Hindu mythology is one of the most fascinating and fast-growing genres in India. Today, readers—both young and traditional—actively search for books inspired from Hindu mythology, and because of this rising demand, many Indian authors retell ancient stories in bold, creative ways. These myth-based novels gain huge appreciation as readers enjoy modern fiction rooted in timeless legends.
Traditionally, Hindu mythology comes from sacred scriptures such as the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, and Vedas. Moreover, ancient Tamil works like Periya Puranam and Divya Prabandham and Bengali classics such as Mangal Kavya bring even more depth to our mythological traditions. Even the popular Panchatantra and Hitopadesha form an important part of this vast literary world.
In this blog, we will explore 10 powerful books inspired from Hindu mythology, featuring retellings, reinterpretations, and modern re-imaginations written by some of India’s most celebrated authors.
Table Of Contents
- 1. The Palace of Illusions – Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
- 2. The Immortals of Meluha – Amish Tripathi
- 3. Lanka’s Princess – Kavita Kane
- 4. Asura: Tale of the Vanquished – Anand Neelakantan
- 5. The Liberation of Sita – Volga
- 6. Dharmayoddha Kalki – Kevin Missal
- 7. The Krishna Key – Ashwin Sanghi
- 8. The Pandava Series – Roshani Chokshi
- 9. The Rise of Hastinapur – Sharath Komarraju
- 10. Karna’s Wife: The Outcast’s Queen – Kavita Kane
1. The Palace of Illusions – Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
The book is based very much on Hindu mythology, chiefly the Mahabharata, and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni presented it with a novel angle. It made its debut in the literary world in 2008.
This fiction narrates the Mahabharata from Draupadi’s viewpoint and reveals her innermost thoughts with great precision.
It depicts Draupadi’s existence under a rigidly male-dominated society. Besides, it traces her pathway from being a divine child bursting out of flames to espousing the five Pandavas who are valiant heroes and reigning over Indraprasth. Furthermore, it captures her social disgrace in the court and her close bond with Krishna, who shelters her from being dishonored. The book received criticism but praise at the same time and it became a favorite among the public for its daring narrative.
2. The Immortals of Meluha – Amish Tripathi
The Immortals of Meluha is the first major work of Amish Tripathi and is also the first book in the Shiva Trilogy, which later opened up the Amishverse.
The narrative travels through Meluha – the land of Shiva worshippers. At the same time, the Chandravanshis ally with the cursed Nagas to confront the Meluhans and Shiva opts to side with the latter.
The novel came out in February 2010 and immediately turned out to be a massive hit. The demand increased so rapidly that the writer had to change his publisher to be able to cope with it. By the time The Secret of the Nagas and The Oath of Vayuputra were out, the Shiva Trilogy was already one of the fastest-selling Indian book series ever.
3. Lanka’s Princess – Kavita Kane
The tale is retold from the point of view of the heroine who has turned into a villain, thus giving a new interpretation to the classic epic in the book “Lanka’s Princess”.
The novel narrates Surpanakha’s life from her birth to her marriage to finally her being cast as one of the chief wicked characters in the story. On top of that, the author exposes her life after Ravan’s demise, what transpired when Vibhishan succeeded to the throne of Lanka, and a lot more regarding her mysterious end.
Kavita Kane came up with “Lanka’s Princess” in 2016, and the book was soon in vogue owing to its remarkable topic and courageous narration. But, on the other hand, some critics opined that the story was rather dragged, and felt that the book could have been more concise.
4. Asura: Tale of the Vanquished – Anand Neelakantan
Asura: Tale of the Vanquished is the debut novel of Anand Neelakantan, published in 2012. It reimagines the Ramayana and focuses on the rise and fall of Ravan.
The book reveals how Ravan grows into one of the most feared men in history. It also shows how he becomes a strong devotee of Shiva, struggles against Kuber, and finally claims the throne of Lanka.
When the book released, it quickly became one of the top-selling titles of 2012. According to Crossword and CNN, it ranked as the number one bestselling book of the year.
5. The Liberation of Sita – Volga
This book is originally published in 2016 by Volga (pseudonym) whose actual name is P. Lalitha Kumari.
The story is about the Ramayana narrated from Sita’s perspective, where Sita is the protagonist of the tale and she encounters other women like Surpanakha, Ahalya, Renuka Devi, and Urmila.
Interestingly, in the traditional version of Ramayana these four characters were not much depicted but in this novel they are revealing their views to the world. In fact this book is one of the best illustrations of feminism.
The book was received with mixed reactions, it was acclaimed by critics and audiences as well, while others opined that it was very tedious.
6. Dharmayoddha Kalki – Kevin Missal
This novel renders an account of one of the most destructively fierce and the most dangerous incarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu in the Hindu Mythology which was actually published in three parts by the author Kevin Missal in 2017.
The central story revolves around a very young boy who wants to live his life to the full and is living very happily in the village of Shambhala (which is believed to be the village of the immortal people) till the time he learns the reason of his coming to earth, of his being born, and of his existence.
His whole existence changes completely with the arrival of his sister Durukti who cures him from suffering. The novel was in three volumes, named “Kalki Trilogy”, and it was one of the most sold books of the year 2017 and it was very much appreciated by the readers too.
7. The Krishna Key – Ashwin Sanghi
The Krishna Key, written by Ashwin Sanghi, is one more that takes inspiration from Hindu Mythology Book Mahabharata and was released in 2012.
The story was mainly a thriller where a professor is accused of murder of his colleague and then starts the journey to prove his innocence. This way we get acquainted with the post Mahabharata events through the main character who is the professor and happens to be a descendant of Krishna.
The primary reason of the author to write this book was that he wanted something related to Mahabharata but not narrating the tale from a different person’s angle which was done by many other writers before. So, he opted for a new and different way which captivated the audience.
8. The Pandava Series – Roshani Chokshi
Roshani Chokshi’s The Pandava Series is a five-part book series that was published over the period of 2018-2022 by the author Roshani Chokshi. This series was based on the epic Mahabharata but the twist here is that the Pandava sisters rather than the Pandava brothers.
Through this series the author is revealing the story of Aru Shah the protagonist who was rejected by his own classmates but was accepted by the Pandava sistersand that is how the story starts and keeps the reader engaged and narrates the journey and life of Aru Shah the protagonist.
This story was praised by audience for being similar to Rick Riordan‘s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. It was also critically acclaimed by audience.
9. The Rise of Hastinapur – Sharath Komarraju
The Mahabharata(Hindu Mythology Book) being one of the oldest and biggest epics of the world is the main reason for the availability of numerous versions in the market, though this particular version by Sharath Komarraju is an account of the beginning and the women of Mahabharata.
In this unique tale, the God of elements are having a life on earth as punishment and it is the Sage Vashista whose cow they stole that insists on it. Among the God of elements was Devarata who later turned into Bhisma Pitamah (which was given by his father Shantanu as he takes a vow of Celibacy) of Mahabharata.
The publication of this book was done in November 2015, and it was a great narrative, and fully portrayed the story and the characters depicted.
10. Karna’s Wife: The Outcast’s Queen – Kavita Kane
Kavita Kane’s another book published in 2014 was about a Kshatriya Princess named Uruvi who fell in love with Karna (a grey character of Mahabharata) and narrates the story from her point of view. It was taken from the Hindu Mythology Book Mahabharata.
The story in this book was all about Uruvi’s perception of Karna, how she fell in love with him, and eventually marrying him while going through the hardships of being accepted by society and his family. Also, in this way, she was adjusting to a totally foreign environment to her because born a princess she was and Karna was a Charioteer’s son (Sutputra) by birth.
This book was a roller coaster ride of emotions, sometimes you would start feeling Uruvi and think you are her. The book was also well received by the readers.
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FAQ
The Immortals of Meluha and The Palace of Illusions are great choices for new readers.
Amish’s Shiva Trilogy and Kevin Missal’s Kalki Trilogy are the most popular.
The Pandava Series, The Immortals of Meluha, and Dharmayoddha Kalki are among the most popular books inspired from Hindu mythology for teenagers and young adults.
They are fictional re-imaginations based on mythology.