by
(ISBN:0-14-302903-7 ~ Pub Year: 2001 ~ Pages:591 ~ Binding: Paperback ~ Publisher: Penguin)
Indiaclub.com
The year is 1975, the Emergency is imminent. Vijay Singh of the Indian Revenue Service is dispatched to conduct a raid on the erstwhile Maharaja of Mangarh, a former princely state in Rajasthan, to find the fabled Mangarh treasure. The joy at the responsibility is tempered by fear that his true origins- he is an Untouchable from a nearby village –will be exposed, and his nagging suspicion that he is being used in what is essentially a political vendetta.
Interspersed with this tale of modern India are novellas which encapsulate specific moments in the vast sweep of Indian history. In them we meet such memorable characters as Samudradatta, a merchant of Kashi whose life is transformed by the Buddha’s teachings; Jumuta, emperor Ashoka’s trusted spy and elephant keeper; Guhasena, a painter of the Ajanta caves; Ali, a follower of the Sufi saint sheikh Nizamuddin Auliya; Raja Hamuman of Chittorgarh, who has to face Akbar’s formidable armies; and many others.
An immensely readable tale, minutely researched and told with great imagination, ‘The Mangarh Chronicles, is a celebration of the wonder that is India.
EXCERPT FROM REVIEW:
‘A rich and informative portal into past and present India. Gary Worthington is a delightful storyteller.’
-Traveler’s India
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