If you happen to be an avid reader of Indian literature, chances are that you must’ve stumbled across Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s work quite often. As a fan of Indian mythology, I felt extremely thrilled when I got my hands on Divakaruni’s 2008 novel, The Palace of Illusions. This best-selling novel is a loose retelling of the Indian epic of Mahabharata but told from the perspective of its central female protagonist – Draupadi (or Panchaali). The title focuses on the ethereal Palace of Illusions built by the Pandavas in their heyday. The Kaurava brothers envied the palace for its magical elements in almost every corner, so much so that it witnessed one of the most pivotal events in the Mahabharata. So, here’s why I think you should read this book!
Book Of The Week: The Palace Of Illusions (Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, 2008)
A Fresh Perspective In Indian Literature
It’s not very often that we get to see Indian fiction taking a well-known story (Mahabharata in this case) and spinning the narrative to focus on a female perspective. People have mostly viewed Indian mythology from a unidimensional perspective – either as wholly black or white. Moreover, male characters and their ambitions have often dominated these stories, sidelining many female characters or reducing them to unidimensional caricatures.
However, Divakaruni, with her retelling of the Mahabharata, makes sure that readers get a glimpse of the much-read epic from a newer, fresh perspective – that of a woman. The book revolves around Panchaali, chronicling her early days, her marriage to the Pandavas, the tumultuous days that would follow soon, and her revenge arc, finally culminating in the Kurukshetra War.
The Palace Of Illusions: An Enchanting, Feminist Retelling Of The Mahabharata
The book begins well – you get a glimpse into Panchaali’s life when she was young. As a girl you see her navigating her childhood and adolescence, often questioning the tight-spun world around her. She doesn’t fear asking questions and is often observant of the ways of the nobility. The young Panchaali is hungry to learn and question, often going against the very norms that define how a noble girl should behave. And these are the parts that make the reader interested to know more about the protagonist.
Her amicable relationship with her brother, Dhristadyumna, and their playful antics with Krishna have been written most innocently, making you feel as if you too are a part of the story. What I liked the most about the book is the way the scenes involving Panchaali and Krishna have been written. The two share a dynamic that previous iterations of this epic have hardly covered. Krishna and Krishnaa (another name for Panchaali) become almost intertwined – in both their good and bad times. He is the one friend Panchaali laughs wholeheartedly with, and the one she always looks up to when in need.
However, with only 360 pages, the book finds it tough to detail every major event in the Mahabharata. Divakaruni captures many major events, like Panchaali’s marriage and her disrobing in the Kaurava court, well, but many readers, like me, feel left wanting more. If she had written these events more efficiently, the book would have reached a whole new level.
Palace of Illusions Lets You Think About Mahabharata From A Different Perspective
The Palace of Illusions offers fascinating perspectives and retellings that we wouldn’t have seen otherwise. Such as her relationship with her brother, her inner thoughts, as well as her feelings for Karna, the arch-nemesis of the Pandavas. We see Panchaali going through a tornado of emotions, and instead of painting her as a unidimensional, godly, or ideal woman, Divakaruni effortlessly humanizes Panchaali.
Throughout the book, you see Panchaali’s anger, despair, hopelessness, courage, wit, and desires. She doesn’t shy away from speaking up, often upsetting her seniors who expect Panchaali to be a naive, obedient woman. Neither does she shy away from expressing her desires, be it physical or materialistic. Panchaali breaks apart the stereotypes Indian mythology has set up for its women – that of being an ideal, virtuous, and selfless woman at all times.
The Palace of Illusions also does a great job of painting the world of Mahabharata in the most whimsical way possible. The descriptive, lucid language succeeds in making you visualize many of the elegant courtrooms, bed chambers, expansive courtyards, and of course, the great Palace of Illusions. Divakaruni uses language that is easy to understand – she avoids being overly ornate and doesn’t rely on heavy, unfamiliar words to describe the world. Instead, with straightforward and lucid language, the book tastefully captures each detail in its pages. Be it Hastinapur’s grandeur or the Kurukshetra’s blood-filled battlefields, each setting is described in a way that gives total justice to the source.
Why You Should Read The Palace Of Illusions
What I loved about the book is the effort at ‘humanizing’ each character in this Indian epic. For centuries, people have viewed each character in the Mahabharata through the lens of either ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ However, in this retelling, Divakaruni takes a ‘grey’ approach, beautifully portraying the very essence of human nature in each character. All these characters have positives and negatives, making them even more relatable.
Overall, I highly recommend this book if you are looking for an intriguing, whimsical, and downright powerful story about a woman who dared to defy the odds. The book masterfully combines elements of the epic and adds much-needed twists that you wouldn’t normally see. Elements of magical realism, mythology, fiction, and fact all come together to make this Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni book truly a must-read for fans of Indian literature.
