Himalayan
Passage
IUniverse (September 11, 2008)
As a sixteenth century Himalayan mountain
girl, Tara knew a husband would be chosen for her. One day,
Mughals riding sleek Arabian horses arrived seeking a woman
prophesized to be one of the sultan's wives. Fear and excitement
mingle in Tara's heart as she realized she is the chosen one.
Tara is taken to live in sultan Ibrahim's desert fortress.
Since assuming power at eighteen, Ibrahim had established
a vast empire where the arts flourished and religious tolerance
meant peace. There, Tara joins Ibrahim's wives, each representing
a region and religion, and quickly grows to love the exotic
people and their rituals.
Ibrahim is consumed by Tara's beauty and passion, and she
quickly becomes his exclusive nightly companion. Tara's intelligence
bonds her to Ibrahim's very first wife, Kiren. Together, Tara
and Kiren serve Ibrahim, Tara as his lover and Kiren as his
political advisor.
As jealousy simmers among Ibrahim's wives, a southern governor,
Bhaji, builds power by encouraging Hindu nationalism against
Ibrahim's empire. Working against both time and karma, Tara,
Kiren, and Ibrahim must devise a stragegy to confront the
tide of unrest. The task seems unsurmountable as culture,
religion, and ethnic politics collide in this riveting story
of love, faith, and karmic tragedy. |