A Concise History of Riktasthani-yuga

Preface

About the Authors

Drs. Caspar & Melchior

Recognized as the foremost experts on the Riktasthani-yuga and its chief polity, the Suryagarh Empire. Their centuries of careful study have yielded a wealth of understanding about the empire, the Asuras who ruled over it, and the social upheavals of the era.

Dr. Balthazar

His excavations of important Suryagarhan archaeological sites have provided direct evidence of many theories, granting us the ability to directly examine Swargalokan history. Together, their body of work has informed over eleven civilizations' perceptions of the Riktasthani-yuga.

The Dominant Polity

The Suryagarh Empire

Fig. 1 — Visual reconstruction of the Surya Stambh, the central temple of the Suryagarhan Empire, said to connect to the devas' original homeland

The leading polity during the Riktasthani-Yuga, composed of many different species but ruled over by the Devas. Principal cities included the capital, Amaravati, and the port city of Tarakamaya.

Waged a prolonged war on the Asuras that ended when Emperor Suryavaan sealed away their leadership. The current polities of Swargaloka ultimately descend from the members of its ruling class.

The Opposition

The Asuras

Fig. 2 — A typical late-Riktasthani depiction of Asura warriors (artist unknown)

Our research uncovered that the Asuras came from a dimension beyond our own, in which they had been sealed long ago by unknown forces. At first loosely organized into bands of marauders — later, however, they organized into a cohesive polity under the leadership of the Asura general Vikarna.

Emperor — Suryagarh

Suryavaan

Born in RY 143879. Crowned Emperor in RY 145326. Led the Suryagarhan Empire for millennia — ultimately sealing away Vikarna at Mt. Meru using a forbidden spell.

General — Asura Coalition

Vikarna

Of unknown origins. United the disparate Asura tribes after a protracted struggle with rival chieftains. The most feared general Swargaloka had ever witnessed.

Fig. 3 — Portrait of Suryavaan upon coronation (attr. V. Hayagriva) · Fig. 4 — Vikarna at the Battlefield of Tarakamaya (B. Krishnaveni)

Unknown Allies

The Three Wise Men

Among Vikarna's personal effects we discovered journals written by a group calling themselves the "Three Wise Men". We believe these three were close confidants of Vikarna; their journal speaks extensively of having interacted with him and helped manage his personal affairs.

Interestingly, nowhere else in Swargalokan history have these "Three Wise Men" been recorded — leading us to believe they went to extraordinary lengths to conceal their identities.

— Caspar & Melchior, preliminary notes

"History is not decided by the truth-tellers, but rather by the victors."

— Journal no. 3, Entry 18/45/15371, "M."

Causes of Conflict

Why and How?

Stelai excavated near New Amaravati indicate that Vikarna's proclamation of war arose from his desire to alter Swargaloka's Akashic Records. The Devas, viewing this as an outright threat to their continued primacy, mobilized the different races of Swargaloka against the Asuran threat. 500 years of war ensued — millions of lives lost, countless cities destroyed.

Fig. 5 — Map of the Saptapuri Offensive, based on accounts from the Three Wise Men

Chronology

The War Timeline

RY 14872

Declaration of War

Suryavaan declares war on the Asuras following Vikarna's proclamation.

RY 14873

Surya Stambh Offensive

Asuras begin their advance on major Suryagarhan cities.

RY 14921–15121

200-Year Stalemate

Heavy attrition on both sides. Neither army can break through.

RY 15122

Rise of General Veer Arka

His tactical genius renewed the Suryagarhan army and allowed them to truly succeed against the Asuras for the first time.

RY 15272

Battle of Nirvaan Kshetra

Asura forces unable to mount even token resistance — victory achieved swiftly, at great civilian cost.

RY 15372

Battle of Mt. Meru

Suryavaan seals Vikarna in Patala. Asura armies surrender immediately. End of the Asura Wars.

Source: M. Balthazar, Vikarna: Life & Times, pp. 236–238 · Annals of Suryagarh, pp. 3456–3469

89,526,124

Number of casualties during the Asura Wars — approximately 65 million Asuras and 24 million Suryagarhans.

The Official Record

The Traditional Account

Vikarna's exact motives were never determined. The Suryagarh Empire lasted additional centuries before splitting apart into numerous daughter polities around RY 15813. The remaining Asuras either fled Swargaloka or slowly integrated into Suryagarhan society.

Fig. 6 — Recovered fresco showing Anara before her fall, from a previously unexplored quarter of Old Amaravati

The Missing Piece

Anara

Our ground-breaking research revealed that prior to engaging Suryagarh in open warfare, Vikarna had a Deva consort named Anara — both beautiful and kind, free of the usual prejudices against Asuras.

For the "crime" of associating with an Asura, Anara was personally sentenced to "erasure" by Emperor Suryavaan — an unprecedented direct alteration to Swargaloka's Akashic Records.

The Descendants

Did They Survive?

Evidence suggests Anara and Vikarna had at least two children — essentially unrecorded in any piece of official Swargalokan history. The last entry in the journal of "C." talks about having "hidden away two children… their mother taken away from them… their father an enemy of the world… far away from the eyes of Swargaloka."

The Question Remains

Who exactly were these "Three Wise Men"?

The Work Behind the Words

The Empire's Shadow

The animated short film that started it all — now watch the full presentation come alive.

▶ Watch The Empire's Shadow ↗

Opens in a new tab · Project Something Productions · 2026

For the First Time in Our Centuries-Long Careers

The Truth

We are, and have always been, the Three Wise Men.
We have created this presentation to keep the memory of the Asuras alive.
To ensure that Suryagarh's official history does not write Vikarna and Anara out of their own story.
And to ensure the fate of their children does not go unknown.
We have not forgiven. We have not forgotten.
The Asuras will rise again.
And we, once again, shall be their witnesses.

$The Three Wise Men$

Fig. 7 — Reconstructed portrait of the Three Wise Men, based on sketches found in the journal of "B." · Project Something Productions, 2026

A Concise Historyof Riktasthani-yuga