Anirudh Kanisetti telling about himself in his own word "I'm currently an Editor at the Museum of Art of Photography, Bangalore. My first book, Lords of the Deccan: Southern India from the Chalukyas to the Cholas, has just been published by Juggernaut to widespread critical acclaim. My work covers a variety of areas, from history to networked societies and technology governance, and my writings have been published in Mint, The Print, The Deccan Herald, The New Indian Express, and Pragati. I host two podcasts: Echoes of India and YUDDHA: The Indian Military History Podcast. I aim to make critical scholarship on ancient and medieval India accessible to the public, with an emphasis on culture and society. I tackle nationalist-political rewritings of the history of one-sixth of humanity by emphasising the complicated, relatable lives that our ancestors lived. My podcast has been featured in The Hindu, The New Indian Express, and Midday Mumbai among others. I'm available for commissioned writing, editing, podcasts, and talks on a variety of topics. I've previously spoken and hosted events at the Bangalore International Centre and Bikaner House; conducted a workshop at the Mallya Aditi International School, Bangalore; been a guest speaker at the University of Iowa and the University of Texas at Arlington, and have made guest appearances on multiple podcasts, including Wonders of the World, The Ancients, Love What You Love, and The Musafir Stories."
<p>The history of the vast Indian subcontinent is usually told as a series of ephemeral moments when a large part of modern-day India was ruled by a single sovereign. There is an obsession with foreign invasions and the polities of the Gangetic plains, while the histories of the rest of the subcontinent have been reduced to little more than dry footnotes. Now, in this brilliant and critically acclaimed debut book, Anirudh Kanisetti shines a light into the darkness, bringing alive for the lay-reader the early medieval Deccan, from the sixth century CE to the twelfth century CE, in all its splendour and riotous glory. Kanisetti takes us back in time to witness the birth of the Chalukyas, a dynasty that shaped southern India for centuries. Beginning at a time when Hinduism was still establishing itself through the Deccan, when the landscape was bereft of temples, he explores the extraordinary transformation of the peninsula over half a millennium. In vivid and colourful detail, Kanisetti describes how the mighty empires of medieval India were made: how temple-building and language manipulation were used as political tools; how royals involved themselves in religious struggles between Jains and Buddhists, Shaivas and Vaishnavas; and how awe-inspiring rituals were used to elevate kings over their rivals and subjects. In doing so, he transforms medieval Indian royals, merchants and commoners from obscure figures to complex, vibrant people. Kanisetti takes us into the minds of powerful rulers of the Chalukya, Pallava, Rashtrakuta and Chola dynasties, and animates them and their world with humanity and depth. It is a world of bloody elephant warfare and brutal military stratagems; of alliances and betrayals; where a broken king commits ritual suicide, and a shrewd hunchbacked prince founds his own kingdom under his powerful brother's nose. This is a world where a king writes a bawdy play that is a parable for religious contestation; where the might of India0́9s rulers and the wealth of its cities were talked of from Arabia to Southeast Asia; and where south Indian kingdoms serially invaded and defeated those of the north. This painstakingly researched forgotten history of India will keep you riveted and enthralled. You will never see the history of the subcontinent the same way again.--Front cover flap of book jacket.</p><div><br></div>
