Guided by a mystic force, King Manyu of Navapura goes through a journey of self-discovery as he opens the gates of his city one by one – a city that has been for long confined within its walls and unexposed to the world. Manyu is driven by a strong passion, a longing for adventure, an admiration for the beauty of the world and a will to surmount all challenges that he and his city face. A gripping tale, narrated in lucid words, contemporary language and interspersed with poetry, the book makes the reader relate to his own experiences and experiments in life.

This is a book about social differentiation and distinction in one of the ethnically and politically most complex regions of the world, dealing with crucial issues in currently renewed debates on cultural pluralism, nationalism, irredentism and ethnic dispersal. The themes are given a regional and historical focus by treating peoples within the Tai