Having defeated Rana sanga and his Rajput Army in the battle of khanwa, Babur descends upon chanderi in January 1528. With only a few men to defend the fort, the Rajput decide that the women would immolate themselves and save their honour, while the men would fight Babur's forces till the last drop of their blood.

This is the Military History of the Mohyals - an Indian clan of fighting Brahmins. They are Saraswat Brahmins who dwelt on the banks of the ancient river Saraswati - that once flowed from the Himalayas to the Arabian Sea. As such they came in the path of each and every invader who came to loot or subjugate India. The warrior sage, Parshuram, had militarised them in the early epic period. From priests these Brahmins had morphed into Mohyal fighting Brahmins, brave and tenacious fighters with a great tradition of soldiering. After Alexanders invasion, Chanakya recruited the Maurayan Army from this region. They became the Bhumiar Brahmins who later settled in Bihar and UP, and helped unify India for the Maurayan empire. Surprisingly, a Mohyal clan fought in Iraq on the side of the Shias' in the famous Karbala war. The Mohyal Shahi rulers of Afghanistan stopped the world conquering Arab armies on the Hindu Kush and gave them their first taste of defeat and held them off for 300 years. They fought the Arab invasions of Sindh, Mehmood Ghaznavi and Muhammad Ghori. When the Mughal empire turned tyrannical under Aurangzeb, they flocked to the banner of the Sikh Gurus to overthrow this evil tyranny. Baba Paraga, Bhai Mati Das and Banda Bairagi were great soldier saints of the Sikh military tradition. They were all Mohyals who played a major role in the Indian military revival that took place with the Sikhs and the Marathas. This book is an invaluable record of all the military invasions of India from the third century B.C. onwards. The soldiers and scholars of History will find it an invaluable document about Indian Military History per se - right from the Vedic times to the present era. These fighting Brahmins have maintained their military traditions. Post-independence, 2/Lt Puneet Datt won the Ashok Chakra - the highest gallantry award in the land. Four Mohyal officers won the Mahavir Chakra and other four, the Vir Chakra. Six Mohyals have risen to the rank of Army Commander and equivalent in the Indian Army and Air Force, and three became the governor of states. 10 became Lt Generals and 15 Maj Generals - all from a miniscule community - just 6 lakh strong. They are like the Samurai of Japan - great patriots, scholar-warriors and erstwhile feudal lords who have made enormous sacrifices for their country. They have been the guardians of it's gates.

This 2006 book is an innovative study of warrior asceticism in India from the 1500s to the present.

About the Book A FAST-MOVING SEQUEL TO THE BRAHMIN, SET IN THE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH OF EMPEROR ASHOKA’S DEVASTATION OF KALINGA After thwarting the malicious Kalingan general Lord Suma and becoming the emperor of Magadha, Ashoka is now faced with a new threat—a faceless foe whose only aim is to topple his empire. His brutal killings of Magadhan officials, kidnappings of royal prisoners and infiltrating of the royal palace of Tamralipti weave a mesh of hatred, intrigue and menace. No one knows who he is, yet he breathes such terror into his network of followers that even a dying man fears uttering his name. He calls himself the Khandapati. There’s only one man in the empire that Ashoka can turn to. Spurred on by years of friendship and sworn loyalty, the Brahmin finds himself back in the royal capital, caught in a violent conspiracy that extends beyond Magadhan boundaries. Will he be able to live up to his role as the protector of the empire or is the merciless villain more than a match for the Brahmin?

PARASURAM The Sixth Avatar of Vishnu A humble Brahmin boy transforms into a fierce warrior to protect the weak and punish the wicked—Parasuram’s life is the ultimate story of a revolutionary. The Warrior Sage chronicles the legendary journey of Parasuram through the various yugas. Believed to be an immortal and one of the greatest warriors in the Hindu mythology, Parasuram is present in both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, thus marking his presence in the Treta as well as in the Dwapara Yuga. Parasuram is the embodiment of duty and justice. His actions—going on a kshatriya killing spree to avenge his father’s death; punishing the sea god Varuna for encroaching on the holy land Gokarna; challenging Lord Ram to a duel for breaking Lord Shiva’s bow; waging a war with Bhishma for the injustice done to Amba …—all point to his firm belief in truth and righteousness. Parasuram’s story shows you that you don’t have to be stuck in a mould others expect you to be in; you are free to choose your path, your truth. Read on to discover the many heroic feats of Parasuram and be inspired to take charge of your life. V. S. Rao is a celebrated Telugu author, playwright, translator and scriptwriter. He has 90 titles to his credit, including short stories, novels, children’s books and plays. His writing spans a variety of genres, from thrillers, drama, mythology, philosophy to lyrics for devotional albums. He is the recipient of numerous literary honors and awards.

About the Book A FAST-PACED THRILLER SET IN THE TIMES OF EMPEROR ASHOKA It is a time of violence as well as calm. Men of peace are spreading the message of the Buddha even as monks are being tortured in the dungeons of Pataliputra. In Magadha, all talk is about the impending war against Kalinga. While King Ashoka plots the movements of his ships and cavalry, Queen Asandhimitra broods over the growing unrest in the kingdom. There is only one man they can both trust to take them through this period of uncertainty and looming danger: the enigmatically named Brahmin, skilful spymaster and custodian of Magadha’s best-kept secrets. Lush with historical detail and unforgettable characters, The Brahmin is an intricately plotted novel that seeks to recreate a near-mythical period in India’s past.

A Brahmin deceived by a hungry tiger is saved by a lowly jackal and encounters a lesson he has never found in his holy books.