The Maitreya Chronicles - Part 1 is the first book in the series by Charu Singh. The book interlinks the story of Buddhism with fantasy and fiction. The Maitreya Chronicles are a Tibetan-Buddhist fantasy series, which tell the story of Lama Ozer and Tashi as they travel the lands in answer to a call from Shambala. They leave the hidden monastery in the beginning of the story as their llama receives a call from the legendary kingdom while in a trance.The two have to battle freezing temperatures, tough mountain passes, and many dark forces which try to thwart their progress as their path takes them through Sikkim and Tibet. Besides the geographical difficulties, they also have to face celestial beings like Yakshis, Yeshe a golden dakini, and prince A-Karo, as they travel through the legendary silver fortress in Tibet. A-Karo and prince Narsimha are Yeshe’s guardians and she must travel with them to Earth.Once Yeshe reaches Earth, she will choose one of the two as her suitor and the child Maitreya will come into being, the saviour of the world. Ozer is the Liaison between Shambala and Earth. But before this, they need to combat the dark forces prevalent in the world like the Asuras and Arden, a dark prince.

Part 1 draws from the rich Mahayana culture of Buddhists and the chronicles are a surreal account of the same. The book was published by Hachette India in 2014 and is available as a paperback. Key Features: This is the debut book by Charu Singh.It has reached the 5th spot in the Indian Bestsellers list.