About the Book

FULL OF TWISTS AND TURNS, CHATURANGA WILL KEEP READERS ENGAGED FROM THE FIRST TO THE LAST PAGE.
Political intrigue is astir in the land of Mahishmathi. After the failed coup staged by the Vaithalikas, Sivagami finds herself elevated to the position of bhoomipathi, from where she can more ably pursue her burning goal to avenge her father’s death. Meanwhile, there is a tussle between the two sons of the maharaja of Mahishmathi for the crown. And behind the scenes, a wily, skilled player of the political game moves the pieces to topple the king, Somadeva.
Will the maharaja—usually able to match wits with the best of them—prevail? Or will one of his many enemies finally be able to best him at this game of Chaturanga?
Set against a backdrop of ambition, love, loyalty, passion and greed, the second book in the Bāhubali: Before the Beginning series is a twist-a-minute page-turner—riveting and deeply satisfying.

About the Author
Anand Neelakantan is the bestselling author of Asura: Tale of the Vanquished, which told the story of the Ramayana from Ravana’s unique perspective. He followed it up with the hugely successful Ajaya series. Ajaya Book I: Roll of the Dice and Ajaya Book II: Rise of Kali narrated the Mahabharata from Duryodhana’s point of view. Both Asura: Tale of the Vanquished and Ajaya Book I: Roll of the Dice have been nominated for the Crossword Popular Choice Awards in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
Anand has also written the screenplays for various popular TV shows, including Star TV’s mega series Siya Ke Ram, Sony TV’s Mahabali Hanuman and Colours TV’s Chakravartin Samrat Ashoka. He has also written for major newspapers such as The Hindu, The Times of India and The Indian Express. Besides English, he also writes in Malayalam and has published stories as well cartoons in various Malayalam magazines.
He lives in Mumbai with his wife Aparna, daughter Ananya, son Abhinav, and pet dog Jackie the Blackie.