India, Dec. 1 -- Masalas were first found in Harappan cities, and were made by grinding ingredients under stone. But the Harappan region has no stones. "One scholar figured out that the stones would come from Rajasthan, from Aravalli," says writer and mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik. That led him to a simple question. Since there were no horses on the mountains, how did the traders carry stones and other items? "One scholar had written that goats were used for transporting goods." Pattanaik's research then revealed that goats are used even today because they can climb difficult mountainous terrains and carry almost as much as their body weight.

"It's all there. Scholars have written about it. But when I illustrate it and somebody sees it, ...