The Shiva Trilogy abounds with a wide variety of characters. You would have heard of many of them in the Indian myths. A few of them, however, are completely imaginary. The key characters that drive the story are listed below.
Shiva: Shiva was the Chief of the Guna tribe at Mount Kailash, before he decided to emigrate from his Tibetan homeland. In ancient North India, the land of the Sapt Sindhu, Shiva was recognised as the prophesied destroyer of Evil due to his Neel Kanth -the blue throat.
Sati: Sati was the princess of Meluha and the daughter of Emperor Daksha. Despite being a princess, she was discriminated against as a Vikarma – a carrier of bad fate – which made her an untouchable. Undeterred by this, Shiva wooed and married her.
Kali: Sati’s hidden twin sister, the Queen of the Nagas.
Ganesh: Sati’s elder son, whose existence shedid not know of,as he was hidden away in the land of the Nagas, Panchavati.
Kartik: Shiva and Sati’s son, born in Kashi and named after Sati’s friend, Krittika.
Daksha: The Emperor of Meluha – the prime mover of the project to find the ‘Neelkanth’.
Parvateshwar: The strict and law-abiding Meluhan General and an ideal Suryavanshi. He did not believe in the Neelkanth legend initially, however, later came to believe in the personage of Shiva, becoming one his most ardent devotees
Nandi: A Captain in the Meluhan army. Nandi was the man who discovered the Guna tribal, who later went on to become the Neelkanth, Shiva. Nandi remained amongst Shiva’s most loyal followers throughout his life.
Bhagirath: The Prince of Swadweep and the son of Emperor Dilipa. A pragmatic and brave man, whom we will get to know much more about in The Secret of the Nagas. He has an important role to play in the trilogy.
Anandmayi: The Princess of Swadweep and the daughter of Emperor Dilipa. Passionate, mercurial and intelligent, Anandmayi makes for the perfect Chandravanshi.
Bhadra: Brave and loyal, Bhadra was a member of the Guna tribe.Shiva’s childhood friend from Mount Kailash, Bhadra travelled with Shiva wherever he went.
Krittika: Krittika was the handmaiden of the Meluhan Princess, Sati. She eventually fell in love with and married Bhadra, Shiva’s childhood friend.
