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Queen Tara

Queen Tara

Kali of Deccan

Medha Deshmukh Bhaskaran
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‘Can I be her, the Bhadra Kali?’ Tara asked innocently.
‘Of course! If you so choose,’ Father assured her and continued, ‘Shivrai says, vanquishing your enemy’s mind, hacking their belief that they are the most powerful, is far better than merely killing them on the battlefields.’

From the ashes of defeat, a spark caught—faint, furious and unyielding; it leapt from forts to forests, to the river basins. A woman rose to meet the challenge—Tara, literally a radiant star. She galvanized the resistance, crafted brilliant, unorthodox strategies, and fought with unyielding courage.
Aurangzeb threw the full weight of his empire at them—over a million men, endless wealth, two decades of relentless war—and yet, the Maratha spirit refused to break. What the empire could not foresee was that the soil of the Deccan does not forget her children, nor forgive the desecration of her womb. Once again, military thunder rose from the Sahyadris’ spines. A widowed queen, wounded warriors and wilted minds—all became weapons, all became fire.
This is the story of the indestructible Maratha queen, Tara of the Deccan.

Imprint: India Penguin

Published: Mar/2026

ISBN: 9780143477839

Length : 320 Pages

MRP : ₹499.00

Queen Tara

Kali of Deccan

Medha Deshmukh Bhaskaran

‘Can I be her, the Bhadra Kali?’ Tara asked innocently.
‘Of course! If you so choose,’ Father assured her and continued, ‘Shivrai says, vanquishing your enemy’s mind, hacking their belief that they are the most powerful, is far better than merely killing them on the battlefields.’

From the ashes of defeat, a spark caught—faint, furious and unyielding; it leapt from forts to forests, to the river basins. A woman rose to meet the challenge—Tara, literally a radiant star. She galvanized the resistance, crafted brilliant, unorthodox strategies, and fought with unyielding courage.
Aurangzeb threw the full weight of his empire at them—over a million men, endless wealth, two decades of relentless war—and yet, the Maratha spirit refused to break. What the empire could not foresee was that the soil of the Deccan does not forget her children, nor forgive the desecration of her womb. Once again, military thunder rose from the Sahyadris’ spines. A widowed queen, wounded warriors and wilted minds—all became weapons, all became fire.
This is the story of the indestructible Maratha queen, Tara of the Deccan.

Buying Options
Paperback / Hardback

Medha Deshmukh Bhaskaran

Medha Deshmukh Bhaskaran is the author of Chhatrapati Shivaji’s bestselling biography, Challenging Destiny. She is also the author of Frontiers: The Relentless Battle Between Aurangzeb and Shivaji and Life and Death of Sambhaji, which have been translated into various Indian languages.

Medha is a microbiologist who has worked in marketing and business development for food and pharmaceutical companies in countries such as Germany, India and the United Arab Emirates. From a young age, she has dabbled in poetry in Marathi and English. Medha has written articles on various subjects for leading newspapers in India (Indian Express) and in the Gulf (Khaleej Times and Gulf News).

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