The power Nexus of Western India. The ever growing Chalukya dynasty. The Great queen mother Minaldevi. The Machiavellian minister Munjaal. The crafty trader Udayan. Valiant soldier Kaak Bhatt and the young prince Sidhhraj Jaisingh. Do not miss it at any cost! 248 This first book of The Patan Trilogy is based on the times in Gujrat when the king Karndev was on his deathbed and there was too much struggle going not only regerding the throne but also on many other fronts too. The queen Minaldevi is quite ambitious and also very desperate to make her son Jaydevkumar the next king. Her only wepon in this tussle is Munjal Mehta who is the intelligent and in some instances cunning Prime Minister of the kingdom. He is also the main reason behind the queen status of Minaldevi. But now Minaldevi is a queen and she her ego thinks that she is in the clutches of Munjal Mehta and wants to be free from those clutches. For the sake of her freedom and to prove iron hand on the empire she allies with Anandsuri- the Jain monk whose whole and sole dream is to see Gujrat turn into a Jain state and he is quite ruthless to fulfil his dream. On the other hand there is Devaprasad and his son Tribhuvanpal who are also from the royal family and are very capable and brave. But due to an oath taken by Devaprasad's father, he or his son can't become king. These two are real patriots and the most loyal servants of the throne but Minaldevi thinks of them as ememies.
Taking these and many other characters K.M. Munshi created a tussle of power, ego and religion and at the very same time of love, patriarchy and devotion. All these elements are so wonderfully woven that these make the first instalment of this trilogy a grand epic. The story moves at a breakneck speed and maintains the pace throughout the book. The characters are very well built and the most important thing about the characters is that the adapt and evolve according to situation and time. The best transition are of the characters of Minaldevi and Tribhuvanpal. Minaldevi- from a selfish queen to a people's queen and Tribhuvanpal- from a hot headed youngster to a responsible individual who has a great weight of legacy on his shoulders to carry on. But in midst of all the tussle the character which shines is of Munjal Mehta. A man who is intelligent, intimidating and sometimes cunning but at the very same time he his affectionate, patriot and human in every aspect. In many episodes he plays the real master and controls the entire situation. Mehta is one of the best characters I have read.
I had a little knowledge about the Jain-Rajput tussle of that period and the things from which I came to know about this rivalry were not very vocal. But in this book K.M. Munshi draws this rivalry in a way I have never read before. The other theme I liked in the book is making Patan the central point of the novel. All the asparations of the characters whether it is political, personal or anything else are interlinked with Patan and Patan should be safe and should stand for the fulfilment of these asparations.
5 Stars. 248 I know I shoulduld have read it much much earlier. But anyways.
If I put it in contemporary way, this is no less than GoT. Written 103 years back (!!) This tale of politics of kingdoms and revenge is nothing short of an extraordinary work. Neither spanning into years nor going into utmost details without purpose, Munshi successfully keeps you glued.
For a state which has very less written history, such gems, despite being fiction, a really must read. 248 Detailed Review - https://www.anureviews.com/glory-of-p... 248 this is a very nice book .i want to enlarge my memory for my great history.
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The kingdom of Patan faces an ominous future. King Karnadev lies on his deathbed. His son, Jaydev, is too young to ascend the throne. Rumours abound of scheming warlords intent on establishing their own independence and powerful merchants plotting to wrest control from Patan Fort. There is also the shadowy monk Anandsuri and his vision to unite Patan under one religion: Jainism. In the eye of this gathering storm are Queen Minaldevi and the shrewd chief minister Munjal Mehta. Both have striven to maintain order in Patan and ensure that Jaydev's succession is secure. But the attraction between them is threatened by betrayal and intrigue, with dramatic consequences for the future of Patan.
A sprawling, fast-paced saga in the oeuvre of Alexandre Dumas, The Glory of Patan is the first book in an epic trilogy about the exploits of the magnificent Chalukya dynasty at a crucial period in the history of Gujarat. પાટણની પ્રભુતા
KM Munshi wrote this book for reigniting the 'Asmita' (pride) of Gujarat. I'm in a quandary: Has Munshi written this Trilogy in the favour of nation-building agenda or just for reigniting the Asmita of people of Gujarat Pradesh. His personality as a nation-building person seems in contradiction with a few of the dialogues in the book under discussion that reflects the quest for regionalism. This novel is published in 1916; this was the period when many writers adept at penning inspiring historical fiction often twisted the historical facts in favour of the nation building propaganda. During this time, Tipu Sultan was made a freedom fighter and a secular ruler; Shivaji became tolerant Hindu ruler who did not fight Muslim rule but the tyranny of Aurangzib. As few cursory Google search revealed that Munshi did actually distort few facts for Asmita of Gujarat but this did not seem to align with the national building propaganda in my opinion. But once again, Munshi remained away from Gujarat's campaign for a linguistic campaign that certainly did not fall in line with the principle of Asmita that he tried to recreate for Gujarat.
The Glory of Patan is a historical fiction that cautions what happens when the organised religion intermingles in politics and administration. No matter what organised religion preaches when a highly respected fanatic interferes and influences the top rungs, the destruction is bound to happen. This was also clearly shown in the novel when Minal Devi was influenced by the idea of Jainism as one religion for the nation. Such fanaticism was cultured on account of repeated attacks by Muslim ruler Ghazni on Somnath but the reaction of this change in thoughts of Jainism and reflection of this changed ideology in the politics of the Patan was destructive only to the pride of the nation. On one hand, the Jain monk does seem wrong for furthering his agenda to unite the land and spread the message of Mahavir to protect the land but for him, this change too was brought only after the introduction of orthodox Islamic ideology in the land of Somnath.
Minal Devi is the strongest female character in the novel. Although she is depicted as an antagonist in the novel, she is the strongest character who was polluted with the desire for power. Every other female character is bland and very conventional at that time. No other character desires for power and is only the pawn of their men. As mentioned in the introduction of the book, the powerless female characters aligned with Munshi's own belief that women's character is completed only after she finds a soulmate in man.
Few characters are powerful, particularly Tribhuvan and Munjal. The author does not tell you the depth of the characters but readers gradually come to know by themselves as they read the dialogues. The book does not waste words in the depiction of material nature, palaces, sky, birds and plants like other novels do but depends mostly upon the dialogue format to keep the story moving. This helps the plot to move seamlessly and this novel become a page-turner for the reader on account of this narration style.
This is a book recommended for those who are exploring the regional literature translated into English. And highly recommended for those who want to read the fast-paced, action-packed and passionate narration of KM Munshi to bring back the Asmita of Gujarat. 248 The first novel in the Patan trilogy, the novel is about the the exploits of the magnificent Chalukya dynasty at a crucial period in the history of Gujarat. The plot and fast-moving narrative are enough to grip the reader, it is Munshi’s grasp over the characterization that really steals the show. One of the most memorable characters in the book is that of Munjal Mehta who personifies the shrewdness and far-sightedness of a seasoned politician. Munshi does not use long descriptions for his characters. Rather, he lets them speak for themselves through their actions and words, which immediately take the reader into the minds and hearts of the characters. 248 The Glory of Patan is the first of a historical fiction trilogy, set in Patan during the reign of Siddharaj Jaisingh, of the Chaulukya or Solanki dynasty in 11th–12th Century Gujarat. The series was written in Gujarati the 1910’s—this first one being published in 1916, and the translation I read is a recent one by Rita and Abhijit Kothari published in 2017. The introduction of course says that while this is historical fiction, the author has taken some liberties with the romances and relationships and such.
This introductory book in the series opens with the king of Patan, Karndev on his deathbed. The queen, Minaldevi and minister Munjal Mehta are holding the state together, while the heir Jaysingh is too young to rule. At this point, Patan is a powerful state in name only—the fiefdoms that pay tribute to it wield a high degree of power, and there is danger that one of the powerful Mandeleswars (heads of the fiefs) might attack and take over. But queen Minaldevi begins to want to assert her own power, and rule as absolute regent, no longer taking the advice of Mehta. Instead she begins to take advice and support from a jain monk, Anandsuri who has come from the city of Chandravati (where Minaldevi was from) to spread the influence of his religion (and his own power). But this step or rather misstep by the queen leads to some difficult consequences for herself and her young son, as the people of Patan, with great pride in their nation and people, are not ones to give in meekly; while on the other side, many others are making moves of their own, on different scales to gain power for themselves. Will Patan fall or will Jaysingh manage to gain the throne? And will the glory of Patan be restored? Alongside we also follow the story of Devprasad, a powerful mandeleswar who happens to be the king’s nephew, and who with his young son, Tribhuvanpal arrive at Patan, the former to see his uncle before he dies and the latter to meet his beloved. They learn many secrets and face many challenges that change their lives completely.
This was an interesting opening to the series, with the action taking place more in terms of politics and power games rather than on the battlefield—in fact apart from one attack on Devprasad, who has been the target of Minaldevi’s conspiracies in the past, and another small attack on Tribhuvanpal, there is really no bloodshed or major fight. Alongside the political games playing out, conspiracies and counter-conspiracies, the book also explores the idea of pride in one’s nation, in being a people; when Patan’s very existence seems to fall into danger, its people (who seemed docile and peaceful to the queen) unhesitatingly stand up, ready to stand up for their kingdom, to defend it.
But I felt somehow that we didn’t get to see enough of some of the main characters—we hear of Munjal Mehta’s shrewdness, his intelligence, and while we get to see something of him, and understand his ambitions (not for himself but for Patan), learn a little about his life, we don’t really get to see him—perhaps this may be because the events of this book are more focused on one small event or set of events immediately following the death of Karnadev. Minaldevi is a strong character which was nice to see, as was her nice Prasann (Tribhuvanpal’s beloved)—these were ladies willing to take action, to think and stand up for themselves, though Minaldevi has to finally acknowledge her feelings and her mistakes.
Overall, this was a good read for me, though I think I enjoyed the other book I read by the author Prithvi Vallabh a little more, but that could well be to do with the fact that this one is simply part of a series while that was a complete story in itself.
248 A page-turning novel. This is my first Gujarati literature reading, of course, a translated work. The story is catch-on, making eyes to jump the words, to know the story fast. It was an easy and fun read.
Even though in the introduction, it was emphasized that the author's concern was with Munjal's character who was dedicated to the glory of Patan, making him the central role. But, as one progresses through the story it is evident that Mujanl's role was important, but as a side role. For me, I felt this book had a strong female antagonist character as a central role: Minaldevi. Psychology of Minaldevi interested me more than the story itself.
She was aware that Munjal was responsible for the position she held in the kingdom. Minaldevi wished to break away from this shadow, accomplish in a short time what Munjal had not been able to do, and establish not only her autonomy but superiority over Munjal.
The havoc created in Patan was due to her insecurities. Her insecurities to prove her ability, her power, to herself. She didn't want to be overshadowed by someone else's grace. One should keep in mind that the story was around the 11th or 12th century when society was dominated by the patriarchal way. Her way to find her dominance made her a rebel.
On the other hand, Prasanna, who had a rectitude nature appears to be conventional for that time. In contrast, Minaldevi and Prasanna are just opposite to each other yet together they bring how the mindset of two different people born in the same era can be different, conditioned in their way of thinking.
248 The first book in KM Munshi ji's Gujarat Gatha trilogy, a historical fiction saga on the Chaulukya (Solanki) Dynasty, not to be confused with the Chalukya Dynasty.
Munshi ji shows his immense power over the narration, his deep research into the geopolitical, religious and socioeconomic history of the period. Above all his command over describing the nature in its grandeur and beauty which takes you back through centuries to the beautiful Gujarat which was going through a political shift with the death of it's ruler, Karnadev Solanki. The way he builds his character slowly like Munjal and Minaldevi with their political ambitions, Tribhuvanpal and Prasanna with their love for each other and loyalty to their families and their king is amazing.
The way he narrates the love between the characters and contrasts them is masterly, like the mature and covert between Munjal and Minaldevi; and young and overt between Tribhuvanpal and Prasanna. And very importantly, the females of the story are so powerfully characterized that they can hold on their own.
Once you start reading this book you won't like to stop till you finish the last page of the final book. 248
