The Palace of Illusion by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is a retelling of the Indian epic

Mahabharata from the perspective of Draupadi. It is a rich and magnificent story-weaving. It

is written by, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, and it is both pleasant and informative.
I was engrossed from the start to the final page, and I adored the very human faces put on the
accomplishments of the story's heroes and gods. Panchaali, the heroine, in particular, will
remain in my memory as a flawed yet wonderful character, incorrect in many ways but
constantly striving to discover truth and love. Krishna, too, shines as an eternal presence in
his numerous facets, only revealed in the end for his actual identity.
Panchaali enters this world via holy fire, an unwelcome gift from the gods, along with her
brother, Dhristadhyumna, the child destined to murder their father's greatest foe, Drauna. She
marries the five Pandava brothers, the eldest of them, Yudhisthir, wagers and loses his
kingdom to the Kauravas, their relatives.
After twelve years of exile in the jungle, the cousin refuses to return the kingdom, prompting
the Pandavas to declare war on the Kauravas. The Mahabharata is a story so epic that it has
an epic name.
Of course, the Palace of Illusions is no substitute for the actual Mahabharata, but it's a fine
place to start. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has concentrated on the narrative of Panchaali in
one of the foundational works of Indian literature. The author investigates Panchaali's
participation in the struggle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas by narrating events from
Panchaali's point of view. The outcome is a compelling storey of human tragedy that,
according to the author, sheds light on a character who is crucial in the Mahabharata but
remains mostly mute about her motivations, thoughts, and feelings.
The epic scale of the source material suddenly becomes more personal as Author Chitra
embraces her first-person narrator. This raises an interesting question: can the substance of
something as lengthy and intricate as the Mahabharata be distilled in fewer than 400 pages? I
can't say for definite because I haven't read the Mahabharata, but I'm quite confident the
answer is "no."One of the reasons mythology is attractive is because it is a source material
that is both timeless and adaptable.
I can't speak to how effectively The Palace of Illusions respects the Mahabharata's heritage.
Regardless, it's a poignant narrative of Panchaali, the Pandavas, and the Kauravas. It doesn't
often go as far into Panchaali's life as I would anticipate from a narrative told by and about
her. But that's a tiny issue in comparison to the sad plot, which unfolds against the backdrop
of an India where magic is normal and gods walk among us.