This book dives into the history of the Indian subcontinent, its texts, oral traditions, geographies and schools of philosophy to present the region’s amorphous, multi-faceted and rich understanding of desire. Meticulously-researched and vividly-told, Madhavi Menon showcases that attempting to narrow down India’s historical relationship with desire to a single narrative is an exercise in futility and ignorance. Against the backdrop of rising conservatism in today’s India, where anything outside of the right-wing’s straightjacketed understanding of sexuality is deemed an evil, foreign import, Menon’s subversive chronicling of desire, from temples to dargahs, the Mughals to Vatsyayana, shines as a beacon of reason and a rich resource to dive into.