Kashi: Secret of the Black Temple

Harappa #3

by Vineet Bajpai

Kashi - Secret of the Black Temple is part 3 of the Harappa Series, written by Vineet Bajpai. It is a fiction novel that blends mythology and history with a modern-day thriller. 1699 BCE, the Marshes of Aryavarta – As the titanic waves of pralay swallow city after city, a final battle for the Ark and the Earth begins. A ruthless barbarian-king threatens the very existence of mankind, heralding Kaliyuga - the eon of Kali. 2017, Banaras – A sacred nakshatra erupts in the night-sky as the fateful, prophesied hour arrives. A God-sacrifice turns into a horrific raakshasa-bali, even as the devta uncovers the bloodstained chronicles of a sinister Brotherhood. 762 AD, the Rashtrakuta Empire the mighty Prithvivallabha receives a mysterious visitor from the holy city. The sovereign is entrusted with an ancient secret, setting him on the path of a legendary, impossible quest. 2017, New York City – A sixth-generation billionaire receives a phone call from the Big Man. The Overlords of the New World Order unleash their last lethal bid. Mumbai underworld joins forces with the messenger of the Devil himself. Will Vidyut survive his decisive war with the Brotherhood? What is the gruesome truth behind Europe’s 14th century Black Death? Read on to witness the final war between light and darkness, good and evil, Gods and demons. Kashi is the sequel to the first two books of the series, namely – Harappa – Curse of the Blood River and Pralay – the Great Deluge.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Mythology, Novels, Indian Literature

418 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 17, 2018

About the author

Vineet is a first-generation entrepreneur. At age 22 he started his company Magnon from a small shed. Today Magnon is among the largest digital agencies in the subcontinent, and part of the Fortune 500 Omnicom Group.


He has led the global top-ten advertising agency TBWA as its India CEO. This made him perhaps the youngest ever CEO of a multinational advertising network in the country.


He has won several entrepreneurship and corporate excellence awards, including the Entrepreneur of the Year 2016. He was recently listed among the 100 Most Influential People in India’s Digital Ecosystem.


Vineet’s second company talentrack is disrupting the media, entertainment & creative industry in India. It is the fastest-growing online hiring and networking platform for the sector.


He has written three bestselling management & inspirational books – Build From Scratch, The Street to the Highway and The 30 Something CEO.


He is an avid swimmer, a gaming enthusiast, a bonfire guitarist and a road-trip junkie. He is 39.

Reviews

[Vishnu Chevli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vineet has finished it on high pitched.

Good read.

Detailed review will follow shortly

[Vijay Jain · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was thinking, will this book ever end ?

I really don't understand the unnecessary usage of half devta in the entirety of this series. Every single page, one can find that word to refer Vidyut.

How did Karthikeya Shastri "almost" ended the order, no explanation.
How was 9/11 was connected, no explanation.

Every page you read, it speaks about the Black Temple and it's a worthless surprise to keep it till the last chapter.

And next comes this "Baahubali" styled "Kaalakeya" typed tribe who are cannibals. Why was it required ? I don't understand !

Why would the "Pralay ...the deluge" wait till the last chapter or till the fight comes to a climax or till the ship was finished ?

Why would the Almost God Vishwasan feared to face l the cannibal King but his son would him like ant ? Seriously ?

Sometimes the rain comes down heavily, sometimes no ?
How would you build ship of a mountain size with wet wood ? How could you melt metal when it rains non stop? How did you source so much of metal to forge millions of arrows out of no where ?

What was that Deluge that happened when Vishwasan died ? What is this pralay again ? I don't understand !

The saptarshi were killed and they're again teenagers of 19 years here. Please, did I miss to understand something here ?

Many many plot holes......

Please don't read this book. I'd completed this book only to make sure that my review is correct!

[Vikas Singh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The final book in the series. The end is quite a dampener after the past paced action of the previous two books in the trilogy. Somewhat similar in fashion to Dan Brown novels, the climax is almost an anti climax and as a reader you feel cheated after having been kept on the tenterhooks for the great secret on which the future of the humanity depended. The much awaited confrontation between the demi god and lucifer is a great let down. Average read

[Sanjana · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute page-turner.
Can't wait to read Dhoomaketu!!

[Samsudduha Rifath · Rating 4 out of 5]

'হরপ্পা - কার্স অফ দ্য ব্লাড রিভার' এবং 'প্রলয় - দ্য গ্রেট ডিল্যুজ'-এর পরে কাশী: সিক্রেট অফ ব্ল্যাক টেম্পল' হল বিনীত বাজপেয়ীয়ের সিরিজের তৃতীয় বই। শেষের বইটি দ্রুতগতির এবং এটি আপনাকে প্রথম পৃষ্ঠা থেকে শেষ পর্যন্ত আটকে রাখবে। বইটি সারাংশ দিয়ে শুরু হয় যা পাঠককে তাদের প্রথম দুটি বইয়ের স্মৃতি পুনরুজ্জীবিত করতে সহায়তা করে। গল্পটি নিরবিচ্ছিন্নভাবে দুইটি টাইমলাইনের মধ্যে দুলছে - হরপ্পা যুগ এবং ২১ শতকের মধ্যে। প্রতিটি অধ্যায়ে একটি মিনি-ক্লাইম্যাক্স রয়েছে। লেখক প্রতিটি অধ্যায়কে যেভাবে বর্ণনা করেছেন, আপনি ভাবতে বাধ্য হয়েছেন পরের পৃষ্ঠায় কী ঘটবে। বিনীতের লেখার সুন্দর শৈলী আপনাকে সব সময় মুগ্ধ করে রাখে এবং বইটি দ্রুত শেষ করার জন্য আপনাকে উৎসাহিত করে। লেখক যেভাবে ব্ল্যাক টেম্পলের গল্পটি উন্মোচন করেছেন তা খুবই আকর্ষণীয় এবং আপনি ভবিষ্যদ্বাণী করতে পারবেন না যে ব্ল্যাক টেম্পলটি শেষ অবধি কী রহস্য ধারণ করে। যদিও বিভিন্ন জায়গায় আমার মনে হয়েছিল বইটির বর্তমান টাইমলাইনের সমাপ্তিটা দ্রুত হয়েছে। আরো অ্যাকশন আশা করেছিলাম। তবে সামগ্রিকভাবে আমি বইটি পছন্দ করেছি। পরের বইটি তাড়াতাড়ি পড়ার অপেক্ষায় রইলাম।

[Tushar Jamwal · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whenever you can skip paragraphs in a book without risking the loss of some detail that cloud prove decisive, it is a bad sign. The over-abundance of adjectives is really unnerving; they just seem to drag out simple ideas unnecessarily.
There is a lot of annoying repetition.
Unlike the first book in the series, which I praised for not spoon-feeding the reader, this one is really heavy on mansplaining things. I do not enjoy this approach. The story isn't actually that long and not at all thrilling. The only reason I read it through to the end was to be able to honestly review it. Which shouldn't be a writer's goal. There were more grammatical and printing errors as well. There is a full reprint of a scene between pages 183 and 185.
The ending was not bad, but it took me four days to get through the cringe fest, rather than the usual 5-7 hours.

I do not doubt the author's ability but it seems as though the writing and editing process was hastened. Such a waste of potential.

[Sowrisree Myadam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kashi has been the most awaited book of this year, when you read it you will really understand why Vineeth is called Dan Brown of India. Kashi's success is a sign of progress which indicates that Indian fiction not necessarily should have a romantic plot to get succeeded.

[Aryan Sarath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kashi : Secret Of The Black Temple is the third book in the "Harappa" series by Vineet Bajpai. If you have missed the earlier releases, I would recommend you to read them prior to start reading this. Vineet is undoubtedly a master storyteller and lived up to the tagline conferred to him by the DNA till date. I was simply awestruck with the way he wrote this story leaving no stones unturned.

When I finished reading his previous books, I was always left with more excitement which made me to look on for the next release and this excitement got suppressed only with this book since I hope this would be the end of the long journey but you never know, he may come up with one or even two more novels(as a sequel).

The novel begins with a short introduction of its prequel(the previous 2 books). I loved the usage of most appropriate pictures in the beginning of each chapter. As you know the story is about the clash between Devtas and Demons.

Vidyut was not aware as to how his father Kartikeya Shastri died. He was also not convinced about getting others killed and wasn't aware of the reason of his birth. However when he meets the Mathadeesh Dwarka Shastri, he understands the purpose of his life/birth and also learns about his great lineage who were half human and half GOD.

The secret Brotherhood or the Order which was controlled by three powerful men including Frank from Stonefellar family wanted to capture the secret of the Black Temple at any cost since it would very much challenge their very existence. They send Maschera to Kashi where the last of the known Black Temple was believed to be in existence.

On the other hand, Satyavrata Manu(dated back to BCE period) faces a near extinction challenge from the ruthless cannibal leader Nara Munda. He loses most of his men including Somdutt who has been regarded by him as equivalent as his father. He then remembers the special conch givn to him by none other than Matsya.

Did he invoke Matsya?

Could he overcome the challenge posedd by Nara Munda against Manu's Ark which carried the last hopes of the existence of Mankind during the Great Pralay?

On the other hand, during the present era, Vidyut faces the litmus test of taking the mighty Maschera one on one.

Where is this Black Temple located?
What secret did it guard?
Did Vidyut get to know about the secret?

Read this thriller which is as good as any hollywood movie out there because despite its bulky volume, I could not take my eyes off the novel and I completed reading all the 400+ pages in one go which shows how compelling and captivating, this novel is....

[সুমাইয়া সুমি · Rating 3 out of 5]

আর্যাবর্তের জলাশয়ে বিরূপ এক পরিবেশে চলছে প্রলয় থেকে বেঁচে থাকার জন্যে বিশাল জাহাজ ও পৃথিবীর অমোঘ লড়াই। কিন্তু সেই লড়াইয়েও আছে প্রাণের ভয়। মানবজাতির অস্তিত্ব পড়ে যায় এক বর্বর রাজার হুমকির মুখে। এবং সূচনা হয় কলিযুগের।

বর্তমান, বেনারসের কাশীতে এসে জড়ো হয়েছে গুপ্তসংঘ শেষ দেবতার বিনাশ করতে। ভবিষ্যতবাণীকৃত পবিত্র দিন ও নক্ষত্র ভেসে উঠে। শুরু হয় বেঁচে থাকার লড়াই।

এই পার্টে কাহিনী দ্রুত এগিয়েছে। অ্যাকশন ছিলো ধুন্ধুমার। টুইস্ট গুলাও ছিলো দারুণ।

আলো এবং অন্ধকার, ভালো এবং মন্দ, ইশ্বর এবং দানবদের মধ্যে চূড়ান্ত যুদ্ধের সাক্ষী হতে ডুবে যান হরপ্পার দুনিয়ায়।

[Rehnuma]

❛সৃষ্টির শুরু থেকেই ভালো-মন্দ দুয়ের ল ড়াই। শুভ আর অশুভের এই দ্বন্দ্বে বিলীন হয়ে গেছে অনেক ইতিহাস। চাপা পড়া ইতিহাস আমাদের কাছে নতুন করে ধরা দেয় কিন্তু কূটচালের কারণে সঠিক ইতিহাস আদতে জানা হয় না। কারণ সত্য কঠিন। আর সত্যকে একদল কখনোই মেনে নিতে চায় না!❜


খ্রিস্টপূর্ব ১৬৯৯।
মহাপ্রলয় আসন্ন। ফুলে ফেঁপে উঠছে প্রমত্তা সরস্বতী। সত্যব্রত মানু তার সঙ্গীদের নিয়ে এমন এক জাহাজ তৈরি করছে যা পৃথিবীর শেষ আশা। এই জাহাজই তাদের প্রলয় থেকে বাঁচাতে পারবে। মানু, সোমদত্ত, ধ্রুব, তারা মিলে নিজেদের জ্ঞান, প্রজ্ঞা কাজে লাগিয়ে আসন্ন বিপদ থেকে বাঁচার কাজ করছে। এদিকে তাদের সাথে যোগ দিয়েছে নতুন অসুর রাজ প্রচন্ড। মানুর জন্য বয়ে নিয়ে এসেছে এক বার্তা।

৭৬২ খ্রিস্টাব্দের এক সময় রাজা পৃথ্বীবল্লভের কাছে এলেন এক দর্শনার্থী। তাকে দায়িত্ব দিলেন এমন এক রহস্য সংরক্ষণের যা ভবিষ্যৎ পৃথিবী এবং এক বংশধারার জন্য কঠিন দিন নিয়ে আসছে। যার উপর নির্ভর করছে মানব জাতির টিকে থাকা।

বানারস ২০১৭।
বিদ্যুৎ এখন অতীত, দূর অতীত এবং আগত ভবিষ্যতের সবথেকে গুরুত্বপূর্ণ একজন। সে এই রহস্যের অনেক গভীরে চলে গেছে। নতুন তথ্য, আগত চ্যালেঞ্জ সব মিলে একাকার হয়ে গেছে। কাশীর পবিত্র মাটিতে মেঘের কালোছায়া।
ওদিকে গোপন এক সংঘ তাদের কাজে নেমে গেছে আগেই। আর কোনোভাবেই হারার পথ নেই। রুখে দিতে হবে নয়তো নিজেরাই রুখে যাওয়ার সম্মুখীন হবে।

দূর অতীতে মানু ল ড়াই করে যাচ্ছে বিরূপ প্রকৃতির সাথে। এখন তার সামনে বাঁধা হিসেবে আছে আরো ভয়ানক ব্যাপার। স্বয়ং দৈত্য রাজ নারা-মুন্ডা আর দস্যুদল একত্র হয়েছে। তারাও প্রলয় থেকে বাঁচতে চায়। আর সবার জন্য একমাত্র আশা এই জাহাজ। তাদের লক্ষ্য হাজার প্রাণনাশ করে এই জাহাজের দখল নেয়া। তারা হৃদয়হীন। মানুষখেকো। আর এখানেই সবথেকে বড়ো ভয়। মানু এদের মোকাবেলা করবে কী করে? ওদিকে ঝড় আরও বেশি কঠিন হচ্ছে। মৎস্য তার ডাকে সাড়া দিবে?

সাদা মুখোশ তার পুরো শক্তি নিয়ে নেমেছে। এদিকে রোহিনী নক্ষত্র আগত। কাশীতে ঢাক ঢোল আর পূজোর শব্দে মুখোর। হাজার বছর চেপে রাখা রহস্য উন্মোচন হবে। আর এই রহস্যের বাহক বিদ্যুৎ। অবশেষে প্রাচীন ভবিষ্যদ্বাণীর খুব কাছাকাছি সে। নিজেকে সহ কাছের সবাইকে রক্ষা করতে হবে তাকে। রক্ষা করতে হবে এই রহস্যকেও। ওদিকে খু নে দল হাজির।
দ্বারকা শাস্ত্রী, বিদ্যুৎ, বলভান্ত, ন্যায়না সবাই নিজেদের স্থানে তৈরি। তাদের উপর অর্পিত দায়িত্ব পালনে পিছপা হবে না।
রক্ষা করবেই প্রাচীন রহস্যকে। যা কালো মন্দিরের গোপন কোনো কুঠুরিতে আবদ্ধ রয়েছে।


পাঠ প্রতিক্রিয়া:

❝কাশী - সিক্রেট অব দ্য ব্ল্যাক টেম্পল❞ বিনীত বাজপেয়ীর হরপ্পা ত্রয়ী সিরিজের চূড়ান্ত কিস্তি।

দ্বিতীয় বইয়ের শেষের থেকেই আবার কাহিনি এগিয়েছে তৃতীয় বইতে। বাকি দুটো থেকে কাশী বইয়ের আকার সবথেকে বড়, বিস্তারিত।
ভালো লেগেছে কোনো ধারাবাহিকে যেমন আগে কী হয়েছে তার একটা সারসংক্ষেপ দেখায় তেমন এখানেও আগে যা হয়েছে সেটা একটু ঝালাই করে নিতে দুটো অধ্যায়ে সংক্ষেপে বর্ণনা দেয়া হয়েছে। যদিও আমি বিরতিহীন তিনটা পড়েছি তবুও এই অধ্যায়গুলো স্মৃতিকে আরেকটু শক্ত করে দিয়েছে।

এখানেও দুই তিনটা সময়ে ঘটনা ব্যক্ত হয়েছে। মূলত দুটো সমান্তরাল সময়েই কাহিনি এগিয়েছে। অতীত আর বর্তমান তাল মিলিয়ে চলেছে। অতীতের ঝড়ের বর্ণনা পড়তে পড়তে বর্তমানের অস্থির সময়ে এসে আরো রহস্য, ইতিহাসে নিজেকে জড়িয়ে ফেলেছি।
পুরো উপন্যাসের চালিকাশক্তি ছিল মানুর জাহাজ, অতীত এক রহস্য। লেখক এখানে বেশ সাসপেন্স তৈরি করেছেন। অনেকগুলো অধ্যায়ে ভাগ করে রহস্যের দ্বারপ্রান্তে পৌঁছানো গেছে। তবে অধ্যায়ের পরিমাণ আমার বেশি লেগেছে। এত ছোট অধ্যায় না দিলেও হতো। মনে হচ্ছিল নাটক, সিনেমা দেখার ফাঁকে বারবার বিজ্ঞাপন দিচ্ছে।

লেখক হিন্দু ধর্ম, পুরাণসহ বিভিন্ন ধর্মের ইতিহাস, উল্লেখযোগ্য ঘটনাগুলোকে একত্র করেছেন। বর্ণনাগুলো বেশ আগ্রহোদ্দীপক ছিল। তবে গল্প হিসেবে পড়তেই বেশ ভালো লাগছিল। লেখক এমন কিছু বিষয় এনেছেন যার ব্যাখ্যা ঠিকমত দেননি। ঐতিহাসিক কিংবা পৌরাণিক ব্যাপারগুলি অনেকটা মনগড়া লেগেছে। পৌরাণিক ঘটনাগুলো বিশ্লেষণ করলে দেখা যায় আসলে উনিশ বিশ করে সব ঘটনাই এক। স্থান, কাল, পাত্র কিংবা নাম ভিন্নতা থাকে। এখানেও একটা বড় অংশ ছিল মহাপ্রলয়। প্রায় সব পুরাণেই এই মহাপ্রলয়ের ঘটনা আছে।

হিন্দু পুরাণমতে এই মহাপ্রলয়ের সাথে মানুর ঘটনা জড়িত। মানুর জাহাজ, প্রলয় নিয়ে আলোচনা থাক। মূল ব্যাপার জানা প্রায় সবার। তেমনি ইসলামিক ইতিহাস কিংবা খ্রিস্টানদের বর্ণনায় একই প্রলয়ের কথা আছে। যাকে আমরা নূহ (আ) কিংবা ইংলিশে নোয়াহের ঘটনা হিসেবে জানি। ইতিহাসে সেটা নোয়াহের জাহাজ হিসেবে পরিচিত। এটা নিয়ে থিওরি তৈরি হতেই পারে। তবে লেখক উপন্যাসে শব্দের অর্থ, ব্যাখ্যা পাল্টে দিয়েছেন যেটা ভুল এবং অন্য বিশ্বাসে সাংঘর্ষিক।
বইতে লেখক বলেছেন ❛নোয়াহ্❜ তথা নূহ (আ) (ইংলিশটাই ব্যবহার করেছেন তিনি) বলতে আদতে কোনো ব্যক্তি বোঝানো হয় না। ❛নোয়াহ্❜ অর্থ নাকি ❛জাহাজ❜। তথা জাহাজ সম্পর্কিত।
কিন্তু আদতে তেমনটা নয়। ❛নোয়াহ্❜ অর্থ ❛বিশ্রাম/আরাম বা শান্তি❜। এর সাথে জাহাজ অর্থের দিক থেকে সম্পর্কিত না। এটা একজন ব্যক্তি তথা নবীরই নাম। এখন অর্থ হিসেবে যদি আমি নামের সাথে ঘটনাকে মিলাই তাইলে নোয়াহ্ নামটা শুনলে স্বাভাবিকভাবেই আমার মনে জাহাজ তথা জাহাজের সেই ঘটনার কথা মনে পড়বে। এখানে কোন হিসেবে নোয়াহ্ ব্যক্তি না হয়ে জাহাজ কিংবা জাহাজের নাম হয় মুঝে নেহি পাতা। এই যুক্তিতে তাইলে মানুও জাহাজ হওয়ার কথা ব্যক্তি নয়। তাইনা?

এছাড়াও কাশীতে বিশ্বের সবথেকে বড় সমাগম হয় জাতীয় একটা ব্যাখ্যা ছিল। তুলনা হিসেবে ছিল ভ্যাটিকান আর মক্কার কথা। আমার কাছে তুলনাটা যুৎসই লাগেনি। কাশীর তীর্থযাত্রার দর্শনার্থী সংখ্যা বিশ্বের প্রথম অবশ্যই। তবে সেখানে শুধুমাত্র একটি ধর্মের লোক থাকে না। নানা ধর্মের থাকে (আমি যেটুকু তথ্য অনুসন্ধান করে পেয়েছি সে ভিত্তিতে বলছি), পর্যটকসহ অনেকেই। ভ্যাটিকান নিজেই ছোট্ট একটা জায়গা। মক্কায় হজের সময় মুসলিম ছাড়া অন্য কেউ থাকে না। সে হিসেবে তুলনাটা বেমানান।

লেখক তাবৎ দুনিয়ার ইতিহাসকে একসূত্রে গেঁথেছেন। এই ঘটনাটা আমার ভালো লেগেছে। কারণ কনস্পিরেসি থিওরি মতে এরকম অনেক সন্দেহ আছে যা এক নির্দিষ্ট দিকে জুড়ে দেয়। তবুও এখানে যত দোষ নন্দ ঘোষ জাতীয় লেগেছে। ব্ল্যাক ডে থ হইলো তুই দায়ী, ৯/১১ তুই করছিস (কখনো কখনো সত্যি লাগে তবুও এখানে ঢালাওভাবে একদিকে টানাটা অদ্ভুত ছিল)। ঘটনা ২০১৭ পর্যন্ত ছিল। আমার মনে হয়েছে কোভিডকেও পারলে এখানে দিয়ে দিতেন যদি ২০১৯/২০২০ সালে উপন্যাস লেখা হতো।

বরাবরের মতোই অতীত আমার বেশ ভালো লেগেছে। জাহাজ তৈরি, সংকট, যু দ্ধ, বিপদ মোকাবিলা প্রতিটা ঘটনা দারুণ ছিল। আগের দুটো বইতে আমার প্রশ্ন ছিল কেন পূজারি থেকে শাস্ত্রী হলো। এই বইতে সে উত্তর পেয়েছি দারুণভাবে।
তিনটা বইয়ের সিরিজের সমাপ্তি লেখক এখানে বেশ পরিপূর্ণভাবে টেনেছেন। সেইসাথে আবার রহস্যের শুরু বিষয়টাও রেখেছেন। কোনকিছুই আসলে শেষ হয়না। একটার শেষ মূলত আরেকটা শুরু হিসেবে বিবেচিত হয়। উপন্যাসের শেষটা এমনই লেগেছে।
রাজা পৃথ্বিবল্লভকে নিয়ে যে ঘটনা ছিল ঐ অংশটুকু আমার বেশ লাগছে। কিন্তু অধ্যায়টা একেবারেই সংক্ষেপ ছিল। এখানে আরও ব্যাখ্যা, দৃশ্য আশা করেছিলাম।

অতীতের যু দ্ধ, একশন দৃশ্যগুলো দারুণ লেগেছে। অতিমানবীয় বিষয় উপস্থিত থাকলেও পড়তে দারুণ লাগছিল। ঐতিহাসিক ঘরনার সাথে অতিপ্রাকৃত বিষয়, ফ্যান্টাসি মিলে কিছু অধ্যায়ের বর্ণনা মুগ্ধ করার মতো ছিল।

মানু, ধ্রুব, তারা কিংবা প্রচন্ড যতটা জ্যোতি ছড়িয়েছে অতটা জমেনি বর্তমান। বিদ্যুতের একঘেয়েমি কথা, একই কথার পুনরাবৃত্তি এই জিনিসগুলো ভালো লাগেনি। তুমিই রহস্য, তুমিই এর রক্ষাকর্তা, এখানেই আছে রহস্য এই কথাগুলোর এত পুনরাবৃত্তি ছিল যে বিরক্ত লাগছিল।

বর্তমানের শেষের দিকে আর মাঝের কিছু রহস্য ভালো লেগেছে। শেষের দিকে বিশেষ করে যে টুইস্ট ছিল দারুণ লেগেছে। হাজার বছরের রহস্যের যবনিকাপাত তুষ্ট করেছে কিন্তু তাড়াহুড়ো ছিল শেষে।
নায়কের ক্ষেত্রে যতটা হনুরে ভাব ছিল সে অতোটা করতে পারেনি। নামেই সব জাতীয় ছিল। আবার ভিলেনকে স্পেস কম দেয়া হয়েছে। ভিলেনের চারিত্রিক ব্যাখ্যা বেশ ছিল। অতীত মোটামুটি প্রকাশ করেছে।
���বমিলে সিরিজের জার্নি খারাপ ছিল না। লেখক অনেকগুলো সময়, অতীত ইতিহাস সবকিছু একত্রে মিলেমিশে শেষে জোড়া দিয়েছেন। কখনো খেই হারিয়েছে, কখনো দারুণ লেগেছে। মোটের উপর ভালোই ছিল হরপ্পা ত্রয়ী যাত্রা।


চরিত্র:

বিদ্যুৎ এবারও হতাশ করেছে। তার গান্ধীবাদী স্টাইল এক পর্যায়ে আমার বিরক্ত লাগছিল। তুমি ভাই জাং লড় তে যাইবা কিন্তু তাদের অজ্ঞান করে দিবে প্রাণ নিবে না এ কেমন কথা?
তার পিরি��ের ধরনের সাথে বিভাষণ পূজারিকে তুলনা দেয়াটা তথা তার আরেক রূপ ভাবাই অনর্থক। কারণ পূজারি মনেপ্রাণে সানজানাকেই ভালোবাসতো। সে দুর্বল হয়নি। এদিকে কারেন্ট বাবাজি সানজানাকে খুবই ভালোবাসে। আবার ন্যায়নাকে উম্মাহ দেয়। কেন?

ন্যায়নাকে আমার বেশ লেগেছে। তার ব্যাডাঘটির দুর্বলতা ছাড়া তাকে দারুণ সাজিয়েছেন লেখক।

দামিনীকে বলা হচ্ছে অতীতের সানজানা। তাকে বিদ্যুতের চরম সময়ে লাগবে। কিন্তু এই চরিত্রের কোনো ইফেক্ট আমি দেখলাম না। কথায় কথায় অবাক হওয়া ছাড়া। আর বিদ্যুতকে ভালবাসি বলা ছাড়া আর কোনো কাজ ছিল না।

সাদা মুখোশকে দারুণ লেগেছে। যদিও শেষে তাকে ভালোমত খেলাতে পারেনি লেখক।

যোগ্য প্রতিপক্ষ, ভয়ানক ভিলেন হিসেবে নারা-মুন্ডা ছিল পারফেক্ট। তার সাথে সোমদত্তের দৃশ্য, মানু আর ধ্রুবের সাথে তার একশনগুলো উপভোগ্য ছিল।


অনুবাদ:

অনুবাদ মোটামুটি। শব্দের ইতি ছিল না। যেখানে যেটা ব্যবহার দরকার তেমন হয়নি। এখানেও অতীতে ইংরেজির প্রয়োগ খুবই পড়াকটু ছিল।
এছাড়াও আগের দুই বইতে ❛বিভাষণ❜ নাম ছিল। এই বইতে সেটা ❛বিভাসন❜ হয়ে গেছে।


প্রচ্ছদ, প্রোডাকশন:

প্রচ্ছদ ভালোই।
মুদ্রণ প্রমাদ, বানানের কিছু ভুল ছিল।


❛যুগ যুগ ধরে আলো-আঁধারের ল ড়াই চলে আসছে। সত্যের জয় হয়। কিন্তু মিথ্যা তাই বলে বিলীন হয়না। ভালো-মন্দ সবসময় পাশাপাশি থাকে। একটার পরিপূরক আরেকটা। যুগ বদলাবে, প্রজন্ম আসবে নতুন সেইসাথে গোপন রহস্য গুলো আরো রহস্যময় হবে। থাকবে তাদের নির্মূল করে দেয়ার দল। এভাবেই এই পৃথিবী চলবে।❜

[Addy · Rating 4 out of 5]

#bookreview
The very fact that I've patiently finished this trilogy says a lot about its quality and readability because I don't think twice before abandoning any book if it fails to keep me interested, regardless of the reputation it carries. That being said, it is not flawless by any stretch of imagination.

The good things first - Pretty good language, a good broad theme, nicely paced smallish chapters, likeable characters and a decent climax.
Now the irritants - the author was often confused whether he wants to dwell on the done to death "ILLUMINATI" conspiracy theory as the central theme or the supernatural "Avatars of Vishnu" appearing in flesh and blood. He tried to amalgamate the two and the result wasn't that pretty. The theory of disappearance of Harappan/Indus valley civilization was also thrown in, which in my opinion could have been handled better without resorting to the supernatural/divine too often . And if you are gonna resort to Gods joining in the action, might as well go all out rather than leaving the readers confused as to how many superpowers do they have. I mean once I'm told that Superman or Thor can do this and that, I can digest their actions easily. And that Half Man-Half devta crap was too much. Nevertheless, since I'm writing so much, it does mean that I liked the characters and story a lot, just felt irritated that he tried to do too much and that led to glaring loopholes. Nonetheless, quite readable.
3.5/5

[Guttu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I spent last night reading this only with the intent of knowing the secret of the Black Temple. I wasn't quite convinced the way this secret has been put up.

The story continues exactly from where it was left in the last book. Just luke the previous books in the series, this book quickly shifts to top gear. Then again, As I have complained in the review of the pervious book, there are loads of conversations. Especially the ones between Dwaraka Shashtri and Vidyut. They get on yoir nerves because they interrupt the smooth flow of the storyline which has been staged 4000 years back. I wanted to skip the conversation chapters and continue the story from the past. Poor editing skills or poor way to tell a story? I still haven't got an answer to the question.

The best thing about the whole series is the way it has picked the characters from the different storylines in Indian Mythology and gelled them to make a completely different story. The secret of the temple was a bit unexpected but it hasn't been conveyed ij a convincing manner after going through the ordeal. The end is somewhat disappointing. The killing of a couple of characters towards the end isnt justified at all. And the way this story ends, I am not quite sure that this is the last book in the series.

This could have been better. Nonetheless, I would still recommend this to anyone looking for a quick read.

[Manjri Gopalan · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Kashi: Secret of Black Temple’ is the third book in the series by @Vineet Bajpai, after ‘Harappa - Curse of the Blood River’ and ‘Pralay - The Great Deluge’. It’s a fast page turner and keeps you glued to it from the very first page till the end. The book starts with a crisp summary which helps the reader to revive their memory of the first two books. The story seamlessly swings between two-time frames – the Harappan era and 21st century. Each chapter has a mini-climax in it. The way the author has narrated each chapter, you are forced to ponder what will happen in the very next page. The beautiful style of writing by Vineet keeps you captivated all the time and leaves you with a zeal to finish the book quickly. The author has done a commendable job in unfolding the mystery of Black temple as it is difficult to predict what lies inside the Black Temple till the very end. Unlike the first two books which end abruptly, the third book at-least reaches to a conclusion. However, I think the author would come out with another book in this series. Though at places I felt the book was a bit dragging, especially the episodes of Satyavrata Manu (building the Ark or his fight with Daityas), but overall I loved the book. Looking forward to reading the next book at the earliest.

[Utkrisht Fella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having enjoyed the previous books in the Harappa series, I went into "Kashi: Secret of the Black Temple" with a fair amount of anticipation. Vineet Bajpai continues his blend of ancient history, mythology and modern-day thriller, which is always an intriguing concept.

The book delves into the mysteries surrounding Kashi and its ancient secrets, attempting to weave a complex narrative across different timelines. The historical research and the effort to connect dots between various mythological elements are commendable and these aspects often provide the most engaging parts of the story.

However, for me, this installment felt a bit average. While the plot had its moments of excitement, the pacing occasionally dragged and some of the twists didn't land with the impact I'd hoped for. The characters, while serving their purpose in the narrative, didn't always feel fully fleshed out, making it harder to connect with their journeys on a deeper level.

It's not a bad book by any means and fans of the Harappa saga will likely find enough to keep them turning pages. It just didn't quite reach the heights of its predecessors for me, settling into a comfortable, albeit somewhat predictable, rhythm.

[Vedant · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a lazy written film script turned book. I don’t understand why this had to be stretched for so long, it doesn’t make any sense. This entire series could’ve been finished in one 700 page book but there are three books and another one coming.

Apart from the average storyline, everything else is terrible. The dialogues are hideous, it’s like computers pretending to be humans are talking with each other. And I have read my fair share of large fantasy novels to know how good exposition is presented and Kashi is not one of them. Exposition parts fill up most of this book and the entirety of the last book and they are not done well at all. It’s like the author wanted to write a film script but instead decided to create a book out of it and forgot to change anything.

The secret of black temple is stretched out across almost 7 chapters before it is revealed. The revelation was not worth it. It came out of nowhere and did no sort of service to the other ongoing storyline.

All in all, this was a disappointing experience and the book(and series) is not worth reading.

[Sushma Shenoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was completely let down by the way the book ended. It was fast paced no doubt, but felt wrapped up in a hurry with killing of some important characters and no solid conclusion. I could have gone without so much of conversion between vidyut and his great grandfather. The end felt completely missing the mark. Should I wait for another book in a supposed trilogy? The guessing games for an ending of a decent plot doesn't work for me. One good thing about the book was how a connection was made across 4000 years. Even if there is another book in the series am not sure if I would be convinced enough to read it.

[Jesse Dhammu · Rating 1 out of 5]

its a waste of time, the entire series is about how the survival of entire world is Indias' responsibility. there is this guy, viduyt, who is next to almighty god, and only he can save the world from being doomed. and All he does is fight with foreigners, then the chapters, alternatively go on different timeline, make the whole thing a confusing mess. Poor story line, poor connections between characters, and poor execution of events.
I guess Vineet Bajpai was just doing an experiment in writing, which failed miserably.

[Swathi Manchili · Rating 4 out of 5]

KASHI is the third book in Harappa series after Harappa and Pralay. The book is very captivating and fast paced. It was difficult to put down the book many times. The author weaves the story of Manu & Vidyut and I should say that he did a brilliant job. Every character is etched so well. I feel that the author will come back with an other book about Kalki :) I should also mention that Indian fiction is not only about cliche romantic plots.

[Sumit · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘A mountain of water races towards your city, O Harappans! A deluge so gigantic that it will swallow the entire settlement in less than a prahar. You must save your children. You must save yourselves. You have to trust me! We must evacuate the city…NOW!’



'Slowly but surely the Order spread its tentacles across the globe and its members were some of the world’s most accomplished men and women. They are the hidden force behind some of mankind’s most transformational events – the French Revolution, the formation of the Soviet Union, the Great Depression, the Third Reich, the Cold War, the Arab Spring, and even 9/11. They control the world through their phenomenal influence over banking institutions, defense manufacturers, politics, pharmaceuticals, oil, media, terrorism, technology, and more.'



1699 BCE, the Marshes of Aryavarta – As the titanic waves of pralay swallow city after city, Satyavrata Manu, the son of Vivasvan Pujari began to rescue peoples and started the construction of a gigantic Ark that will take the mankind to the dawn after the pralay. But when a ruthless cannibal leader Nara Munda tries to steal the Ark from Manu, the final battle for the Ark and the Earth begins and the existence of mankind is in danger

2017, Banaras – A sacred nakshatra erupts in the night-sky as the fateful, prophesied hour arrives. As the last devta of the earth Vidyut uncovers the bloodstained chronicles of a secret Brotherhood - The New World Order - it sends Maschera Bianca, the harbinger of evil to Kashi to acquire the secret of the Black Temple from Vidyut which his family is guarding for generations.

What is the secret of the Black Temple? Why this sinister Brotherhood is after it? Will Vidyut succeed in protecting the secret from falling into the wrong hands?

🆁🅴🆅🅸🅴🆆:

🐟The book is the 3rd installment of Harappa series which is a modern-day thriller with the streaks of mythology and history. I like how the book provides a short reminder of the story so far from the previous 2 books and how each chapter begins with a beautiful picture related to that chapter.

🐟The plot of the book is intricately designed and there is not a single loophole when you feel the story is straying from its path. The story is spanned over in 2 timelines -1699 BCE Harappa of Satyavrata Manu and 2017 Banaras of Vidyut Sastri, with snippets from various timelines woven into them, each contributing equally in moving the story.

🐟Vineet's writing is simple and compelling. The way he build-up suspense, giving away only small pieces of clue hooked the reader's attention till the last. There is neither any dull moment in the book nor for one tiny second, it loses its pace/ assumes monotony. Almost in every chapter something interesting happens that makes it an absolute page-turner.

🐟Vineet is a master storyteller. How he introduces myriad elements of history/mythology and yet manages to keep them together is brilliant. There is an ancient cruse of Saptarishis, a giant Ark, a barbarian Daitya king, a divine avatar, 14th century Black Plague, the East India Company, a sinister global brotherhood, the myth of Aryan invasion, a Rashtrakuta king and whatnot.

🐟The book had an interesting bunch of diverse characters. Be it suave and charming Vidyut/ his revered grandfather Mathadeesh Dwarka Shastri/ be it young daunting Satyavrata Manu/ his brilliant uncle Somdutt/ be it beautiful courageous Tara/ Naina/ be it cannibalistic Nara Mund/ deadly Maschera Bianca -- all are well written and developed.

🐟The ending is quite interesting. As you read it became quite obvious what could be the great secret of the Black Temple is on which the future of humanity depended. However, the climax leaves you with many new questions, hinting this is not the end of the Harappa series. So you can pretty much expect reading further books in the future. Finger crossed.

Overall, Kashi: Secret of the Black Temple is a complete page-turner for me, completed it within 2 days. I highly recommend the book to all thriller lovers. If you love reading Dan Brown and Ashwin Sanghi then you are bound to love it too.

𝑴𝒚 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐

[Ankit Sanodiya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vineet Bajypayee, has got some serious skills to write two timelines in such a way that you won't stop reading the book unless you unfold the events that are being followed and trust me, he'll always leave you on a cliffhanger everytime. This book in particular consists of story telling and planning until the two third of the book. The mention of the secret societies and how their existence have impacted the past and the present have been amazingly described.The action follows in the latter part. Few events were very unexpected and few were very predictable. The use of ancient arts has been precisely inked, which makes you curious enough to keep the book aside for a while and google the same(at least I did it). The book follows deaths of some important characters which you don't want to.But unlike the other books this book had a happy ending. But wait, is it? I'm sure I can smell more books getting added to this amazing series, few stories untold, few personals not introduced. The writer has dropped enough hints for the story that lies ahead. With the guidance of the new mathadeesh, let's see how long this seriers will roll. Amazing work Vineet Sir, a very well researched piece of work, looking ahead for new additions to the same, that too very soon 😉

[Anonymous · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better scripted than the previous two instalments.

A plus point is the recap of the prequels pf the series.

My hunch about the black temple was right indeed partly as it was just one among many such.

An entrepreneur must know about the most money-making institutions yet our Devta Vidyut skips Apple. And along with many other bizarre disconnections a pleasant read.

[Rajesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This last one was a bit predictable in parts. Slow at times,picked up towards the end. Good for fans of this genre.

[Shruthi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Secret of the black temple was amazing.I loved the black temple,the sesh naag,ratna maaru and Manu parts

[Archita Ghosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The awesome ending of Trilogy. But it makes me unsatisfied. I want to know more about the characters and how their lives will go on. so waiting for the next book of this series to release.

[Vidya Sundaram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!!

Amazing series and what a beginning to the end! Finished within a day and enjoyed it thoroughly. Waiting for Kalki!! I am so glad for the initial summary of the two books. So well written that you can visualize the story as you read. Recommend it highly and can't wait for the sequel ..

[Sriparna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite satisfied with the explanations of Yugas.

[Kishan Rathod · Rating 5 out of 5]

मेरे पास ओर कोई शब्द नहीं हे बस यही कह सकता हूँ अतुलनीय...........
हर पन्ने को आप अपने सामने महसूस कर सके उस दक्षता से इस की लिखावट हे
सच मे विनीत बहोत ही रोचक कथा का निर्माण किया हे आपने

[Shantanu Sharma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now here is what happens with a hurriedly published last of the trilogy. Proofreading and printing mistakes! Glaring ones. A whole section repeated one after the other and spelling mistakes in some sections. Read it to see it. I do not want to deprive the publisher or the author of the revenue.

The last book of the Harappa Series was ok. An extra bit fantastical actually. The secret of the Black temple mentioned over the last two books has been maintained and revealed at the very end of the story. That, readers, was nothing less than fantastical, but I guess that is what happens when you mix many myths, legends, and age-old mystical stories and weave them together. Fantasy Fiction!

The author has done a good job in connecting ancient global incidents and historical legends to build a fantasy storyline, which makes for fast reading. There was a predictable end with a good vs evil story but an epilogue probably leaves us looking at yet another series coming up.

The writing style is cinematic. I mean when you read, it starts building moving pictures in your mind. And I also started giving a face to the all the characters, for which I laughed at myself for. Ridiculous me...but that is how I read and remember stories. The build-up of some of the central characters could have been expanded a wee bit - to help create a better image of the characters. But anyway...I had already read 2 books and so the 3rd was anyway supposed to be read.

[Sid · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of very entertaining and engaging books I read recently. A completely thrilling historic fiction, that is a worth read. I appreciate the author on his knowledge of history and the way he has related the incidents of history into his story. Knowledge that has been well blended into his plot of the story.
Let me brief through the three books of the series.
Book 1 – The Curse of Blood River
Vidyut is the lead character of the story, a modern city guy who lives with his girl-friend, works for and enjoys his living, when a call from Varanasi, the ancient and sacred city for Hindus, a call that changed his life.
At Varanasi he meets his grandfather, the most holy person of the era. He is then poured with a series of many historic facts and details that he was never aware of, the Harappan civilization, British invasion, the curse on their blood-line and the worse, that there are a large number of people who want Vidyut to be killed.
The story runs in three different lines, the present, the British’s conspiracy and the ancestral curse on the blood line of Vidyut. At times it is a bit difficult to catch up and link things on how they are related but then, since this is the first of the trilogy it sure needs to be read through to connect the dots.
The interesting part of the book is the historical details that are mentioned in the book, if we were to believe that the author has done good research in history and all that mentioned is true, it sure reveals a great historical conspiracy, however if we take it a fiction story as such, it still makes you thrilled.
Story in short:
Vidyut learns from his grandfather that he was called in to serve his life’s purpose, to save the historical secret that their family has been preserving and safeguarding from over thousand years. To make things worse there are groups of men, who have been watching Vidyut all the time and are targeting him to kill him and the secret for good.
The Dev-Danav matt members, the place where Vidyut was bought up, are astonished to know how deep the enemy could reach, when the assassin himself has shown up to Vidyut with a deadly weapon to kill him, which fortunately was detected by the old saint. The conspiracy gets deeper when one of Vidyut’s best friend and most trusted betrays him.
The story stops when the assassin is caught, but just to know that he was just one of the many who were around him on the same purpose, to kill him.
In the parallel story Vivasvan Pujari, the great king, the half human and half god, who rules the harappan kingdom is been betrayed by his best friend and brother in law, and has been humiliated and tortured to death by his own men and country. His wife and son are on run to find Visvavsan and save him, to capture their own kingdom from his uncle.
Book 2 – Pralay: The great Deluge
The great Visvasvan survives the horrible torture, assuming that his wife and son, Manu pujari is killed, he turns himself into asura, burning with vengeance the great king plots for the end of Harappa. Manu, on the other hand, while trying to rescue his father loses his mother, in order to safe her body he goes towards the great black temple. On his way he meets Matsya who helps him and guides him through.
Visvasvan successfully plots for the end of Harappa kingdom but does a grave mistake, for which the saptarishi place curse on his bloodline and the whole of human kind. Matysa who predicts the Pralay guides Manu to build a giant Ark to save human kind, to save the race from complete extinction because of the parlay
In the parallel story, Vidyut learns from his grandfather about the history of the great conspiracy run by the new world members, and that the Black temple is what they are looking for and how his ancestors were saving the secret from centuries.
After a shocking incident in the In order to understand and destroy the plans of the enemy, Vidyut and his grandfather meet Brahmanad to understand what the great tantric is up to. Betrayed again and in a fight to save the human kind and his grandfather, Vidyut fights the evil and finally kills tantric. However he lets go the person who betrays him.
Book 3 – Kashi: The secret of Black Temple
The conclusion, the conspiracy gets deeper. While Vidyut fights for the protection of the great secret, Manu fights for the mankind. Both face the most fearsome enemies they ever heard or fought. Both lose their most loved ones in the course.
Manu fights against the most feared man eater, who plots to concur the ark that Manu has built to save the human kind from the coming parlay. He also learns about the future of descendants and also the responsibility of saving the secret of the black temple, a secret that is to happen centuries later.
Vidyut, finally visits the much waited black temple, the secret that has been saved by his bloodline with a lot of sacrifices and wars has been disclosed to Vidyut. He learns and owes to save it for his life. However the new world is not much distant from all this. They know everything and are ready to capture the secret that they were equally waiting from centuries. White mask, one of the most deadly weapon meets Vidyut, offers him to surrender the secret. When denied, white mask attacks the dev-rakshasa math, the fight which Vidyut had to win, for the sake of his ancestors and their sacrifice.
In short this is the base line of book 3. I am keeping it short so readers can read and enjoy the real story.
Flip side –
The only flip side I found in the whole series is that prolonged conversations between the Mathadeesh and Vidyut, though these conversations are actually part of the whole story, which gives the complete background on the secret, the efforts of the new world members and the Dev-Rakshaas math to capture and safe the secret of the black temple, yet it does seem prolonged, especially in the second book of the series. However the author’s knowledge of history and the wonderful way the same is included into the whole plot is appreciated.
My verdict –
A very good series that I have read lately. I read the ebooks and I really want to have a paper back of the series and I sure will give it another read probably in few months or early next year, after I complete some of my to read books. I rate the whole series 4/5 *.