This is when Shiva discovers that the Nagas and the Chandravanshis are not allies, and that the Chandravanshis too believe in the legend of the Neelkanth and had expected him to be on their side. This war leaves the Suryavanshis victorious, the Chandravanshis vanquished, thousands dead, and the Nagas still at large. The book then charts the journey, growth and self-discovery of the Neelkanth as he travels through Meluha, discovers a not-so-perfect society lurking underneath, gets involved in skirmishes with both the Nagas and the Chandravanshis, foils two kidnapping attempts of Princess Sati (Daksha’s daughter), falls in love and marries Sati, befriends Brihaspati (the chief scientist responsible for the manufacture of somras) and only to lose him in a “terrorist attack”, and leads the Suryavanshis to a war against the Chandravanshis. Shiva’s life changes as he is made aware of the legend and the expectations of the people of Meluha by Emperor Daksha. Little do they know that life for one of them is going to change forever-Shiva’s throat turns blue, and the Meluhans find Neelkanth, their saviour. They are blissfully unaware of the legend and are keen to get away from their homeland due to constant inter-tribal skirmishes. As new immigrants and as per the Meluhan policy, the Gunas are placed under quarantine and administered somras. It is against the backdrop of this legend that Shiva and his tribe of Gunas arrive in Meluha as immigrants from Mount Kailash in Tibet. Due to this legend, Meluha actively encourages immigrants to settle in their land. That hero will be identified when his throat turns blue on partaking somras, thereby becoming the Neelkanth (or the blue-throated one). That “hero” will not be a Suryavanshi or a Chandravanshi or a Naga he will be someone from another land. It is in such a scenario that the Meluhan Emperor, Daksha, and his people find hope in an ancient legend which says that “when evil reaches epic proportions, when all seems lost, when it seems that your enemies have triumphed, a hero will appear”. The Chandravanshis and the Nagas appear to be allies who jointly conduct such terror strikes in Meluha. This is the society of the Suryavanshis or descendents of the sun.Īnd yet, this is also a society whose very existence is under threat: the waters of the river Saraswati, which flows through Meluha, and is a core ingredient for manufacturing somras, is drying up the Meluhans are increasingly facing “terrorist” attacks from their neighbouring country, Swadweep, which is inhabited by the Chandravanshis (or descendents of the moon). And then there is also the threat from the Nagas, an ostracised group of deformed (mutant?) beings with extraordinary skills, power and strength. A caste-based society where every member’s place is determined not by birth, but by his/her abilities.Ī society that is almost immortal due to the availability of somras, an anti-ageing potion, for all its members. But the people living there at that time call it Meluha, a near-perfect, disciplined society that lives by the rules laid down by Lord Rama himself. It is the year 1900 BC in the area that the world today knows as the site of the Indus Valley Civilisation. A destiny which makes him a saviour and a god, and whose arrival has been prophesied in an ancient legend. The first book in the Shiva Trilogy, it introduces Shiva as an ordinary human being with an extraordinary destiny in store for him. The author of The Immortals of Meluha(Westland, pp.412, Rs.195), Amish, has no such inhibitions. Probably, that’s why many of his devotees do not think of Shiva’s origins - perhaps, the fact that Shiva is a God and is, therefore, eternal inhibits them from thinking about his beginnings. For millions he is a revered God, an ishta devta, worshipped in his myriad forms. Most Indians, and certainly all Hindus, know Shiva in all these forms and then some more.