Yoddha The Dynasty Of Samudragupta

The first in a four-volume set, The Cambridge World History of Violence, Volume 1 provides a comprehensive examination of violence in prehistory and the ancient world. Covering the Palaeolithic through to the end of classical antiquity, the chapters take a global perspective spanning sub-Saharan Africa, the Near East, Europe, India, China, Japan and Central America. Unlike many previous works, this book does not focus only on warfare but examines violence as a broader phenomenon. The historical approach complements, and in some cases critiques, previous research on the anthropology and psychology of violence in the human story. Written by a team of contributors who are experts in each of their respective fields, Volume 1 will be of particular interest to anyone fascinated by archaeology and the ancient world.

An empire that stretches from coast to coast is not enough for the son of Chandragupta. All he desires: to conquer the untamable oceans beyond. 338 CE. A young ruler defeats the Naga kings of the north before claiming Kanchi in a powerful attack none had anticipated. It is his latest conquest that brings him closer to the ocean he seeks to control - and to Angai: a young woman unlike any he has ever known. Sharp-witted, with an even sharper tongue, she has the conqueror's ear ... and his heart. With her by his side, he prepares to do what even his father could not have dreamed of. To ensure the world would never forget the name Samudragupta. The final book in the enthralling Gupta Empire trilogy, The Ocean's Own tells the story of a king who dared to take his sword to the seas.

Love. Family. Home. Chandra has sacrificed it all at the altar of duty. Now, he has to choose between duty and justice. India, fourth century CE. Peace reigns in the land of Magadha, under the rule of Emperor Samudragupta. New alliances are made every day, trade and the arts flourish, and Chandra – the young prince – leads his father’s horse across the length of Bharatvarsha as a part of the ashwamedha yagna, cementing the emperor’s influence. The kingdom is at its peak, but Chandra’s thoughts are clouded, his heart heavy. As his elder brother, Ramagupta, prepares to take their ageing father’s place on the throne, Chandra, bound as he is to obey the future king, wrestles constantly with his brother’s decisions – decisions he believes are inimical to the stability of the empire. And so begins a tale of conflict between two brothers: one drunk on power, buoyed by the unmitigated support of the Pataliputra court, the other a seeming outsider in the palace, who yet commands the people’s loyalty and love. And when an enemy unlike any before rises to challenge the Guptas’ might, Chandra must overcome his demons in order to protect his people and become a king in his own right – he must become Vikramaditya.

Devika has an unstable mind, or so the doctors have been saying. While working on her second book, she starts receiving letters from an enigmatic woman who was already dead. While a bewildered police force investigates mysterious cases happening around town, Devika decides to unfold the true story behind these strange psychotic incidents and the purpose of those letters. Is there more to all this than what meets the eye? Is all this real at all, or just a figment of her imagination? In her search for truth, Devika cannot trust anybody, not even herself. Struggling between her volatile mind and a personal crisis that saps every bit of sanity out of her, Devika has to find answers. She has to take the journey which could take her to the doorstep of a complete mental breakdown…a wild ride between the real and the paranormal world to find the truth behind The Dead Woman Writing.

Young Harsha wants only to be a scholar – but when the crown falls to him, can the reluctant prince rise to the occasion? India, seventh century CE. Harsha, the youngest prince of the northern kingdom of Sthaniswara, is immersed in his studies at Nalanda. As far as he is concerned, the future of his realm is secure in the hands of his brother, the strait-laced crown prince Rajyavardhana. But when the time comes for his sister’s swayamvar, Harsha is compelled to tear himself away from his books – for only a little while, he hopes. Things, however, take an ugly turn at the swayamvar, as Devagupta, king of neighbouring Malava, makes no secret of his ire at not being chosen by the princess. And when their father, King Prabhakaravardhana, dies under mysterious circumstances soon after, the princes fear something sinister is afoot. While Rajyavardhana takes the throne, Harsha sets out to unravel a web of intrigue he suspects spans kingdoms. But his mission is cut short, as war rocks the land and treachery lays low his brother. Burdened with the crown, the scholar prince now has to battle enemies who follow no dharma, exact vengeance upon the devious Devagupta and hunt down the even more dangerous foe pulling all the strings. And as a new force rises to the south, Harsha realizes he must ready himself to face his greatest challenge yet.