When we visit a grand Hindu temple, most of us do the predictable: we marvel, we click pictures, we leave. But author Deepa Mandlik’s book, Dynasties of Devotion, urges us to pause, dig deeper and listen to the whispers of stone, chisel, and myth. Because behind every towering gopuram and intricate carving lies a saga of devotion, not just to the divine, but to the art, architecture, and empire.

In this beautifully written travel-history hybrid book, Deepa Mandlik retraces her family’s footsteps through seven iconic temples — Ellora’s Kailasa temple, Thanjavur’s Brihadeeswara, Airavatesvara, Chennakeshava, Padmanabhaswamy, and Cambodia’s Angkor Wat and Bayon.

Mandlik’s book takes us through lessons that integrate history and architecture, but more than that, weaves heart into stone, tracing dynasties, decoding sculptures, and listening for forgotten whispers beneath temple spires. The book is not a dry archaeological log. It’s a storytelling feast, rich in legend, behind-the-scenes stories and civilisational exchange.

When you walk through the ancient corridors of Hindu temples in Cambodia or south India, the intricate carvings of deities, the echo of chants long silenced, and the sheer audacity of stone carvings make you wonder: how did Hinduism travel this far? What winds carried these gods across oceans and dynasties?

Most temples are known for their presiding deity, but the author refreshingly turns the spotlight on the........

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