Born on June 29, 1861, in the Muzaffarpur district of Bihar, Devakinandan Khatri was the first writer in Indian literature to publish talismanic novels—stories that portrayed a world filled with magic and illusions, where fantastical things happened. At the age of 26, Khatri shot to fame with Chandrakanta, his first talismanic novel. It became immensely popular at its publication, so much so that many Urdu-speaking people began to learn Hindi just so they could read this book. It was adapted for a television series by the same name and telecast on Doordarshan and other channels. Apart from Chandrakanta, Khatri wrote many other works that were phenomenal successes, such as Chandrakanta Santati, Bhootnath, Kusum Kumari, Katora Bhar Khoon, and many more.