India, April 2 -- By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik - Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist

In Hindu Puranic lore, gods are usually presented as one half of a couple and are always located in landscapes. When we say Shiva, we think of him with Shakti, in the middle of snow-clad mountains or in a deodar forest.

Vishnu and Lakshmi are visualised in the middle of the ocean. Krishna and Radha are always in the middle of a forest, at night. Rama and Sita are either wandering in the forest or seated on a throne in the palace.

Landscapes play an important role in stories as they symbolise emotions. We never think of landscapes as emotions, but this is what is established in some of the oldest Tamil poetries, which are nearly 2,000 years old. Here,...