The writer introduces the lion and its present habitat, and goes on to examine through written and visual records the interaction between this majestic animal and human beings in Asia, from the earliest available historical records to the present day. The book evaluates efforts made for the conservation of the species in the first half of the 20th century by British administrators and more remarkably by the last two nawabs of Junagadh. The status in independent India is recorded, with indications of what the future holds for the lion in the 21st century. The work is of a unique nature as very rarely has an account of any species from historical times been attempted, one exception being this author’s internationally acclaimed research on the cheetah in India. While there are innumerable books on the lions of Africa, there have been only three books about the lions in India ever written in English, none of which is easily accessible. There is, in fact, no book on the species’ history either for Africa or for Asia and this is a pioneering attempt.