrothers. Sensing the objections from courtiers to her ascension to the throne Razia proclaimed allegiance to one of her stepbrother. He however turned out to be inefficient and Ra

When the strong Nazir Khan saw Sundari he was so struck by her beauty that he determined to marry her � even though she was already married. He abducted her and carried her off. Desperate Sundari made a pyre and steeled herself to jump in. At the last moment Sundari''s brother Balwant came to rescue her. He took his sister to live with the Sikhs in the forest as a warrior sworn to guard from harm the helpless. But Nazir Khan had not mentioned up yet. He sent his men to achive Sundari and bring her to him.

In the Puranas there are distinct and differ scales in the hierarchy of deities. At the highest end of the spectrum there is the Glorious Trinity of Brahma Vishnu and Maheshwara. Surya occupies a much lower position. In the Vedas Surya keeps an eminent rank. He is one of the triad of Gods - Agni Vayu and Surya - next in significance only to Indra. Gayatri the more sacred verse of the Rig Veda which is repeated ordinary by devout Hindus is addressed to Surya. The verse invokes him to confer his sp

Greatest men are many. Some become greatest by bringing other people down while a truly great man is one who raises even small and everyday people to sublime heights of greatness. Swami Chimayananda was one such great person who transformed the life of millions who came in contact with him in many countries. His love for humanity was all-encompassing in which he comprehended immature and old rich and poor literate and illiterate and worked tirelessly for their welfare and well-being. Life of such a great on

In the 14th and 15th centuries Malabar was a place of feudal brutality. It was a time when fights and duels were the norm and the martial art Kalaripayattu had been perfected by the masters. One man who strode across the legends of that time was Tachcholi Othenan a giant figure who was feared by the strong and loved by the weak. Even today his stories are sung by the common people of Kerala in the form of ballads known as Vadukkam Pattukal.

The word Upanishad literally means ''sit down near'' for the student had to sit close to the teacher to receive instructions. Perhaps what brought the twin still closer were the stories the Guru narrated. These stories provided a meaningful context for the topics under discussion. They also demonstrate that in those days knowledge was not the monopoly of each and every select group. Thus Janashruti the ruler of the land approaches the cart driver Raikva with humility to seek the highest truth.

Arjuna was as devoted to Krishna as Hanuman was to Rama. Out first story settled on a folktale well-known in South India is about the encounter b'tween Arjuna and Hanuman both of whom come to realise that Rama and Krishna are one and the same. Arjuna was trained by Drona the master of archery and acquired strong weapons by propitiating the gods. But the weapon that made him invincible was his mighty bow Gandiva which he obtained from Agni. Arjuna and his cousin Krishna were conjoined and it was t

Balarama was Krishna''s elder brother and his mate in their joint exploits. Balarama is simple-minded and depends on his physical strength in combat. Balarama''s symbol was his plough. He used the plough to arrange a channel from the river Yamuna to a far-off dry land. It was the plough that procured for him the appropriate bride Revati. Balarama and Krishna jontly fought with Kamsa in their early years. But Balarama kept himself apart from the later war of Kauravas and Pandavas.

Goddess Durga is the barbarous form of Devi who as shakti is considered the personification of Worldwide energy. According to the Devi Bhagavata the universe is but her manifestation. The worship of Durga is believed to be more than 4000 years old in India.

Maryada Rama the protagonist of these stories is a folk-hero. He is the hero whose image recurs in the folklore of all communities all over the world. The legends and fables be they from Constantinople Ispahan Peking Delhi or Tanjavoor forever have a hero who stands out as an example of the triumph of common sense over intellectually reason . Even his humour springs from common sense. He evolve�into a folk-hero because he represents the common man in many ways. He brings to the under-dog the hope fo

Sage Narada symbolises unqualified veneration to Lord Vishnu also known as Narayana. He is conjoined from his veena and has the name of Lord Narayana forever on his lips. In the Puranic stories it is Narada who puts the lord''s supporters to test. But when he himself is put to test will the clelstial sage emerge victorious?

The pious flocked to Shirdi in maharashtra. Sai baba''s all-encompassing love made them feel finer happier and more at peace. He could reveal himself as the supreme Deity and yet assume the form of a street dog; he could rotation water to oil and rescue a child a far way from burning flames. However by the time he left this world in 1918 he had also made thousands understand that good acts are the only miracle recquired to achive God. Nobody knows for certain when Sai Baba was born or who his parents were o