The Palace of Illusion

I always wanted to learn about the story of The Mahabharata, but the mythological series on television never excited me. I always believed that the time when Krishna was there on this planet it would have been so much better than what was depicted on the television with the limited resources they had. But yes my imagination was way too deeper in thinking about how the people and things of Treta yuga (human history ages as per Indian mythology) were.

(Source:- The bookaudit)

The Palace of Illusion quenched my thirst for the deeper craving that I had for knowing what really happened during that time which lead to such a big war that ever happened in the human history.

The book has been narrated by Draupadi, the one and the only person who witnessed the whole Mahabharata from the beginning till the end.

The book beautifully begins with Draupadi's birth. I would not reveal how she came to this planet earth because I want you to explore this through taking the plunge into this amazing piece of literature. The Palace of Illusion very charmingly depicts how Draupadi turned into a women from a girl. How she was made for a bigger purpose in life but went through most of the same agony that any other girl would go through. She not only had to forego her love for the man she actually wanted to marry because of her family pride but also had to be courageous enough to see her own clan parish in the hands of fate that she was made to write for herself.

(Source:- The bookaudit)

I have usually heard from a lot of people saying that Draupadi was the reason behind the whole war, but after reading The Palace of Illusion that too from Draupadi's perspective, I came to understand that the whole story was pre-planned. That's how Maharishi Vyasa knew most of the story before-hand. 

The Palace of Illusion is a pack of mystical facts filled with magic and treachery. The story line has been build so beguilingly that you won't feel drilled in any part of it. The whole reading process felt like a journey in a magical boat through an enchanted river and I was the witness of what is happening on the both sides of the river.

More than just a fiction Palace of Illusion also has various learning to offer, the learning in words of Lord Krishna (The Avatara of Lord Vishnu) The most favourite of mine I have attached below.

The book also depicted the mindset that was developing in the country of Bharat during that time period. Draupadi depicted the strong image of women section of that time. I was amazed to know that after the war how gracefully she handled things on her part to uplift the women section of the society. It was only after the Treta yuga that the position of women started deteriorating in our country.

The book's synopsis very correctly mentions that "it is a deeply human story about a woman born into a man's world".

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has very appealingly put the whole story in a book and named it as The Palace of Illusion, Draupadi's home, the place where she wanted to belong for whole of her life.

This book is a must read! And to be honest I look forward to read more of Divakaruni's work, to know more about my countries enchanting pasts.

(Source:- The bookaudit)

Tags: 

Mythological fiction books

Historical fantasy novels

Indian mythology novels

Best books by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Must-read books for mythology lovers

Female protagonist books

Epic retellings

Books set in ancient India

Indian women in literature

Books about the Mahabharata