Hastinapur. A tour of the city, the kingdoms radiating outward for hundreds of miles, and the eight kinds of beings who share this world. And at the center: one divine being in a human body, holding all of it together with nothing but a vow and a will.

KEY CONCEPTS & PLACES

Hastinapur: "City of Elephants." Capital of the Kuru kingdom, on the banks of the Ganga in what is now Uttar Pradesh. Archaeological site confirmed by B.B. Lal's Painted Grey Ware findings (1100–800 BCE).

The Eight Beings: Devas (divine beings), Asuras/Daityas/Danavas (cosmic rivals of the Devas), Gandharvas (celestial musicians), Apsaras (celestial dancers), Yakshas (elemental/nature beings), Rakshasas (often translated "demons," but far more complex), Vanaras (forest beings with their own civilization and divine lineage ...