It included posting a live-action video on YouTube, and making the first chapter of the book available as a free digital download, to entice readers.

It was critically appreciated by some Indian reviewers, others noted that Tripathi's writing tended to lose focus at some parts of the story.

However, the once proud empire and its Suryavanshi rulers face severe crisis as its primary river, Saraswati, was slowly drying to extinction.

They also face devastating attacks from the Chandravanshis who have joined forces with the Nagas, a cursed race of people with physical deformities.

Brahaspati invites Shiva and the royal family on an expedition to Mount Mandar, where the legendary drink Somras is manufactured using the waters of the Saraswati.

Shiva learns that the potion which made his throat turn blue was actually undiluted Somras, which can be lethal when taken in its pure form.

One morning, the Meluhans wake up to a blast that took place at Mandar, destroying parts of the mountain and killing the scientists living there.

Enraged by this, Shiva declares war on the Chandravanshis at Swadweep, consulting with Devagiri Chief Minister Kanakhala and the Head of Meluhan Army, Parvateshwar.

The Chandravanshi princess Anandmayi explains that they too had a similar legend that the Neelkanth will come forward to save their land by launching an assault against the "evil" Suryavanshis.

Pradip Bhattacharya from The Statesman felt that the "plot skips along at a brisk pace, the characters are well etched and the reader’s attention is not allowed to flag.

"[18] Another review by Gaurav Vasudev from the same newspaper wrote that "the book is a gripping mythological story written in modern style.

"[20] Society magazine complimented Tripathi's writing by saying, "Reading this beautifully written creation is like plunging into the icy and venerable waters of the Manasarovar Lake.

"[21] Nandita Sengupta from The Times of India felt that "while the author spins a tale of adventure, it could have been a slightly snappier, tighter read.

"[22] Lisa Mahapatra from The New Indian Express was impressed with the story and Tripathi's writing and praised "the interactions between Shiva and Sati, [which were] intriguing.

etc, which I guess would be great for an Indian audience but after you just finish a Steven Erikson novel you find it falling a little flat," the reviewer concluded.

[24] Sunita Sudhir of Learn Religions also gave a glowing review stating that 'whether the book fires your imagination to dwell on the larger questions of life or not, it certainly is a populist page-turner.

These books have continued to top the bestseller lists of Nielsen BookScan, with the gross retail sales being impressive at ₹22 crore (US$2.5 million) within two years of publishing.

[30][31] The books have been translated into a number of languages like English (South Asia), Odia, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Assamese, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Bahasa Indonesian, Tamil, English (UK), Estonian, Czech and Spanish,[32] with the author believing that publishing as a whole is gradually being embedded in the Indian business sensibilities.

[33] Further explaining his thoughts, Tripathi said "I genuinely believe those five years from today, we will have a situation when other languages will account for higher sales of books than in English.

[39] Tripathi also revealed during Jaipur Literature Festival that an unnamed Hollywood producer bought the rights for an American version of the film.

[44] In March 2022, Shekhar Kapur announced that he, along with Roy Price, would adapt the book into a web series, with Suparn Verma as director and showrunner.