Rumors of an ancient Buddhist Relic, long thought lost, have emerged from the mists of time. Forces are gathering, each seeking to claim this Relic, reputed to give its possessor dominion over the earth.
To the far north the Mongol leader, Temujin, wishes to claim the Relic to sanction his ascension as the Great Khan of the clans. Further south in China, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty needs the Relic to support the dream of restoring the Song Empire to its former greatness.
Closer to home, two groups of Nepalis vie to acquire the Relic. One group represents the original owners, the Choskor Gompa, where the Relic long resided in the monastery’s Great Stupa. But the other group hopes to use the Relic to sanctify the rebirth of Nalanda Mahavihara, the great Buddhist university destroyed by the invading Turks.
And then there are the Tibetans . . . who have their own plans for the Relic.
Into this world steps Captain Raj, who by a twist of fate finds himself in possession of the map that holds the clues to the location of the hidden Relic. As Raj begins this journey, his path will cross and merge with others: his old friend, Mukti, the tracker; Father Abbot, of the Choskor Gompa; Sira, the physician’s daughter; and the Rinpoche, a lama who wanders the byways of the sacred Drin Valley of Tibet.
So starts an unexpected journey that will take Raj not only to the Secret Valley itself and then across the high pass into Tibet, but on an inner journey where along the way he will find the love that rekindles his life and, more surprisingly, the real treasure which lives in the heart of every human being.
To the far north the Mongol leader, Temujin, wishes to claim the Relic to sanction his ascension as the Great Khan of the clans. Further south in China, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty needs the Relic to support the dream of restoring the Song Empire to its former greatness.
Closer to home, two groups of Nepalis vie to acquire the Relic. One group represents the original owners, the Choskor Gompa, where the Relic long resided in the monastery’s Great Stupa. But the other group hopes to use the Relic to sanctify the rebirth of Nalanda Mahavihara, the great Buddhist university destroyed by the invading Turks.
And then there are the Tibetans . . . who have their own plans for the Relic.
Into this world steps Captain Raj, who by a twist of fate finds himself in possession of the map that holds the clues to the location of the hidden Relic. As Raj begins this journey, his path will cross and merge with others: his old friend, Mukti, the tracker; Father Abbot, of the Choskor Gompa; Sira, the physician’s daughter; and the Rinpoche, a lama who wanders the byways of the sacred Drin Valley of Tibet.
So starts an unexpected journey that will take Raj not only to the Secret Valley itself and then across the high pass into Tibet, but on an inner journey where along the way he will find the love that rekindles his life and, more surprisingly, the real treasure which lives in the heart of every human being.
