The Immortals of Meluha

About
'The Immortals Of Meluha ' is the first novel in the Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi.

The book narrates the story of a tribal chief who was elevated to the status of God by the people of India due to a long awaited prophecy. The book tries to find the answer to a philosophical question - "What is Evil"!

It is set in 1900 BC, in what the modern Indians mistakenly call the Indus Valley Civilisation. The inhabitants of that period called it the land of Meluha – a near perfect empire created many centuries earlier by Lord Ram, one of the greatest monarchs that ever lived.

The once proud empire and its Suryavanshi rulers face severe perils as its primary river, the revered Saraswati, is slowly getting extinct. They also face devastating terrorist attacks from the east, the land of the Chandravanshis

To make matters worse, the Chandravanshis appear to have allied with the Nagas, an ostracised and sinister race of deformed humans with astonishing martial skills.

The only hope for the Suryavanshis is an ancient legend – ‘when evil reaches epic proportions, when all seems lost, when it appears that your enemies have triumphed, a hero will emerge’.

Plot
Meluha is a near perfect empire, created many centuries earlier 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 devastating terrorist attacks from the Chandravanshis who have joined forces with the Nagas, a cursed race with physical deformities. The present Meluhan king, Daksha, sends his emissaries to North India in Tibet, to invite the local tribes to Meluha. Shiva, chief of the Guna tribe, accepts the proposal and moves to Meluha with his people. Once reached they are received by Ayurvati, the Chief of Medicine of the Meluhans. The Gunas are impressed with the Meluhan way of life. On their first night of stay the tribe wake up with high fever and sweating. The Meluhan doctors administer medicine.

Ayurvati finds out that Shiva is the only one devoid of these symptoms and that his throat has turned blue. The Meluhans announce Shiva as the Neelkanth, their fabled saviour. Shiva is then 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, an untouchable person due to sins committed in her previous births. Shiva tries to court her, but she rejects his advances. 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.

During his stay in Devagiri, Shiva comes to know of the war with the Chandravanshis and also meets Brahaspati, the Chief Inventor of the Meluhans. Brahaspati invites Shiva and the royal family on an expedition to Mount Mandar, where the legendary drink Somras is manufactured using the waters of the Saraswati. Shiva learns that the potion which made his throat turn blue was actually undiluted Somras, which can be lethal when taken in its pure form. But he was safe, indicating him to be the Neelkanth. Somras has anti-ageing properties making the Meluhans lived for many years. Brahaspati and Shiva develop a close friendship and the royal family returns to Devagiri. One morning, the Meluhans wake up to a blast that took place at Mandar, destroying parts of the mountain and killing the scientists living there. There is no sign of Brahaspati, but Shiva finds the insignia of the Nagas, confirming their involvement with the Chandravanshis.

Enraged by this, Shiva declares war on the Chandravanshis at Swadweep, consulting with Devagiri Chief Minister Kanakhala and the Head of Meluhan Army, Parvateshwar. A fierce battle is fought between the Meluhans and the Swadweepans in which the Meluhans prevail. The Chandravanshi king is captured but becomes enraged upon seeing the Neelkanth. The Chandravanshi princess Anandmayi explains that they too had a similar legend that the Neelkanth will come forward to save their land by launching an assault against the "evil" Suryavanshis. Hearing this, Shiva is dumbfounded and utterly distressed. With Sati he visits the famous Ram temple of Ayodhya, the capital of Swadweep. There he has a philosophical discussion with the priest about his karma, fate and his choices in life, which would guide him in future. As Shiva comes out of the temple, he notices Sati being stalked by a Naga near a tree.

Characters and locations

 * 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 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.
 * 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 single-handedly.
 * Nandi – A captain in the Meluhan army. A loyal devotee of Shiva, who is often considered for his opinion and suggestions by Shiva.
 * Yakhya - The Leader of the Pakrati tribe, he has a long standing enmity with the Gunas. He was almost killed by Bhadra.
 * Ayurvati – The Chief of Medical Staff, Ayurvati is another intelligent and revered woman, who is capable of curing any disease. She is the first one to realize that Shiva is the "Neelkanth", their savior.
 * Chenardhwaj - The governor of Kashmir, an ardent devotee of Shiva.


 * 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 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.
 * Krittika - Sati's close friend and companion. She accompanies Sati wherever she goes.
 * Lord of the People - Second in command to the Queen of Nagas. Highly skilled warrior. Plans and attacks Sati on multiple occasions with the intent of capturing her.
 * Queen of Nagas - the current leader of the Nagas, popular for her legendary anger.


 * Daksha – The King of the Meluhans, he is appreciative of every effort that Shiva does to save his country.


 * 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 Unfinished Task.
 * Kanakhala - Meluha's Prime Minister and a dedicated servent of Daksha. She obeys every command of him without any second thoughts.


 * 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 is capable of taking Meluha to its new glory.
 * Veerini – The Queen of the Meluhans, wife of Emperor Daksha.
 * Bhagirath – The prince of Ayodhya, who is the target of an assassination plot.
 * Anandmayi – The princess of Ayodhya. A strong-willed woman. Elder sister of Bhagirath.



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.


 * Nagas – 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 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.


 * 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.

Places

 * Manasarovar Lake - The primary source of water for many tribes in the Himalayas, the main reason for the rivalry between the Gunas and the Pakratis.
 * Srinagar - The first Meluhan city Shiva and the Gunas come to, Governed by Chenardhwaj.
 * Lord Brahma temple - The temple where Shiva met Sati, they were attacked by the hooded figure there.
 * Devagiri - The capital of Meluha, divided into three platforms, Svarna, Tamra and Rajat. ￼
 * Mount Mandar - The factory for the Somras, carved into a mountain. It's location is top secret.
 * Kotdwaar - A city in Meluha where Shiva took the blessings of a Vikarma.
 * Mohan Jo Daro - The platform of Mohan, it is situated in the banks of the Indus river
 * Karachapa - The famous port city where Sati battled Taarak.
 * Maika - The place which all Meluhan women visit to give birth to new borns. The babies are kept in supreme secrecy to ensure anonymity of parentage. Once the child grows up, they sit for examinations to be selected in their chosen tribes.


 * Koonj - The city where Meluhans successfully fought off their first Naga terrorist attack, led by Shiva, Parvateshwar and Sati. Sati was shot with a poisoned arrow in this battle resulting to her critical condition.
 * Dharmakhet - The place of the battle between Swadeep and Meluha.
 * Ayodhya - The capital of Swadeep. Literally meaning - 'The impregnable city'.
 * Ramjanmabhoomi Temple - The iconic temple built at Lord Ram's birthplace in Ayodhya.