The Shiva Trilogy, written by Amish Tripathi, is one of the best examples of ‘Mythology-inspired’ fiction in English from India. This genre is generally inspired by Indian epics such as The Mahabharata and The Ramayana, as well as from folk traditions all over India. According to Emma Dawson Varughese, Indian ‘Mythology-inspired’ fiction is characterized by four different approaches. The following are the second and the fourth approach given by her-

2^nd approach- Narratives that are recognizable by the ‘original’ epic inspiration, but where plot, characterization, and story arc are developed anew by the author. Examples include Tripathi’s ‘Shiva Trilogy’ and his ‘ Ram Chandra’ series. (Dawson 2019, p.146)

4^th approach- Narratives that take only a character or an aspect of the plot from the epics through which they considerably develop the story away from the ‘original’ epic inspiration, moving further into the realm of re-imagining the epic ( inspiration). These narratives usually employ contemporary subgenres such as detective/crime fiction or speculative fiction and devices such as the conspiratorial. Examples include the novels of Ashwin Sanghi, Shatrujeet Nath’s The Guardians of the  Halahala, and Doyle’s The Mahabharata Secret. ( Dawson 2019, p.146)

Here we can see that she has categorized the ‘ Shiva Trilogy’ in the second approach.  The main reason behind this categorization probably being how the mythological character of Shiva is being portrayed in a different re-telling of the myth. 

Although that may be a viable reason, we can see how ‘The Immortals of Meluha’, the first part of the trilogy, anchors many elements of contemporary genres. In this essay, the main argument we will be analyzing is why the ‘ The Immortals of Meluha’  should belong in the fourth approach rather than the second approach.

This novel can be considered to have elements of Historical fiction. Instead of portraying mythological characters such as Shiva and Ram as gods, Amish Tripathi has instead humanized them, in order to fit them into a historical background.  Thus, at the very start of the novel, he provided us with a historical context-

1900 BC, Mansarovar Lake (At the foot of Mount Kailash, Tibet) ( Tripathi 2010, p. 1)

Tripathi's also uses the abbreviation- B.C, throughout the novel, allowing us to formulate a specific time period of when these events might have happened. While introducing new places or kingdoms in the novel, he also specifies their location in reference to places that are known today. For example, right before introducing us to the kingdom of Meluha, he informs us of its geographical location -

After marching continuously for four weeks, the caravan of invited immigrants crested the final mountain to reach the outskirts of Srinagar, the capital of the valley of Kashmir…..But nothing could have primed him for the sheer spectacle of what certainly was paradise. Meluha . The land of pure life!  ( Tripathi 2010, p.5)

Another example of him historicizing the novel is-

The convoy’s next stop was the famous city of Mohan Jo Daro or the Platform of Mohan ( Tripathi 2010, p.97)

MohenJo- Daro was one of the first and the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley civilization which existed around 2500 BC. Thus we can say that he was using Mohenjo-Daro in an effort to periodize the locations and the characters in the novel as belonging to an ancient era.

Tripathi himself, in the pretext of this novel, acknowledged the fact that he was in fact combining mythology with history-

That is the premise of the Shiva Trilogy, which interprets the rich mythological heritage of ancient India, blending fiction with historical fact. ( Tripathi 2010)

Another distinctive feature in the novel was how Meluhans were way ahead of their time. There are many references in the novel which suggest that even Shiva was amazed at the technological and medical superiority that the Meluhans possed as compared to the rest of the world. There are examples of such instances throughout the novel, such as when Shiva was asked to take a bath-

The bathroom felt strangely constricted. He turned the magical device on the wall to increase the flow of water. He used the strange cake-like substance that the Meluhans said was a soap to rub the body clean. ( Tripathi 2010, p.11)

Another example is of when Nandi, one of Shiva’s colleague, was drowning and to save his life, the Meluhan doctors performed CPR on him -

The emergency staff then began a strange procedure. One of them started pressing Nandi’s chest in a quick rhythmic motion to the count of five. The moment he would stop, another emergency staff would cover Nandi’s lips with his own and breathe hard into his mouth. Then they would repeat the procedure all over again. Shiva did not understand what was going on but trusted both the knowledge as well as the commitment of the Meluhan medical personnel. ( Tripathi 2010, p.19)

The above-mentioned examples are relatively modern inventions and should not be used to describe the technological and medical capabilities of ancient civilizations. Thus, these instances make us question whether the novel should be categorized as ‘ Mythology-inspired’ fiction or not, as there is no evidence of such methods being used in any of the epics.

Another example of how Meluhans were ahead of their time is when Brahaspati, a scientist, says that-

‘I believe in science. It provides a solution and a rationale for everything. And if there is anything that appears like a miracle, the only explanation is that a scientific reason for it has not been discovered as yet.’( Tripathi 2010, p.67)

The inclusion of such a character in a mythology inspired novel is perplexing.  The reason behind it being that using science or a rational hypothesis to explain a ‘miracle’ or a natural phenomenon was practically unseen at that time. The logic behind such a ‘miracle’ at that time would have probably been associated with anthropomorphic gods, as the shift from revelation to reason happened much later on.  That is why such characters are mostly seen in contemporary genres rather than ‘Mythology-inspired’ novels.

One must also keep in mind the reception of the reader. The novel would only be considered as mythology by those who are familiar with Indian epics and traditions. To the non-Indian audience, who are not familiar with a mythological character such as Shiva, the novel can be perceived as fantasy fiction.  Amish Tripathi does try to provide us with direct translations of Hindi words, and attempts to put them in context for the benefit of the reader-

The narrative structure attempts to culturally translate aspects of life in ancient Indian so that a reader’s understanding of the storyline is not compromised. He often includes translations of key terms and ideas through short paraphrasing or contextualization. ( Dawson 2019, p.150-151)

Some examples of such translations are-

Saying this, she bent down to touch Shiva’s feet in the traditional Indian form of showing respect. ( Tripathi 2010, p.15)

Tripathi also took on to explain the theory of Karma, which is a very important theory in Indian philosophy, and how the people who were victims of this were called Vikarma-

‘Vikarma people, my Lord,’ said Nandi sighing deeply, ‘are people who have been punished in this birth for the sins of their previous birth. Hence they have to live this life out with dignity and tolerate their present sufferings with grace. This is the only way they can wipe their karma clean of the sins of their previous births. Vikarma men have their own order of penance and women have a different order.’( Tripathi 2010, p.45)

This explanation of the theory of Karma was important as Sita, Shiva’s wife, was also a Vikarma. Thus Tripathi attempts to explain these cultural terms so that the reader can gain the mythological meaning behind it while the plot progresses, and not ponder while trying to understand it in its context.

As a conclusion, it is clear that ‘The Immortals of Meluha’ is not only a ‘Mythology-inspired’ fiction novel, but is a culmination of Historical fiction, Fantasy fiction( depends upon reader reception), and also some elements of Thriller. Thus, keeping the model given by Emma Dawson Varughese in mind, ‘The Immortals of Meluha’, which is the first part of the Shiva Trilogy, should be categorized in the fourth approach instead of the second approach.

REFERENCES-

Tripathi, Amish. 2010. The Immortals of Meluha. Westland: New Delhi

Varughese, Dawson. Emma. 2019. Indian Genre Fiction- Pasts and Future Histories. Routledge: New York