Mahabharata retellings that every mytho-fiction lover should read

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's bestselling 2008 novel 'The Palace of Illusions' is a retelling of the Mahabharata through Draupadi's point of view. But unlike the traditional tale, this book depicts Panchali as a strong, resilient and courageous woman. It traces her journey from the time of her birth from a holy fire to her lonely childhood days, from her friendship with Krishna to marriage with the five Pandavas, and her secret attraction to her husband's enemy. In 'The Palace of Illusions', Divakaruni gives Panchali a voice and narrates her side of the story.

(Photo: Picador)

In 'Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata', author Devdutt Pattanaik retells the epic tale by weaving together different versions of it-- the classical Sanskrit form, regional and folk variations from India and South East Asia. The book has 250 illustrations by the author himself and includes lesser known details and stories from the Mahabharata, written in a simplified manner which make it an interesting read.

(Photo: Penguin)

While 'Jaya,' as the Mahabharat is originally named, tells the story of the victors i.e. Pandavas, in the 'Ajaya' series Anand Neelakantan narrates Kauravas' side of the story. The series has two books: 'Ajaya: Roll of Dice' and 'Ajaya: Rise of Kali', which give the readers a fresh perspective of the Kauravas' point of views. Neelakantan's storytelling will make the readers question the truth behind the epic tale.

(Photo: Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd)

Kavita Kane is known for her feminist retellings of Indian epics. In this book, as the title suggests, Kane gives a voice to Karna's wife Uruvi as she tells Karna's story through her eyes. A Kshatriya princess, Uruvi dares to fall in love with Karna and choose him over Arjun. While she guides and counsels Karna, his blind faith in Duryodhana is something which she cannot change and this leads to his downfall. In this book, Kane narrates Uruvi's and Karna's stories set in the backdrop of the Mahabharata leading up to the great war.

(Photo: Rupa Publication)

This book is slightly different from all the others in the list-- 'Yudhistar and Draupadi' is an imaginative long poem about the conversation between Pandavas and and the Yaksha, where Yudhistar is answering some fundamental questions about life and existence while his brothers' lives hang in the balance. But he is unaware that his relationship with his wife Draupadi is also at stake as she is angry with him for losing her at the game of dice. This poem has been translated into Hindi by Gulzar.

(Photo: Penguin)

As the title suggests, is a modern retelling of the story of one of India's greatest warriors Arjuna. The book follows Arjuna's journey-- from his birth till his death-- which is set against the backdrop of the epic Mahabharata. Chandramouli humanises Arjuna as she narrates the story of his loves, ambitions and weaknesses and gives a voice to his thoughts.

(Photo: Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd)

Aditya Iyengar has penned two books in the Mahabharata spin-offs which are set in the backdrop of the Kurukshetra War. His debut book 'The Thirteenth Day: A Story of the Kurukshetra War', as the title suggests, is a reimaginging of the Kurukshetra war between the Pandavas and Kauravas. It was on the thirteenth day of the war that three great warriors-- Yudhisthira, his nemesis Radheya, and Abhimanyu - collide, changing history forever. The second book in the Kurukshetra War series 'The Broken Sun' tells what happened after the thirteenth day of the war. While Arjuna is grieve-stricken at the loss of his son Abhimanyu and Yudhistira is trying to keep his family together, the Kauravas are led by Guru Drona and Radheya and they want to bring an end to the war. The story is narrated through Radheya, Yudhishthira, Arjuna, Ghatotkacha, and Sushasana's point of views which gives various perspectives of the story to the readers.

(Photo: Rupa Publications)

Mallar Chatterjee has written two books in the Mahabharat series, namely-- 'Yudhisthira: The Unfallen Pandava' and 'Shakuni and The Dice of Doom'-- which can bring a perception change of the epic. 'Yudhisthira' is an autobiographical retelling of Yudhisthira's side of the story as he narrates the events in Mahabharata, giving a first-hand account. The second book in the Mahabharata series 'Shakuni and The Dice of Doom', as the title suggests, tells Shakuni's story through his point of view and the reasons behind his evil deeds.

(Photo: Readomania)