The Secret of the Nagas

About
The Secret of the Nagas is the second novel of the Shiva trilogy series by the Indian author Amish Tripathi. The story takes place in the imaginary land of Meluha and narrates how the inhabitants of that land are saved from their wars by a nomad named Shiva. It begins from where its predecessor, The Immortals of Meluha, left off, with Shiva trying to save Sati from the invading Naga. Later Shiva takes his troop of soldiers and travels far east to the and of Branga, where he wishes to find a clue to reach the Naga people.Shiva also learns that Sati's first child is still alive, as well as her twin sister. His journey ultimately leads him to the Naga capital of Panchavati, where he finds a surprise waiting for him.

Characters
of the Meluhan legend, which speaks of the appearance of Neelkanth as a destroyer of evil. The Meluhans end up believing that Shiva would be their saviour.
 * Shiva– The main character in the story. He is a Tibetan immigrant to Meluha and the chief of the Guna tribe. On arriving in Meluha and consuming the Somras (a potion), his throat turns blue making him the Neelkanth

who bear misfortunes in this life due to sins of their past births. Sati is a skilled swords-woman and is very brave since childhood.
 * Sati– A Meluhan princess, she is the daughter of King Daksha. Shiva falls in love with her but could not marry her initially because of a law that considers her to be a Vikarma, an untouchable; he later marries her going against the law. According to the Meluhans, Vikarmas are people


 * Nandi – A captain in the Meluhan army. A loyal devotee of Shiva, who is often considered for his opinion and suggestions by Shiva.
 * Veer Bhadra – A captain of Shiva's army and his close childhood friend. He was later renamed as Veer Bhadra, a title earned by once defeating a tiger singlehandedly.

is capable of taking Meluha to its new glory.
 * Bŗihaspati– The chief Meluhan scientist who becomes Shiva's good friend. Though he does not believe the legend of the Neelkanth, he believes that Shiva

Unfinished Task.
 * Daksha – The King of the Meluhans, he is appreciative of every effort that Shiva does to save his country.
 * Veerini – The Queen of the Meluhans, wife of Emperor Daksha.
 * Bhagirath – The prince of Ayodhya, who is the target of an assassination plot.
 * Anandamayi – The princess of Ayodhya. A strong-willed woman, Anandamayi courts Parvateshwar as her consort.
 * Parvateshvar – Head of Meluhan Army and a Suryavanshi, Parvateshvar is critical of Shiva's ways with the Meluhans, and is a dedicated man to Daksha. He eventually becomes an avid follower of Shiva as he realizes that Shiva could actually lead them to victory and finish Lord Ram's

first one to realize that Shiva is the "Neelkanth", their savior.
 * Ayurvati – The Chief of Medicine, Ayurvati is another intelligent and revered woman, who is capable of curing any disease. She is the

father denouncing her. Kali was born with two extra functioning appendages, hence she was ostracized from society and declared a Naga.
 * Kali –Sati's twin sister who was separated from her after birth, due to their

pure life. Meluha is based in the areas of the modern Indian provinces of Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and the whole of Pakistan. It also includes parts of eastern Afghanistan.
 * Ganesh – Sati's first child who was declared dead by her father, as he was born with physical deformities. Ganesh was raised later by Kali, and they created the formidable Naga army.
 * Races
 * Suryavanshis – The Suryavanshis are followers of Shri Ram and the Solar Calendar and try to lead a life that is as ideal as possible. The Suryavanshis believe in Satya, Dharma, Maan—truth, duty and honor.
 * Chandravanshis – The Chandravanshis are followers of the Lunar Calendar. Traditionally the Chandravanshis and Suryavanshis are enemies.
 * Naga – A cursed race of people who have physical deformities. They are extremely skilled warriors.
 * Kingdoms
 * Meluha – The empire of the Suryavanshis, also known as the land of
 * Swadweep – The empire of the Chandravanshis, also known as the island of the individual. Swadweep comprises the modern Indian provinces of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya and all of the country of Bangladesh, besides most parts of Nepal and Bhutan.

travels there with his entourage in search of the recipe for a medicine and to know the truth about the Nagas.
 * Brangaridai (Branga+hriday) – The heart of branga (literal meaning)or land of the Brangas, situated on the eastern part of India. Shiva

Characters and locations adapted as per the books from the series and from the official website.
 * Dandak Forest – Located in the modern Indian province of Maharashtra and parts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh, Dandak is a dense and treacherous forest where the Nagas stay, at their capital Panchavati.