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Magical Stories of Shiv (6 in 1)

Rana Kumbha

Victory for Mewari!' His father's last words seemed to spur the young ruler on to ever greater feats. His success on the battlefield raised Rajput pride as high as the magnificent tower at Chittor, which he completed in 1448. Tirelessly subduing mighty sultans as well as sly traitors, Rana Kumbha ensured that his name was inscribed as one of the land's most worthy sons.

Roopmati..

The story of Roopmati, the princess of Dharampuri and Baz Bahadur, the Sultan of Mandu, is one of India's greatest love stories. From the day of their fateful meeting with the sultan, the princess loved no one else, sacrificing all just to be one with him. Defying every norm she married him. But their happiness was short lived. The Mughal Emperor Akbar wanted Mandu and commanded his general, Adham Khan to march on it.

Raja Bhoja

Amidst the many wars he fought, Raja Bhoja, the ruler of Malwa, always found time to listen to poetry of the gifted. Ballala, a poet in his court, has immortalized his patron in his work Bhoja Prabandha which is a romantic tale, written in Sanskrit, partly in verse and partly in prose. Ballala was interested not so much in history as in heroics. In his attempt to magnify Bhoja as a patron of the arts and letters, Ballala has ignored historical facts. The poets, Kalidasa and Bana, who he said adorned Bhoja's court, actually lived much before Bhoja's times.

Chennamma of Keladi

There was a great consternation in the court of Keladi, when the king married a commoner. But Chennamma, the merchant's daughter, proved to be a born queen. She became an expert rider and archer. She took great interest in the governing of the kingdom. When a scheming minister poisoned and killed the king, Chennamma was forced to take over as ruler. Before she could calm the troubled kingdom, Keladi came under attack from the powerful armies of Bijapur. Undaunted, Chennamma sold her jewelry to finance the battle. Then she marched out to meet the invaders, at the head of her army.

Beni Madho and Pir Ali

It was a time of turbulence when resentment against British treachery and betrayal was simmering in the people of India. The Nawab of Avadh had been a staunch ally of the British, providing them with money, grain and cattle and yet, Avadh was annexed through the Doctrine of Lapse as were other states like Satara, Sambalpur, Nagpur and Jhansi. The discontent triggered off the first war of Indian Independence. Rana Beni Madho and Pir Ali were two heroes of that period who inspired many to stand up against injustice.

Lalitaditya

From the cool valley of Kashmir to the lush coastal lands of southern India and burning desert sands of the west, Lalitaditya was master of all. This 8th-century swashbuckling hero was idolized by the poet Kalhana (12th century), in his work, Rajatarangini. An ideal king, Lalitaditya repelled invaders, eased the toil of poor peasants and always rewarded loyal friends. But when he should have settled down to enjoy the fruits of his labor, he chose to walk away.

Noor Jahan

Born a poor refugee, Meher was blessed with both spirit and talent. She could ride horseback and design fine clothes. She could lead armies to victory and yet be a doting wife. She could attend to the problems of a vast empire and at the same time be blissfully happy making perfumes. Emperor Jahangir fell under her spell and aptly named her Noor Jahan, for she lit up his world with her love.

Divine Beings

As Ravana abducts Sita, the brave vulture Jatayu sacrifices his life trying to save her. With his unparalleled devotion, Nandi gains immortality as Shiva's vahana. The magnificent fourtusked elephant, Airavata emerges from the golden egg of creation to become Indra's trusted vehicle. When Vishnu as Narasimha continues to destroy the world, he takes the form of the twoheaded bird, Gandaberunda. Shyama and Sabala, the divine hounds are given the responsible task of guarding Yama's gates. The stories in this Amar Chitra Katha are taken from ancient texts including the Shiva Purana, Vishnu Purana, Gajashastra, the Brahmanas and also from folklore.

Saptarshi - the Seven Supreme Sages

In Indian mythology the concept of time is measured in a manavantara. In each manavantara Brahma creates seven exceptional sages from his mind, who represent supreme knowledge and righteousness. It is their duty to see that law and order is maintained in the Universe. We live in the Vaivasvata Manavantara. Amar Chitra Katha has captured stories from the inspiring and remarkable lives of the seven sages chosen to represent the current manavantara. Atri was known for his honesty and for his devotion. He was married to Anasuya who was a very pious woman and capable of great deeds. Atri's life spanned many yugas. He played a role in the events of the Ramayana as well as the Mahabharata. Vasishtha was the voice of wisdom and honesty. He was the kulguru to the Solar Dynasty and tutored Rama and his brothers. Kashyapa is considered the father of all living beings. Brahma gave him the task of creating life for swargaloka, bhooloka and patal-loka.The origin of all creatures can be traced back to Kashyapa and his wives. the proud King Kaushika had a troubled relationship with Sage Vasishtha. He wanted to become a Brahmarshi just like him. the story tells of his transformation into the accomplished sage, Vishwamitra. Gautama and his wife, Ahalya, overcame the mistrust and insults of the people of Brahmagiri and brought Ganga to the parched land. Jamadagni, who was a proficient student of the Vedas, was chosen by Vishnu to be his father during his avatar as Parashurama. Bharadwaja's thirst for knowledge was so great that he prayed to Indra for a long life so he had enough time to learn. With Indra's blessing he spread the knowledge he had learnt, around the world. the seven sages are said to reside in the heavens as stars of the Saptarshi Mandal.

Tulsidas' Ramayana: Ram Charit Manas

Tulsidas (1574) tells the story of Ram, the prince of Ayodhya, in Awadhi, a dialect of Hindi spoken in Awadh in Uttar Pradesh. The work consists of about a thousand stanzas, each about 12 to 18 lines, set in elegant rhyme. Every village and town in the Hindi heartland has a troupe that gives a theatrical performance, called Ramlila, based on Tulsidas' work. Ramlila is enacted as part of the Vijaya Dashami celebrations.

Bhagawat:The Krishna Avatar

The Bhagawat Purana tells of the ten incarnations of Vishnu and is the most popular of the Puranas. This Special Issue describes the events of the tenth canto which narrates the life of the most beloved god in Hindu mythology - Krishna. Beginning with the miraculous birth of Krishna, the story traces his childhood exploits, including the slaying of dangerous demons and the performing of miraculous acts. The comic also describes Krishna’s battle with Kamsa as he retrieves the kingdom of Mathura for his aging grandfather, Ugrasena.. In the Bhagawat, Krishna is seen as a son, brother, husband, friend and warrior.

Ayyappan

With Shiva and Vishnu as parents, a child's life is bound to be unusual. Ayyappan's courage is unlimited and his wisdom unmatched. Vicious tigresses fall under his spell just as avenging demons succumb to his divine strength. Only power-crazed human beings are foolish enough to try to destroy this extraordinary lad. But, as he ascends to his rightful place as the god of Shabarimala, the glow of Ayyappan's compassion makes even earthly riches lose their glitter.

Bheema and Hanuman

Bheema was the strongman of the Pandavas in the Mahabharata. So was Hanuman the ape in the Ramayana. For both, the poets held that their powers were the gift of the wind-god, their parent. The two face each other in this story from the Mahabharata. During the Pandavas' exile in the forest, their wife Draupadi expresses her wish to have a particular flower. Bheema sets out for the mountain on which the flower blossoms. On the way he demonstrates his strength against an elephant. He is however unable to lift the tail of Hanuman who is lying on the way. An interesting encounter follows and in the end Bheema achieves his purpose. Both are known for their extraordinary strength and valour. Both are the sons of Vayu, the wind God. Hanuman lived in the Tretayug serving Sri rama while Bheema, a contemporary of Krishna, lived in the Dwaparyug. The Mahabharata narrates the story of an encounter between the two mighty brothers.

Bahubali....

Bharata, king of Ayodhya, had an overriding ambition to become king of kings. He set about subduing every kingdom possible including those of his brothers. The only person to oppose his arrogance was his half-brother, Bahubali, who defeated Bharata in single combat. However, Bahubali abdicated all claims to the throne and left for the forests to meditate. Centuries later Chavundaraya, a commander-in-chief of the Ganga dynasty built a 57 feet high statue of Bahubali at Shravana Belagola. This story has been taken from Pampa's Adi Purana and Panchabana's Bhujabali Charita.

Aniruddha

Nahusha

Even though Nahusha, the son of King Ayus and Queen Indumati, was spirited away at birth to be killed by the demon, Hunda, he lived on to achieve immortality. Married to Ashokasundari, the beautiful daughter of Shiva and Parvati, he was elected to be the king of heaven and then his mortal mind succumbed to the sin of pride. The stories of Nahusha are taken from the Padma Purana and the Mahabharata.

Mahabharata....

It all began with petty family jealousy. The Kaurava brothers tricked their Pandava cousins out of a kingdom and even Lord Krishna could not stop the horror and bloodshed that followed. Veda Vyasa composed an epic poem, the longest in the world, to describe the events that unfolded. In this epic tale of superhuman heroes and gory action, Veda Vyasa explores human ambitions, relationships and conflicts to find the true purpose of life.

Krishna and Jarasandha

The Yadava tribe fled to distant Dwaraka to escape the wrath of the mighty Jarasandha, the ruler of Magadha. This king, whose very name made the strong quake, had to be subdued if the Pandavas were to establish their supremacy in the area. Only their cousin Krishna, a Yadava hero, could help them and this is the tale of his triumph.

Vali.

Vali's days were numbered. Brave enough to confront the most vicious of demons and strong enough to destroy them every time, he unfortunately could not conquer his own pride. Foolishly, he turned his adoring brother, Sugreeva, into a mortal enemy and drove him to take the help of that supreme warrior, the mighty Lord Rama.

Tripura..

The asuras rejoiced as they played havoc with both men and gods. Maya, their gifted architect, had created for them three cities fortified with iron, silver and gold and the great lord Brahma himself had decreed that these cities would be indestructible, unless struck by a single arrow. The three cities, known together as Tripura, orbited the earth and only once in a thousand years fell in a straight line, directly one above the other. Would Shiva be waiting to destroy them with a twang of his deadly bow?

Tales of Narada

Sage Narada symbolizes unqualified devotion to Lord Vishnu, also known as Narayana. He is inseparable from his veena and has the name of Lord Narayana always on his lips. In the Puranic stories, it is Narada who puts the lord's devotees to test. But when he himself is put to test will the celestial sage emerge victorious?

Jagannatha of Puri

King Indradyumna of Utkal had only one wish - to be able to build a temple that would be the most beautiful in the world. His quest was for the image of the blue-colored Krishna or Nilamadhav. The king came very close to achieving his goal but his pride and arrogance snatched it away from him leaving him groping once more in the dark. Contained in this Amar Chitra Katha is the legend behind the temple of Jagannathapuri in Orissa and the images enshrined in it.

Tanaji...

Tanaji Malasure was only a boy when he took an oath to support his friend, Shivaji, in fighting the Mughals. Along with their small band of faithful followers they became a thorn in the side of the Emperor Aurangzeb as they conquered fort after fort. Tanaji's prowess was tested when he was entrusted with the near impossible task of capturing Kondana Fort. The present story is based on Shivasmruti by G.S. Sardesai and Shivaji the Maratha - His Life and Times by Sir H.G. Rawlinson.