Book Review : ‘Ancient Cities of India’ by Sayan Bhattacharya

‘Ancient Cities of India’ is an interesting read for people having a proclivity for history and mythology. It is a well-researched book and the author has done an outstanding job in bringing about some captivating facts about our country and its roots.

I loved the idea of keeping the book crisp yet informative. This would attract readers who might not want to get into the details of the archaeological facts but might be interested in giving it a read for mere knowledge. Another striking feature of the book is, it is listed in alphabetical order and it must have been a challenging job for the author to dig out information of the cities named accordingly. The author has done a commendable job in compiling information from various sources and bringing it out in his own writing style.

He shares information about cities, some of which have been mentioned in the great epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata. ‘Lavpur’ was named after Lord Rama’s son Lav and a temple that was built some thousands of years ago can still be found today as Lav temple. ‘Dwaraka’ dating back to Lord Krishna’s time was submerged by the ocean but the remains of the city can still be found. Some of the ancient cities are geographically now located in Pakistan and Afganistan.

This book represents the country’s historical past, traditions and rich culture which is depicted by the majestic temples and the beautiful cities. The author also pens about the rise and fall of various kingdoms in ancient times. I liked the author’s style of writing and how his descriptions lead to a picturesque view of the cities like Hastinapur, Bairat, Lahore, Multan, Varanasi and many more.

The author beautifully brings to light the facts about our rich cultural history which is unknown to many. He, also, very remarkably compiled his incredible research into one comprehensive book. This book will definitely serve as a reference work for history lovers and an interesting read for everybody else and thus, ‘Ancient Cities of India’ gets a thumbs-up from me.