Badshahi Angti

Badshahi Angti (English title: The Emperor's Ring) is a novel by Satyajit Ray featuring the private detective Feluda. It was first serialized in Sandesh magazine in the year 1966–67. It was then released in book form in 1969 by Ananda Publishers. This is the first Feluda novel created by Satyajit Ray. Plot outline Feluda, now working for a bank, along with Topshe and Topshe's father decide to visit Dhirendra Kumar Sanyal (or Dhiru Kaka, as called by Topshe), who lives in Lucknow. They reach Dhiru Kaka's house. In the evening, while having tea, they have a visitor named Dr. Srivastav, who is an osteopath and a good friend of Dhiru Kaka. Dr. Srivastav tells Dhiru Kaka that last night a daku (dacoit) had broken into his house. He believes that the dacoit must have come to rob a precious ring given to him by Pyarelal Seth, because he had saved the life of his only son. He further tells that when Pyarelal had his second heart-attack, Pyarelal murmured "a spy", before ultimately dying. Dr. Srivastav tells that robberies do not happen much in his neighborhood due to the presence of Bonobihari Sarkar, who owns a private menagerie with a variety of poisonous animals. Dhiru Kaka tells Feluda that the ring once belonged to the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Dhiru Kaka offers to keep the ring with him. Later, when Dr. Srivastav leaves the house, Feluda sees a car following the doctor's car. Feluda tells Topshe that somebody had been listening to their conservation, because Feluda finds a half-burnt cigarette in the garden. Next day, Feluda, Topshe, his father and Dhiru Kaka go to the Imambara. There, they find Bonobihari Sarkar, who invites them to his private zoo. In the Bhoolbhulaia (The Labyrinth), Feluda keeps close to the walls. In the roof of the Imambara, they find a man introduced by Dhiru Kaka as Mahavir Seth, Pyarelal's son. In the evening, they come to Bonobihari's house and see his private zoo, especially three of the most poisonous creatures - a rattle snake, a blue scorpion and a Black Widow Spider. There they meet Bonobihari's assistant, Ganesh Guha. They also learn that Bonobihari knows about the ring. When they came back to Dhiru Kaka's house, his servant informs him that a sadhu baba had been waiting for him. Panic-stricken, Dhiru Kaka rushes to the cupboard where he kept the ring, only to find it gone. Feluda and Topshe rush out to find the sadhu baba, but to no success.