An American traveler in India chances upon an old storyteller, who joins him on his pilgrimage to the top of a holy hill and along the way shares the authentic flavor of India through stories of courtesans and kings, holy men and thieves, talking animals, and mythical lands. Many of them are translated here by Glucklich for the first time from the ancient Sanskrit.

Ariel Glucklich is an associate professor of Hinduism at Georgetown University, as well as an expert in Sanskrit literature. A former Senior Fulbright Fellow in India, Glucklich is trained in Indian philosophy and theology. The most recent of Glucklich's five books is Sacred Pain, which won an award for excellence from the American Academy of Religion.