I’ll be honest about why I picked this book up. I had never heard of Ambapali and the blurb seemed interesting. I love reading about history and people from the past without putting too much thought into how much is fiction and how much actually existed. It’s evident that a lot of what is written did exist and some fiction is created around it. Did the blurb live up to the expectation it set for me?

It did, let me tell you how. Don’t know how many of you know Ambapali’s story, but bear with me here (no, I am not telling the entire story here either). Ambapali was a royal dancer in the kingdom of Vaishali and lived over 2,500 years ago. It is said that her references can be found in Jataka tales and Buddisht scriptures.

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Honestly, a royal dancer many centuries ago just painted an image of an exploited woman in my head. And the image wasn’t totally wrong, yet Ambapali wasn’t a damsel in distress either. Podder begins the book with showing the readers Ambapali’s last moments in life. A once rich and famous woman wanted by powerful & rich men was dying in adverse conditions with only a bhikkhuni caring for her.

Back in her youth, at a delicate young age of 16, Ambapali found herself competing with the then raj nartaki Nishigandha at the behest of her teacher Suvarnasena. Full of inhibition, she gave her best for Suvarnasena who had put her on the stage to get back at Nishigandha who used to be her student too. Ambapali wins the competition and is announced the next raj nartaki.

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Found abandoned under a mango tree by Dharma Datta and his wife, she was brought up with a lot of love by the childless couple. The king had blessed her and despite not having riches in her life, Ambapali’s life was rich with the presence of her family and friends. Suddenly she was uprooted from her life and placed away from the people she knew all her life.

Overnight Ambapali’s life changed against her wishes and despite all the fight she put up, Suvarnasena took control of her life and her finances. We hear (and know very well) how resilient women can be, and Ambali was no different despite her tender age and the protected life she had read. She finds courage and lives a remarkable life. Her end has shown in the beginning of the books keeps the reader wondering what happened for her life to end up like that. But the story isn’t simple.

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Ambapali’s life was filled with extreme highs and lows, and Podder has put the story together in most interesting manner. It is easy to lose interest in stories set centuries ago if one cannot identify the situations or the characters. Ambapali’s story takes one through the raj nartaki’s life and also brings to life the culture and lives of people centuries ago,

If you love historical fiction, you will love Ambapali.

If you don’t care for history but love a well-written story, you will love Ambapali. Here is the blurb for you —

BLURB

Not every courtesan has gone down in the annals of history like Ambapali. She was beautiful, intelligent, talented and, as the nagarvadhu janpad kalyani-the bride of the city-she went on to wield immense power amongst the nobles. Until she renounced all worldly pleasures to embrace Buddhism.
This vivid narrative tells the story of a young woman forced to follow a path because of the machinations of powerful people. Propelled onto the cultural centerstage in the Vajji republic against her wishes, betrayed in love, disappointed by friends, Ambapali’s is yet the story of a strong woman determined to take control over her life. A remarkable, poignant novel about the dazzling glamour, daring romance, and sacrifice that marked Ambapali’s life.

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If you are looking for an excellent manuscript editor, someone to create content for your business, or an expert to help build your personal or professional brand on social media, then look no further and connect with me at editor@samarpita.in I can be followed on instagram at @samarpita and on twitter at @samarpitadotin.

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Read my ebook WRITE. EDIT. PROMOTE. to learn the basics about becoming an author – from writing your own book, to editing your first draft, and to promoting your book yourself! You can also read my ebook How To Write A Story Effectively and learn some valuable lessons about how a story can go from average to extraordinary. This book is part 1 of the series.

In fiction, I have two short stories for children in an ebook called Bedtime Stories.