COROMANDEL: a name which has been long applied by Europeans to the Northern Tamil Country, or (more comprehensively) to the eastern coast of the Peninsula of India.

This is the India that highly acclaimed historian Charles Allen visits in this fascinating book. During Allen's adventures in the Indian south he meets historians, gurus and local people, and with their help uncovers some extraordinary stories about the past. His sweeping narrative takes in the archaeology, religion, linguistics and anthropology of the region - and how these have influenced contemporary politics.

Known for his vivid storytelling, for decades Allen has travelled the length and breadth of India, revealing the spirit of the sub-continent through its history and people. In Coromandel, he moves through modern-day India, discovering as much about the present as he does about the past.

'An engaging and meaningful account of a very long and complex history' Times Literary Supplement

'A writer whom India as well as Britain should be proud to call its own, this account is seductive and convincing' Literary Review