Meet Ravan, the teenage crown prince of Asurapura on the continent of Naraka, moments before he must face the dangers of the Aranya jungle as part of the Trial of Seven Days. Almost two weeks later, he emerges from the Aranya and returns to his palace in the city Lanka, triumphant but emotionally drained. His completion of the Trial, however, brings about more complications than he could have imagined. Unlikely alliances with half-snake, half-human Nagas and ten-foot Rakshasas, and shocking discoveries about his own family push Ravan to his limit... “With ‘Ravan’s Trial’, Sundar Nathan has written an epic fantasy story with memorable characters from the great Indian epic, the Ramayana. The story is gripping, familiar characters in new roles with new destinies. Sundar has also done extensive research on the setting for his story. I enjoyed it a lot.” – Viswanathan Anand, Five-Time World Chess Champion “Nathan pieces together an incredibly deep and thoroughly developed realm and breathes life into his main character Ravan, beginning the book with a restrained unpeeling of family plot drivers through the individual days of Ravan’s Trial of Seven Days and a devastating setback. Shifting points of view provide first-hand rich visuals through the eyes of shapeshifters, battle-hardened warriors, lovers, loyalists, enemies, and family as Nathan weaves together an adventure, coming-of-age saga with intricacy to rival “the threads of Harsha’s Song.” – Jamie Michele, Reader’s Favorite

5 Stars, Reader's Favorite Recommended, US Review of Books Endorsed by Dr. Deepak Chopra, pioneer in integrative medicine & personal transformation Recommended by Vishy Anand, 5-Time World Chess Champion

Skandapurāṇa IIb presents a critical edition of Adhyāyas 31-52 from the Skandapurāṇa, with an introduction and English synopsis.

A continuation of the saga begun with Ravan's Trial... Chakravarthi Indra tightens his grip over the realm of Naraka, where five warring kingdoms bend the knee to his might. Ravan, crown prince of Asurapura returns from his trial of seven days in the dangerous Aranya, having survived an encounter with the terrifying Simurgh creature and escaped the clutches of Devan slavers at the infamous Ayasapur iron mine. Rocked by the disappearance of his beloved sister Surpanakha and Vidhyadharan crown prince Harsha Gurung, and armed with the advice of their mysterious Teacher, Ravan and his Nagan friend Vaasuki embark from Lanka’s palaces to the forbidding wilds of Simha Aranya on a quest to find the two lost teenagers… High Praise for ‘Ravan’s Trial’ “In Ravan's Trial', Sundar Nathan delivers a tour de force of storytelling, blending ancient myth with modern sensibilities to create a work that is at once timeless and timely" - The Times of India “The Naraka Cycle is a triumph of storytelling. with a captivating combination of myth, fantasy, and adventure that will leave readers spellbound.” - Hitvada “Sundar Nathan's ‘Ravan's Trial’ embarks on a fantastical journey through ancient mythological realms, weaving a narrative replete with intrigue and adventure.” - CNN News 18 “Ravan’s Trial is gripping; familiar characters in new roles with new destinies. I enjoyed it a lot.” - Viswanathan Anand, Five Time World Chess Champion

Skandapurāṇa V presents a critical edition of Adhyāyas 92-112 from the Skandapurāṇa, with an introduction and annotated English synopsis. The text edited in this volume includes the extensive myth of Viṣṇu’s manifestation as the Boar (Varāha), who conquers Hiraṇyākṣa and wins back the Earth for the gods; its aftermath, which involves the birth of Varāha’s son Vṛka and Skanda’s finishing of Viṣṇu’s Boar manifestation; Devī’s instructions to the goddesses about donations, fasts and penances; and the continuation of the Andhaka cycle. The introduction addresses the incorporation of Vaiṣṇava mythology in the text, the composition and revision of Adhyāya 112 in the different recensions, and the Dharmanibandha citations of Devī’s teachings.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature and author of Never Let Me Go and the Booker Prize–winning novel The Remains of the Day comes a luminous meditation on the act of forgetting and the power of memory. In post-Arthurian Britain, the wars that once raged between the Saxons and the Britons have finally ceased. Axl and Beatrice, an elderly British couple, set off to visit their son, whom they haven't seen in years. And, because a strange mist has caused mass amnesia throughout the land, they can scarcely remember anything about him. As they are joined on their journey by a Saxon warrior, his orphan charge, and an illustrious knight, Axl and Beatrice slowly begin to remember the dark and troubled past they all share. By turns savage, suspenseful, and intensely moving, The Buried Giant is a luminous meditation on the act of forgetting and the power of memory.

This conference volume unites a wide range of scholars working in the fields of history, archaeology, religion, art, and philology in an effort to explore new perspectives and methods in the study of primary sources from premodern South and Southeast Asia. The contributions engage with primary sources (including texts, images, material artefacts, monuments, as well as archaeological sites and landscapes) and draw needed attention to highly adaptable, innovative, and dynamic modes of cultural production within traditional idioms. The volume works to develop categories of historical analysis that cross disciplinary boundaries and represent a wide variety of methodological concerns. By revisiting premodern sources, Asia Beyond Boundaries also addresses critical issues of temporality and periodization that attend established categories in Asian Studies, such as the “Classical Age” or the “Gupta Period”. This volume represents the culmination of the European Research Council (ERC) Synergy project Asia Beyond Boundaries: Religion, Region, Language and the State, a research consortium of the British Museum, the British Library and the School of Oriental and African Studies, in partnership with Leiden University.

Skandapurāṇa IV presents a critical edition of Adhyāyas 70-95 from the Skandapurāṇa , with an introduction and annotated English synopsis. The text edited in this volume includes the myths of Viṣṇu’s manifestation as the Man-Lion (Narasiṃha), the birth of Skanda, the birth of Andhaka, and Hiraṇyākṣa’s battle with the gods culminating in his victory and capture of the Earth. Thanks to generous support of the J. Gonda Fund Foundation, the e-book version of this volume is available in Open Access.

The 31 selected and revised articles in the volume Holy Ground: Where Art and Text Meet, written by Hans Bakker between 1986 and 2016, vary from theoretical subjects to historical essays on the classical culture of India. They combine two mainstreams: the Sanskrit textual tradition, including epigraphy, and the material culture as expressed in works of religious art and iconography. The study of text and art in close combination in the actual field where they meet provides a great potential for understanding. The history of holy places is therefore one of the leitmotivs that binds these studies together. One article, "The Ramtek Inscriptions II", was co-authored by Harunaga Isaacson, two articles, on "Moksadharma 187 and 239–241" and "The Quest for the Pasupata Weapon," by Peter C. Bisschop.