It is inspired by and set in the background of the Sannyasi Rebellion in the late 18th century, it is considered one of the most important novels in the history of Bengali and Indian literature.

[3] It starts with introduction to a couple, Mahendra and Kalyani, who are stuck in their village Padachinha without food and water in a time of famine.

While being dragged away he spots another monk who is not wearing his distinctive robes and sings, "In mild breeze, by the bank of the river, In the forest, resides a respectable lady.

Once the bridge is full of rebels, the East India Company artillery opens fire, inflicting severe casualties.

In the book, Chatterjee imagines an alternative history where untrained Sannyasi soldiers defeat the experienced East India Company forces.

The novel was later adapted into a film, Anand Math in 1952, directed by Hemen Gupta, starring Prithviraj Kapoor, Bharat Bhushan, Pradeep Kumar, Ajit and Geeta Bali.

The music was composed by Hemant Kumar, who gave a version of the Vande Mataram sung by Lata Mangeshkar, which became a cult success.