Parva

Parva (Epoch) is a novel written by S. L. Bhyrappa in the Kannada language. It is a retelling of the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata, narrated through the personal reflections of the principal characters. The novel is widely acclaimed as a modern classic. Parva is among Bhyrappa's most widely debated and popular works and is considered by many to be his greatest. Background Bhyrappa recounts the writing of the novel in an essay, Parva Baredaddu, in his book Nāneka Barayuttena. A friend, Dr. A Narayanappa, urged Bhyrappa to write his conception of the Mahābhārata as a novel. The author decided to write Parva during a tour in the Garhwal region in the Himalayas. He stayed at a village where polyandry was practiced. Further research revealed that the practice had persisted in the region since the time of Draupadi. Bhyrappa recounts how this experience led him to visit several places in North India mentioned in the Mahābhārata. Bhyrappa subsequently moved to a new job in Mysore. In Parva Baredaddu, he narrates how the novel "stayed in his mind," and "forced" him to apply for an unpaid vacation and conduct a research. His research covered multiple perspectives including the historicity of the Mahābhārata, geography of India, anthropological aspects of the time, techniques of warfare, and philosophical concepts. Bhyrappa visited most of the places listed in the epic over a period of more than a year. He visited the Yadava capital Dwaraka (now believed to be submerged), Lothal, Rajasthan, Rajagriha, Kurukshetra, Old Delhi, and parts of the Panchala territory.