Review of The Emerald Route by R.K. Narayan

The_Emerald_Route The Emerald Route is a travelogue by R. K. Narayan. It was published by Indian Thought Publications in 1980. It is a pseudo-travel guide for Karnataka, India. The book was commissioned by the Government of Karnataka, and the initial non-commercial version was published in 1977 as part of a government publication. The book is focused on local history, culture and heritage, and does not exhibit much of Narayan's characteristic personal narrative. is a travelogue written by R.K. Narayan. In this book, he details the cultural and mythological history of various cities in Karnataka. Narayan presents the mythological history alongside factual accounts of the places, offering readers a glimpse into his unique perspective. He narrates these stories as if they are true events that occurred in those locations.

For example, Narayan recounts the story of Adi_Shankara Adi Shankara (8th c. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya (Sanskrit: आदि शङ्कर, आदि शङ्कराचार्य, romanized: Ādi Śaṅkara, Ādi Śaṅkarācārya, lit. 'First Shankaracharya', pronounced [aːd̪i ɕɐŋkɐraːt͡ɕaːrjɐ]), was an Indian Vedic scholar, philosopher and teacher (acharya) of Advaita Vedanta. Reliable information on Shankara's actual life is scanty, and his true impact lies in his "iconic representation of Hindu religion and culture," despite the fact that most Hindus do not adhere to Advaita Vedanta. Tradition also portrays him as the one who reconciled the various sects (Vaishnavism, Shaivism, and Saktism) with the introduction of the Pañcāyatana form of worship, the simultaneous worship of five deities – Ganesha, Surya, Vishnu, Shiva and Devi, arguing that all deities were but different forms of the one Brahman, the invisible Supreme Being. , who was born with a predetermined lifespan of 16 years. Determined to make the most of his time, Sankara studied all the scholarly works by the age of 10, became a monk, and began preaching. When he turned 16, a debate took place between Vyasa Vyasa (; Sanskrit: व्यास, lit. 'compiler, arranger', IAST: Vyāsa) or Veda Vyasa (Sanskrit: वेदव्यास, lit. 'the one who classified the Vedas', IAST: Vedavyāsa), also known as Krishna Dvaipayana Veda Vyasa (Sanskrit: कृष्णद्वैपायन, IAST: Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana Vedavyāsa), is a rishi (sage) with a prominent role in most Hindu traditions. He is traditionally regarded as the author of the epic Mahābhārata, where he also plays a prominent role as a character. He is also regarded by the Hindu traditions to be the compiler of the mantras of the Vedas into four texts, as well as the author of the eighteen Purāṇas and the Brahma Sutras. and Sankara. Vyasa, the original author of the work Sankara was discussing, engaged in a prolonged debate with him. Unaware of Vyasa's identity, Sankara held firmly to his stance. When the debate showed no signs of resolution, one of Sankara's students called for a truce. Impressed by Sankara's profound knowledge of his own work, Vyasa granted him a boon to live for another 16 years.

Another fascinating story is set in Srirangapatna Srirangapatna or Srirangapattana is a town and headquarters of one of the seven Taluks of Mandya district, in the Indian State of Karnataka. It gets its name from the Ranganthaswamy temple consecrated around 984 CE. Later, under the British rule, the city was renamed to Seringapatam. Located near the city of Mandya, it is of religious, cultural and historic importance. , where, during one of the battles that Tipu_Sultan Tipu Sultan (Urdu: [ʈiːpuː sʊlt̪aːn], Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu; 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799) commonly referred to as Sher-e-Mysore or "Tiger of Mysore", was a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery. He expanded the iron-cased Mysorean rockets and commissioned the military manual Fathul Mujahidin. The economy of Mysore reached a zenith during his reign. He deployed rockets against advances of British forces and their allies during the Anglo-Mysore Wars, including the Battle of Pollilur and Siege of Srirangapatna. lost, he was forced to surrender two of his sons, aged 9 and 11, as hostages to the British as part of the conditions of surrender. It is said that Tipu Sultan later managed to secure their release by paying a substantial ransom to the British.

Filled with stories like these, which provide an account of the history and culture of various towns in Karnataka, this book was a pleasure to read.