Books — Nitya Neelakantan | Rudrabaan · Navapashanam

Cursed Elements · Book 1

Rudrabaan

A hunt for a weapon that was never meant to be found — and the elements that were cursed to keep it hidden.

The essence

Set deep in the Western Ghats of Karnataka, Rudrabaan begins when a sacred arrow is fired without permission, invoking the curse of an ancient sage. What follows binds one woman's destiny to a mysterious stranger, and together they must face forces that blur the line between mythology and the world we think we know.

At heart it is a contemporary hate-to-love romance, carried by a group of trekkers whose friendships are tested by mystery, adventure and something far older than any of them.

The idea behind it

I wrote it in an intense three months during 2021. Another book was already under contract, but the pandemic had pushed it into limbo — and rather than wait, I chose to self-publish this one and let the story go out into the world.

Four years on, readers are still finding it. That, more than anything, is what keeps me writing.

Writing Rudrabaan felt like walking through an unknown forest trail, where every step revealed something new and unexpected.

Fantasy · Mythology · Romance
Written in three months, 2021
My debut, self-published novel

From the journal

Rudrabaan: the story that set my writing free

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Mythological thriller

Navapashanam

The quest for the nine magical poisons — a chase across siddha lore, temple secrets and very modern greed.

Amazon

The essence

Navapashanam takes its name from the legendary Siddhar preparation in which nine potent poisons are combined into a single healing elixir. The story follows a brilliant scientist as Indian mythology, coded rituals and forgotten legends collide with modern technology.

It travels from laboratories to sacred temples, from bustling Indian cities to shadowed caves — contemporary yet timeless, grounded yet mystical. Transformation is its beating heart: just as the nine poisons become an elixir, the characters confront their own fears, griefs and contradictions, and find renewal on the other side.

The idea behind it

Two questions sat behind the whole book — how do we reconcile ancient wisdom with modern science, and what do we inherit from our ancestors, and how do we transform it?

I wanted the journey to be as psychological as it is mystical: an invitation to look inward, and a way of making India's rich spiritual heritage feel relevant and exciting for readers today.

The nine poisons become an elixir — and so, slowly, do we.

Mythological thriller · Published 2023
Finalist — Archer Amish Awards 2025, London
Mystery, science, history & human emotion

From the journal

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Rupa Publications

Mahagauri

A goddess, a mountain and a woman who refuses to be written out of her own story.

Amazon

The essence

Mahagauri is about the making of warriors — how they are born in dreams, tested by destiny, and forged into legends on the battlefield.

It is a story about courage, resilience, and the unseen forces that shape us; less a plot than a journey into what it costs to become who you were always meant to be.

The idea behind it

I began writing it in 2017. Eight years passed before it reached readers — a true tapasya. Between then and now, so much changed: the world, the publishing landscape, and me as a writer.

In the time Mahagauri took to come to life, I managed to write Rudrabaan, half of Part 2 of Rudrabaan, one mythology-based non-fiction, and Navapashanam. Some stories take shape in an instant. Others take years of patience, persistence and prayer.