Marco Polo described India as 'a land of wonders' in the 13th century, and his observation is no less true today. Everything about India is older, bigger, more colourful, more diverse and more intriguing than anywhere else. It is the land of a multitude of many armed gods and goddesses, home to the architectural splendours of the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort and Lutyens' Delhi. India is the world's largest democracy, a nuclear power and a rising economic giant -abut also the world's most ancient surviving civilisation, with unbroken continuity stretching back into prehistory. From the Buddha and Alexander the Great to Ghengis Khan, Akbar the Great and Mahatma Gandhi, India's history is a five-thousand-year epic. For half of that time India has been at the centre of world history and at the start of the 21st century, in the era of globalization, India has once again become a leading player on the world stage. In his landmark BBC2 series India, Michael Wood goes on six eye-opening journeys around the subcontinent to uncover the fabulous sights and sounds, the dazzling achievements and the dramatic history of the world's most influential civilization. This sumptuously illustrated book will be a magical mix of history and travelogue, and an unforgettable portrait of India -apast, present and future.