Curious and spirited, Sharadha loves living life in her ancestral tharavadu. The grand ol' house, Vishwasam, is right in the heart of her beloved Marayur, in the Chera kingdom. The house is also the centre of activities as Devaki Amma, her grandmother, is a healer for the King no less! Life is good in the sleepy village!

But her inquisitiveness takes Sharadha on an unintended adventure. Trying to investigate a secret, she chances upon a mysterious trader and ends up in the bustling city of Mahodayapuram. And it's not just any city but the busy multicultural melting pot of the Cheraman Perumal Empire!

As she traverses the metropolis, Sharadha gets pulled into the magical colours, languages, religions, and the vibrancy of the city. She now realizes how complex the Capital is from her small village life-full of intrigue and political scandals. But as a sudden war with the ambitious and powerful Chola Dynasty looms on the horizon, Sharadha pines to get back to her old quiet life in Marayur.
Will she ever be able to see her beloved Vishwasam again?
Can she use the wisdom taught by her grandmother to save the others and herself?

Peek into an account of what life was like during the final years of the Chera Dynasty of the eleventh century Kerala!

About the Author
Preetha Leela Chockalingam is a Lecturer at London Metropolitan University. She enjoys mentoring, training and developing. She's also a writer, assessor and mum. Preetha loves writing historical fiction set in Kerala for both children and adults. She spends hours researching and collecting evidence of matrilineal, multifaith Kerala, which up until the mid-twentieth century favoured women more than men. She hopes that one day, the whole of India will follow the open-minded Chera's rule of Kerala, where religious harmony meant that several different faiths lived peacefully in one kingdom. Until then, you can find her living in those times through books, stories and research!


Book Information
ISBN 9780143454649
Author Preetha Leela Chockalingam
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint Puffin
Publisher Penguin Random House India