''The Krishna Key'' is a 2012 anthropological thriller by

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n author

Ashwin Sanghi Ashwin Sanghi (born 25 January 1969) is an Indian writer and author of the novels: '' The Rozabal Line'', '' Chanakya's Chant'', '' The Krishna Key'', Sialkot Saga, Keepers Of The Kalachakra, The Vault of Vishnu and The Magicians of Mazda. ...

and is his third novel. The book follows a history professor who has to prove his innocence against a murder charge.

Plot summary

''The Krishna Key'' centers around Professor Ravi Mohan Saini, the protagonist and a historian who has been accused of the murder of his childhood friend Anil Varshney, a famous

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

who has managed to decipher the script of Indus Valley seals. In an attempt to clear his name, Saini looks into the past of Indian Mythology's grey and unexplored areas and uncovers the truth about a serial killer, Taarak Vakil who believes himself to be

Kalki Kalki ( sa, कल्कि), also called Kalkin or Karki, is the prophesied tenth and final incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is described to appear in order to end the Kali Yuga, one of the four periods in the endless cycle of exist ...

, the final avatar of

Lord Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

. Saini travels from the ancient ruins of the Lost City of

Dvārakā Dvārakā, also known as ''Dvāravatī'' (Sanskrit द्वारका "the gated ity, possibly meaning having many gates, or alternatively having one or several very grand gates), is a sacred historic city in the sacred literature of H ...

to a temple in Vrindavan which was almost destroyed by the Mughal Emperor

Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...

in an attempt to discover one of Krishna's lost treasures, the

Syamantaka Syamantaka (Sanskrit: श्यामन्तक) is perhaps the most famous jewel featured in the Hindu scriptures, supposed to be blessed with magical powers. It is described to be a ruby. The jewel is described to protect its owner if they w ...

gem, also known in alchemy as the

philosopher's stone The philosopher's stone or more properly philosophers' stone (Arabic: حجر الفلاسفة, , la, lapis philosophorum), is a mythic alchemical substance capable of turning base metals such as mercury into gold (, from the Greek , "gold", a ...

, and stop the killer from murdering his friends who are also under the threat. The plot involves four different pieces of a seal which must be brought together to solve the puzzle. Each part of the seal is in the possession of different people who are the descendants of the ancient

Yadava The Yadava (literally, descended from Yadu) were an ancient Indian people who believed to be descended from Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the Abhira, Andhaka, Vrishni, and Sat ...

tribe, namely

Saini Saini () is a caste of North India who were traditionally landowners (zamindars) and farmers. Sainis claim to be descendants of a king, Shurasena, as well as of Krishna and Porus, and to be related to the ancient Shoorsaini clan,'' "The Sain ...

Bhoja Bhoja (reigned c. 1010–1055 CE) was an Indian king from the Paramara dynasty. His kingdom was centered around the Malwa region in central India, where his capital Dhara-nagara (modern Dhar) was located. Bhoja fought wars with nearly all h ...

Vrishni The Vrishnis (Brahmi: ''vri-shņi'') were an ancient Vedic Indian clan who were believed to be the descendants of Vrishni. It is believed that Vrishni was the son of Satvata, a descendant of Yadu, the son of Yayati. He had two wives, Gandhari an ...

, Kukura and Chedi. The author narrates a detailed version of the post-

Mahabharatha The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruks ...

history through the protagonist, a distinguished professor of history, who himself happens to be a lineal descendant of Lord

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

being from

tribe of Punjab. The author also portrays the biography of Lord Krishna in his own words, in parallel to the main story-line.

Research

Sanghi stated that he "wanted to do a story in connection with the Mahabharata, but not retelling of the epic which has already been done" and undertook a month's research, saying that he "had to be extremely cautious in dealing with this topic as we put a premium on personal belief and faith". He chose Krishna as one of the book's themes because Krishna is a "perfectly grey character".

References

External links

''The Krishna Key'' Official Website

Interview with the author

Official book trailer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krishna Key 2012 Indian novels Indian crime novels Westland Books books

Plot summary

Research

See also

References

External links