THE DIVINE SWORD

THE DIVINE SWORD
RITA CHOWDHURY
Sahitya Akademi Award-winning novel now in a first-ever English translation. After being wrongfully accused of infidelity by her overbearing husband, King Pratapchandra, the beautiful, young Queen Chandraprabha of Mayapur is forced to abandon her former life. Sadhukumar, the king of Gobha, accepts the pregnant Chandraprabha, who everyone thinks is dead, and she becomes the legendary Queen Konsari. Years later, their lives are turned upside down when her son, Mriganko, inadvertently murders his biological father, Pratapchandra, to expand his kingdom. Heartbroken upon learning the truth, Mriganko becomes an ascetic only to be murdered by Pratapchandra's other son, King Jokanko, who too is unaware of his half-brother. Now, Jokanko, or Jongal Boluhu, is the ruler of Mayapur, Gobha, and Komoi Boghora, and he must contend with rival kings who are afraid of becoming his subordinates, plotting and scheming to obtain the divine sword he has obtained from the Kolong waters. Told and translated here masterfully, The Divine Sword, Rita Chowdhury's Sahitya Akademi-winning novel, uses strands from Assamese history to weave a spellbinding tapestry of love, friendship, betrayal and loyalty that will leave readers in its throes for a long time.
RITA CHOWDHURY
Rita Chowdhury is an award-winning Assamese poet and writer. A former associate professor of Political Science at Cotton University, Guwahati, Rita is currently the director of the National Book Trust. An important voice in contemporary Assamese literature, Rita has written fifteen novels that portray a vivid picture of her strife-torn state. The critically acclaimed Chinatown Days (Makam) is one of her best-known works.