Svayamvara is a distinctive matrimonial tradition in ancient Indian society where a bride, usually from Kshatriya caste, selects her husband from a group of assembled suitors either by her own choice or a public contest between her suitors. This practice is mainly featured in the two major Sanskrit epics, the Mahābhārata and the Rāmāyaṇa, though its prevalence and portrayal vary significantly between them.
In Hinduism, Vanara are either monkeys, apes, or a race of forest-dwelling people.
Damayanti is a figure in a love story found in the Vana Parva book of the Mahabharata. She is the daughter of Bhima and a princess of the Vidarbha Kingdom, who marries King Nala of the Nishadha kingdom. The figure is also found in other Hindu texts by many authors in numerous Indian languages. She, along with Nala, are the central figures in the 12th century text Nishadha Charita, one of the five mahakavyas in the canon of Sanskrit literature, written by Sriharsha.
Devdutt Pattanaik is a mythologist and writer from Mumbai, India. He writes on mythology, the study of cultural truths revealed through stories, symbols and rituals. He lectures on the relevance of both Indian and Western myths in modern life. His work focuses largely on the areas of religion, mythology, and management. He has authored and illustrated over 50 books, including ABC Of Hinduism, Bahubali : 63 insights into Jainism, and Yoga Mythology: 64 Asanas and Their Stories.
Gods, Demons and Others is a collection of short stories by R. K. Narayan adapted from Indian history and mythology, including epics like The Ramayana and Mahābhārata. In this book, Narayan provides both vitality and an original viewpoint to ancient legends.
Cradle Tales of Hinduism (1907) is a collection of stories by Sister Nivedita. It is an introduction to Hindu mythology; the stories come from the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and other Hindu sources and are presented as they were told in Indian nurseries.
Mahabharata is a comic adaptation of the Indian epic poem Mahabharata. The 42-issue best-selling series by Amar Chitra Katha, Mumbai was illustrated by Dilip Kadam. The team of script writers included Kamala Chandrakant, TMP Nedungadi, Subba Rao, Yagya Sharma, Lopamudra, Mihir Lal Mitra, Sumona Roy, Mohan Swaminathan, Shubha Kandhekar and Margie Sastry.
Baahubali: The Beginning is a 2015 Indian epic action film co-written and directed by S. S. Rajamouli, and produced by Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni under Arka Media Works. The film was filmed in both Telugu and Tamil languages. It features Prabhas in a dual role alongside Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishnan, Sathyaraj, and Nassar. The first of a duology of films, it follows Sivudu, an adventurous young man who helps his love Avantika rescue Devasena, the former queen of Mahishmati who is now a prisoner under the tyrannical rule of king Bhallaladeva. The story concludes in Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017).
In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Nala, is the vanara (monkey), who is credited as the engineer of the Rama Setu, a bridge across the ocean between Rameswaram and Lanka, identified with modern-day Sri Lanka, so forces of the god Rama can pass over to Lanka. The bridge is also known as Nala Setu, the bridge of Nala. Along with Nala, another vanara who is his twin brother called Nila is also credited as the builder of the bridge. Nala is described as the architect of the vanaras. He is described as the son of the architect-god Vishwakarma. Nala is also described to have fought in the battle between Rama and Ravana, the king of Lanka.
Nila, also spelled as Neela, is a character in the Hindu epic Ramayana. He is a vanara chieftain in the army of Rama, the prince of Ayodhya and avatar of the god Vishnu. He is the commander-in-chief of the vanara army under the vanara king Sugriva, and is described as leading the army in Rama's battle against the rakshasa king Ravana of Lanka and as killing many rakshasas.
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion is a 2017 Indian epic action film directed by S. S. Rajamouli, who co-wrote the script with V. Vijayendra Prasad. It was produced by Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni under the banner Arka Media Works. The film was filmed in both Telugu and Tamil languages. The cast includes Prabhas in a dual role, alongside Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishnan, Sathyaraj, Nassar and Subbaraju. Serving as both a sequel and a prequel to Baahubali: The Beginning, the film is set in medieval India and centers on the rivalry between siblings Amarendra Baahubali and Bhallaladeva. Bhallaladeva conspires against Amarendra, leading to his death at the hands of Kattappa. Years later, Amarendra's son seeks to avenge his father's demise.
The Rise of Sivagami is an Indian historical fiction novel written by Anand Neelakantan. It acts as a prequel to the film Baahubali: The Beginning. It was originally released in English on 7 March 2017, with Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and Tamil versions released in April 2017.
Baahubali: Before the Beginning is an upcoming Indian television series based on Anand Neelakantan's 2017 and 2020 novels The Rise of Sivagami, Chaturanga, and Queen of Mahishmathi. A Netflix original and a part of the Bahubali franchise, the series is produced by S. S. Rajamouli and Arka Media Works. The first season consists of nine episodes and acts as a prequel to Baahubali: The Beginning, following the journey of Sivagami's rise to power in the Mahishmati kingdom.
Baahubali: The Lost Legends is an Indian television animated series that is a part of the Baahubali franchise, produced by Arka Media Works and Graphic India. The series revolves around the young princes Amarendra Baahubali and Bhallaladeva in the Mahishmati kingdom. The series is set before the incidents happened in Baahubali: The Beginning and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion. The first season aired on Amazon Prime Video from 19 April to 11 August 2017. All episodes of season 2 were released on 16 February 2018, Season 3 on 28 April 2018 and all episodes of Season 4 on 10 April 2019 and all episodes of Season 5 on 10 April 2020.
Asura: Tale of the Vanquished is the first novel of Anand Neelakantan. It was published by Leadstart publishing on 14 May 2012. This mythological fiction depicts the tale of Ramayana from the perspective of Ravana and a common Asura, Bhadra.
Ajaya: Rise of Kali is a 2015 Indian novel of mythological fiction written by Anand Neelakantan. The second installment of the Ajaya series, it tells the story of the Kauravas. As opposed to the usual tale told from the point of view of the victors, this entire story is written from Duryodhana's view. It was originally released in English on 21 June 2015 in Hyderabad by the celebrity couple Nagarjuna and Amala.
Ajaya: Roll of the Dice is a 2013 Indian novel of mythological fiction written by Anand Neelakantan. The first installment of the Ajaya series, it tells the story of the Kauravas. As opposed to the usual tale told from the point of view of the victors, this entire story is written from Duryodhana's point view.
Chaturanga (transl. Chess) is an Indian historical fiction novel written by Anand Neelakantan. It acts as a prequel to the film Baahubali: The Beginning and sequel to the book The Rise of Sivagami. It was originally released in English on 6 August 2020, Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil versions are scheduled to release.
Queen of Mahismati is an Indian historical fiction novel written by Anand Neelakantan. It acts as a prequel to the film Baahubali: The Beginning and sequel to the books The Rise of Sivagami and Chaturanga. It was originally released in English on 28 December 2020. Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil versions are yet to be released.
Nala and Damayanti is an episode from the Indian epic Mahabharata. It is about King Nala and his wife Damayanti : Nala loses his kingdom in a game of dice and has to go into exile with his faithful wife Damayanti in the forest, where he leaves her. Separated from each other, the two have many adventures before they are finally reunited and Nala regains his kingdom.
