The world considers Indra to be the name of the king of the Devas. However, not many people know that Indra is not a name. It is a title, an appellation accorded to one who rules over Devlok, the realm of the Devas. In each Manvantar (the 14th fraction of a Kalpa), a new king is appointed to the throne of Devlok, who is then called "Indra".
The "Indra" of the current Manvantar is "Purandar".
Purandar-the son of Kashyap and Aditi-ascended the throne of Devlok because of certain remarkable traits he had and some grand accomplishments of his. However, his appalling misdeeds diminished his glory and consequently, he could never garner the respect and obeisance that a king of Gods would otherwise command! Unfortunately, Indra himself seemed oblivious to the many blots on his character and appeared to be concerned only about keeping his throne. To maintain his claim over it, he repeatedly
abused his power and supremacy, and remained totally unrepentant of his incessant misdemeanours.
Several interesting but lesser-known events and anecdotes have been interwoven into this compelling tale to bring out the capricious yet imposing personality of Indra, presenting a completely fresh facet of Puranic mythology.
It is a pleasant experience to read the brilliant analysis of Puranic tales through Ashutosh's charismatic writing!
-Ashok Chakradhar,
Padma Shri awardee, author, litterateur and poet