SUMMARY
The Immortals of Meluha is a mythological cum modern book on lord Shiva, one of the main gods of the Hindu religion. The book is written by Amish Tripathi and is the first book of the Shiva Trilogy.
The book starts with us getting a vivid description of Tibet, from its snowy mountains to its beautiful verdant valleys, and the kind yet ferocious Guna tribesmen and women, of which Shiva is the chief (or the leader, whichever you prefer). A few moments later, Shiva and his tribe are attacked by the Pakritis, another local tribe of the Tibet region, and nemesis of the Guna tribe. Shiva defeats the chief of the Pakritis, Yakhya, yet he lets him go.
On and on, we get to know about Meluha, an almost perfect empire, created many, many years ago by Lord Ram, one of the greatest Hindu kings that ever lived. However, the once proud empire and its Suryavanshi rulers face severe crisis as its primary river, Saraswati is slowly drying to extinction. They also face the brutal forces of the Chandravanshis, their arch enemies, and the Nagas, a cursed race with physical disfigurement.
The present Meluhan king, Daksha, sends his delegates to Tibet, to invite the local tribes to Meluha. Shiva accepts the proposal and moves to Meluha with his people. Once reached they meet Ayurvati, the Chief of Medicine of the Meluhans. On their first night of stay the tribe wake up with high fever and sweating after having the ‘Somras’ presented to them. The Meluhan doctors gives them medicine. Ayurvati later finds out that Shiva is the only one devoid of these symptoms and that his throat has turned blue.
The Meluhans named him as the Neelkanth, their mythical savior. Then, Shiva is taken to Devagiri, the capital city of Meluha, where he meets Daksha. While staying there, Shiva and his comrades, Nandi and Veerbhadra, encounter Princess Sati, the daughter of Daksha. She is a Vikarma, who is an untouchable person due to sins committed in her previous births. Shiva tries to ask her out, but she rejects his proposals. Ultimately Shiva wins her heart and even though the Vikarma rule prohibits them from doing so, an enraged Shiva vows to dissolve it and marries Sati.
And the story goes on with how Shiva is going to save the Meluhans, while not believing that he is really the “NEELKANTH”, as the Meluhans keep calling him, and while doing his best to protect them, realize his own abilities and powers, and a great many things on his dangerous journey, towards his fate.
REVIEW
This book is a perfect blend of mythology and modern science. Every character has been described profusely and given equal limelight. Whether it’s a war sequence or a normal conversation, the book keeps you hooked no matter what. Tripathi has created a world of enigmatic fantasy, along with specks of reality laid out in every corner.
This book is a must read for mythological lovers, from wherever you are, and I would highly recommend this to everyone. Don’t miss this one!
ReaderVerse 