Written by the first Prime Minister of India(Jawaharlal Nehru), directed by the finest of Directors in India(Shyam Benegal), and played by a wonderful cast, this series is definitely a masterpiece,with simple and non-glamorous filming and direction.
The opening song of the series is actually a timeless hymn called Nasadiya Sukta from RigVeda, which talks about the origin of the universe, and ponders about existence/non-existence of God. The uttering of this hymn in chorus along with Vanraj Bhatia's magical music has this strange, almost hypnotic effect.
Also, the wonderful narration by Roshan Seth and Om Puri always keeps you captivated. Though describing 5000 years of rich and complex history of such a large sub-continent in 53 episodes seems impossible, Shyam Benegal has done an excellent job at giving an insight into the history of ancient and modern India through fabulous storytelling and direction.
I strongly recommend this series to anyone interested in Indian History/Religion/Philosophy.
