"An introduction to the Asiatic lion and the "lion queens," or female forest rangers, of the Gir wildlife sanctuary in Gujarat, India"--

The Story of Asia's Lions introduces the lion and its present habitat. It examines through written and visual records the interaction between this majestic animal and human beings in Asia, from the earliest available historical records to the present day. The censuses conducted in the last hundred years to monitor its population dynamics, and the history of the attempts to find a second home for the lion, which still continue, are documented here. The book finally examines the efforts made for the conservation of the species in the 20th century, and records its present status with indications of what the future holds for the lion in India. -- From the publisher.

Lions once roamed the Asian continent from Palestine to Palamau. For more than half a century now all that remains is a relict population in the Gir forest and its surrounding areas in Saurashtra, the home of the only lion population outside Africa. The animal's precarious existence has virtually disappeared from our consciousness. How this state of affairs has come to pass, and the status of the surviving lions, is the theme of this book. The author introduces the lion and its present habitat, and goes on to examine through written and visual records the interaction between this majestic animal and human beings in Asia, from the earliest available historical records to the present day. Through Sanskrit, Persian, and other contemporaneous sources the profound effect the lion has had on human civilization and culture, and the story of the destruction of the species in Asia is traced. Also documented here are the censuses conducted in the last hundred years to monitor its population dynamics, and the history of the attempts to find a second home for the lion, which still continue. This second edition concludes with an epilogue that provides an update on the status of this endangered animal.

Lions are associated mainly with the African grasslands. Few people know that in India they once roamed the plains of Haryana and Punjab, wandered as far as Bihar in the east and above the Narmada in the south, and walked the grasslands and scrub forests around Delhi. Today, the Asiatic lion has been reduced to one tiny population in a single forest of Gujarat. Has the Asiatic lion been so spectacularly unfortunate because it is not secretive enough to survive hunters and poachers? Is its survival the outcome of one prince s efforts? Could a single epidemic wipe it out forever? This book celebrates an animal whose magnificent beauty has been the cause of its tragic destiny. The earliest extract included here dates from 1884 and is about shikar; the newest, written in 2008, analyses the implications of politics for the lion s survival. Some pieces charm and entertain with their vivid literary style and their close observation of nature; others explain population patterns and genetic reduction. The editor s erudite Introduction provides a historical overview.

A dazzling and eloquent reworking of the Mahabharata, one of South Asia's best-loved epics, through nineteen peripheral voices. With daring poetic forms, Karthika Naïr breathes new life into this ancient epic. Karthika Naïr refracts the epic Mahabharata through the voices of nameless soldiers, outcast warriors and handmaidens as well as abducted princesses, tribal queens, and a gender-shifting god. As peripheral figures and silent catalysts take center stage, we get a glimpse of lives and stories buried beneath the dramas of god and nation, heroics and victory - of the lives obscured by myth and history, all too often interchangeable. Until the Lions is a kaleidoscopic, poetic tour de force. It reveals the most intimate threads of desire, greed, and sacrifice in this foundational epic.