The Flame of Sindh: The Last Stand of Raja Dahir | A Historical Fiction by Vishesh Tayal | Indian History Adventure (The Dharma Shield: Guardians of Bharatvarsha Book 1)

In 712 CE, the armies of the Umayyad Caliphate crossed the Indus, and the fate of Sindh—and the first gateway of India—hung by a thread.

Before that final battle, there was a kingdom, a lineage, and a fire that refused to die.

Set between 632 and 715 CE, The Flame of Sindh is a sweeping historical novel that traces the transformation of Sindh across eight turbulent decades—dynastic collapse, a forbidden court alliance, rising Arab incursions, and the final stand of Raja Dahir, the last Hindu ruler of Sindh.

The story begins in the dying days of the Rai, a Buddhist dynasty, where the death of King Rai Sahasi II without an heir opens a silent war for the throne. Chach, a Brahmin courtier, and Queen Suhandi forge an unlikely partnership that reshapes the kingdom. As Chach rises from chamberlain to king, he unifies Sindh, crushes rebellions, and becomes the first line of resistance against a new imperial power rising in the west.

After his death, his son Dahir inherits a kingdom surrounded by rivals and threatened by an empire that has already conquered Persia, Central Asia, and Egypt. Dahir’s reign—faulted, courageous, and tragic—culminates in the Battle of Aror, where the forces of Muhammad bin Qasim clash with the last defenders of the Indus frontier.

Told through ministers, queens, generals, and foot soldiers, this is not just the story of one king—it is the story of a civilization holding its breath before the storm.

The Flame of Sindh is Book One of the Dharma Shield series — a saga of power, loyalty, resistance, and the forgotten warriors who stood between India and the world’s mightiest empire.