Chapter 9: This is Elangai!

By the time Vandiya Devan woke up again, it was dawn and a glorious sight awaited him at the shores. The sun shone through the waters making it seem almost golden. At the horizon, there awaited an isle in emerald hues. Fresh and green, his first sight of Eelangai was indeed breath-taking. To the right, there was another island beckoning them with a seductive grace. All through the shore, he could see many such beautiful islands enticing them with their pristine beauty. The beauty of the land awed Vandiya Devan so much that he felt that they were created by God only to show the world how beautiful a place can be.

Spellbound Vandiya Devan lay silent for a few moments, when Poonguzhali remarked, as if she was reading his thoughts, “This is not heaven. This is Elangai.”

“Yes. You are right. But for a moment I thought I was in heaven.”

“This is not heaven but a place that could be heaven, if only soldiers and war-mongers like you would leave it alone.”

“Are you calling me a war-monger now?”

“Why shouldn’t I? People like you who are interested only in conquering lands and enslaving people are the reason why places like Eelangai are turning into hell.”

“Would you call Ponniyin Selvar too a war-monger now?”

“Why are you talking about the Prince now?”

“You said that you would find out where the Prince is now.”

“Yes. I told you that I would find out where he is and not what he is.”

As the boat neared the shores, Vandiya Devan looked around with interest. “What do you say? The island you see in the front is boodha theevu (Ghost Island). To your right is Naga Theevu. Shall I go to Naga Theevu? Will you find your way to the Chola army camp?”

“No. Let us go to Boodha theevu. It doesn’t matter if my journey is delayed by a few hours. I would rather know where the Prince is exactly, before I start.”

“Alright. But remember the promise you made to me.”

Soon the boat neared the shores of Boodha theevu. Poonguzhali bid Vandiya Devan to watch over the boat and then walked into the island disappearing amidst its foliage.

He thought about the name of the island and wondered idly about the ghost who would be giving Poonguzhali the information about the Prince. Within an hour, the girl who had occupied his thoughts was back with information.

She walked briskly towards the boat and bid Vandiya Devan to get in.

“What did you find out?”

“Prime Minister Anirudha Bhrahmarayar has come to Maanthotham to meet the Prince. It is believed that the Prince must have come there to meet him but I am not sure how long he will stay there.”

“How far is Maanthotham from here?”

“Quite far. You will need to make your way through the forest. Don’t imagine that it would be anything like the forest you saw in Kodi Karai. Here it is very easy to get lost among the trees that almost touch the sky. You will also encounter many elephant herds through the forest and not to mention other beasts that inhabit the place. You will need to travel very carefully.”

“Hmmm. If only I could get a guide like you to show me the way through this strange land, it would be wonderful…”

“If you need help at every step of the way, you can hand that oolai to me and I might as well deliver it for you. ….No. I can’t do it. You were sent specifically by Elaya Piratti. Only you will have to give it to him.”

“That’s fine Poonguzhali. I will complete my mission, no matter what. You helped me to get here, that in itself is a big help.”

The boat now approached Naga Theevu (Snake Island) and Poonguzhali plied the oars steadily but it was evident from her face that her thoughts were elsewhere.

“Samudra Kumari!”

“What?”

“You told me that you would ask me for some help later. Now is the time. Soon I will get down from this boat and go in search of the Prince. Tell me what you want?”

Poonguzhali looked thoughtful and remained silent for a while. Vandiya Devan continued, “The help that you have rendered to me is very important. In a way, you have helped the entire Chola kingdom by ferrying me here. In return, if there is anything that I can do for you, please tell me…”

“Do you honestly want to do something for me, in return?”

“I solemnly promise in your father’s name, Samudra Rajan.”

“…which means you are writing all this in water.”

“No. I really want to do something for you in return. I solemnly call upon the Gods and the five elements to bear witness to my sincerity.”

“Alright. I am not saying this because I believe this oath of yours. Scoundrels and liars take oaths about all things but they do not keep it but when I saw you for the first time, I intuitively knew that you were a good man…”

“They say that first impression that a person has about another is often the right one…”

“After meeting Ponniyin Selvar, when he is alone and free, ask him just one question. ‘Prince! Do you remember Samudra Kumari?’ If he says ‘yes’ then tell him that it was I, who had brought you to Eelangai.”

Aha! Poonguzhali! Is this your secret? So a little sparrow like you, wishes to reach the heights of an eagle? This can’t be good for you… thought Vandiya Devan but thankfully did not voice it.

“Is that all? You were hesitating so much, for this. I thought you were going to ask for something really big. I will definitely tell the Prince about you. Even if he does not remember you, I will tell him about you…”

“Ayyo! Don’t say anything to him if he does not remember…”

“No. I will tell him…”

“What will you tell?”

“I will tell him whatever happened. ‘Ponniyin Selva! Do you remember Samudra Kumari? If you don’t, then please try to remember her now. It was she who helped me to escape the murderous soldiers of Pazhuvetrayars. It was she who brought me to Eelangai in her boat. It was she who saved me from drowning in the sea, when I jumped into it like a fool. Without her help, I couldn’t have come all the way here and given you this Oolai.’ What do you think?”

“So far so good… but don’t add anything more to this and don’t tell him that I asked you to tell him all this.”

“Che! Do you think I don’t even know that?”

“If the Prince says something to you, make sure that you come back to me and tell me everything word by word…”

“Of course I will. But where will I find you?”

“That’s not difficult. I will be either in Kodi Karai or in Bootha theevu or somewhere in between.”

“While going back home, shall I stop at Bootha theevu to check whether you are there?”

“You are not to enter the island under any circumstances.  If you do, there will be danger. See if this boat is there at the shores. Yesterday, I cooed like a cuckoo. Can you make a sound just like that?”

“No. But I can scream like a peacock. Want to hear?” saying thus, Vandiya Devan tried to imitate the high pitched scream of a peacock only to elicit a delightful laughter from his beautiful companion.

Naga Theevu is know as Nainativu today
Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Soon the boat was at the shores of Naga theevu and Vandiya Devan embarked on the beach for yet another adventure but not before throwing one last glance at the strange boat girl who had brought him there. He had a vain last hope that she might just change her mind and accompany him into the strange land but Poonguzhali had already forgotten all about him and was back in the dreamland that she lived in.

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Glossary 

Maanthotham - Known today as Manthai (Mannar district in Sri Lanka)

Chapter 3 – A Girl’s Madness

The sky was dotted with thousands of twinkling stars. A lovely half moon rose up on the sky near the sea’s horizon as moon beams danced on the sea waves. It was a beautiful sight worthy enough for a poet to describe. Sadly for Vandiya Devan there were mundane things to do, like washing off the mud.

“Why are you standing? Go and wash the mud. I have to go home or else my anni will not give me any food tonight.”

“Is the sea very deep here?” he asked timidly.

“I haven’t seen a faint-hearted soldier like you before. The sea here is very shallow. You can go all the way to the middle of the sea and find that the water just comes up to your hips. That’s why we have to light up the lighthouse to warn the ships to stay away.”

Vandiya Devan got into the water after much hesitation. After washing himself quickly, he walked over to her wringing his clothes dry. Just then, he noticed his companion, the physician’s son coming towards him in the beach along with the horses.

“Ayyo! He is coming here with the horses. What if they get stuck in the quick sand?”

“Go and warn him.” Said Poonguzhali walking after him as he ran towards the horses warning them to stay away.

When Poonguzhali joined them, she found Vandiya Devan holding the horse’s rein. She caressed the horse and spoke something to it that made it inch closer to her.

“My horse seems to like you. That’s good.”

“Why is it good?”

“I have to go to Eelangai. I thought I would leave this horse here with you. Will you look after it?”

“Yes. I will look after it. All animals like me. Its only the human beings who don’t.”

“Why do you say that? Senthan Amuthan has completely lost…”

“That’s because I prefer the company of animals to humans.”

“What harm did human beings do to you?”

“Humans and men in general are ungracious rogues. They are all full of lies and deceit.”

“You should not think about all men like this. I have known Senthan Amuthan to be a good man. And my companion here, the physician’s son is also a good man…”

“What about you?”

“I am also a good man. But it would be odd to talk good things about myself.”

“Why are you both here?”

“The Chakravarthy is not well. We have been sent here to gather rare medicinal herbs to make a potent medicine that would cure the king. That’s why the chief physician at Pazhaiarai has sent us.”

“You said that you would be going to Eelangai as well…”

“The herbs that are not available here will need to be brought from Eelangai. Which is why I am going there. It seems that a portion of Sanjeevini mountain that was brought by Hanuman is still in Eelangai.”

“Yes. That’s right. And that’s probably hundreds of people are dying there due to shivering fever.”

“Is that so? I didn’t know this. And I doubt if that Pazhaiarai physician also knew about this.”

“It seems that lying is a habitual occupation of all men. Two days ago, two men came here. They too lied, when asked as to why they wanted to go to Eelangai. But their lies were believable to some extent.”

“Who were they? What did they lie about?”

“They said that they were sent here by some mandiravadi. They wanted to go to Eelangai to get a tiger’s claw and an elephant’s tail hair to make a protective talisman for the king. My brother took them to Eelangai in his boat.”

“Oh! Is that so?” said Vandiya Devan. He was reminded of yet another mandiravadi that he had known briefly.

My God! Why did I get stuck in this murky business of carrying messages and spying? Compared to this, warring with the enemies in the battlefield is quite straightforward.

Who would be those two men who had left for Eelangai two days ago? How far can we trust this girl? What if she too is a part of that mandiravadi’s gang? No. No. She is an innocent girl. I might need her help in future so it is better to be friends with her.

“Poonguzhali! Let me to tell you the truth. I am going to Eelangai on an important and secret mission. I would like to tell you about it…”

“No don’t. Don’t you know, that women can’t be trusted with important and secret information?”

“Yes. They say so about other ordinary women in the world. But you are not an ordinary woman.”

“Says who? You have known me for precisely one hour now.”

“Poonguzhali! The minute I saw you sitting on the temple wall, I really liked you. I want to ask you something but you should give me a truthful answer.”

“Ask?”

“Is Senthan Amuthan truly not your lover? Will you not marry him?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Senthan Amuthan is my friend. I will not act in any way that would harm our friendship. But if he is not your lover…”

“Continue… why do you hesitate?”

“If he is not your lover, I would like to fill in that vacant position. Poonguzhali! There is no feeling more divine than true love in this world. Even people like Appar, Sundarar and Sambandar sang their verses looking at God as their lover. So many great poets have sung such beautiful songs about love. Can anything compare with Kalidasan’s divine verses of love? Even Krishna got entangled in love with his gopis…”

“Ayya! Let me tell you one thing. Please listen to me.”

“Tell me.”

“I do like you and it doesn’t disgust me to look at you either but…”

“Thank God! I am very lucky.”

“But do not talk about ‘love’ or anything related to that with me.”

“Why? Why?”

“Senthan Amuthan is not my lover but I have other lovers…”

“Other lovers? Who? How many? Where?”

“In the midnight, I normally go to meet them. You can come with me if you want and I will show them to you.” She said and laughed.

Her laughter disturbed Vandiya Devan greatly. He thought to himself, ‘Looks like this girl is mad. I don’t think she would help my mission in anyway. It’s better not to tell her anything.’

They had by then reached the houses that stood near the lighthouse. Hearing them approach, an old man and a woman came out of the house.

Poonguzhali brings Vandiya Devan home

“Poonguzhali! Who are these men? Where did you find them?”

“I didn’t find them appa! They found me.”

“It’s all the same. I have told you so many times to come back home before it gets dark. Do you ever listen? Two days ago, you got two strangers here and today as well. Why are they here?”

“They have come here to search for medicinal herbs to make a medicine for the king, appa!”

“Ayya! Is that correct?”

“Yes. Here is a message from the royal scribe of Pazhaiarai.” Said Vandiya Devan and took out the message. And while he was at it, another oolai fell down from his waistcloth. He picked it hurriedly, angry with himself and muttered, ‘I am such a fool.’

Poonguzhali’s father took the oolai and read it in the light of the lighthouse. He turned towards his wife and said, “This is a message from Elaya Piratti. These men are here on royal business. We need to give them food and shelter. Go and tell your daughter-in-law to keep enough food for them.”

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Volume 2 - The Storm - Chapter 1 - Poonguzhali

With the sea waves weaving in and out of the beach, the dusky evening was peaceful in Kodi Karai. The sky was dotted with birds flying back home across the pristine white sands of the soft beach. The air seemed still in the woods near the beach and the sun was fast sinking behind a veil of clouds.

A small boat made its way towards the shore. A young woman was plying the oars of this boat and she reminds us of Senthan Amuthan’s description of his uncle’s daughter Poonguzhali. Yes. She is indeed Poonguzhali. To justify her beautiful name perhaps, she had decorated her hair with a flower and her lovely curly hair fell in cascades upon her shoulders. She had adorned her neck with a lovely necklace of shells but truly they seemed more pleasing to the eye, only because she wore it.

And what could be more alluring than a beautiful maiden plying a boat? Surely it would be her melodious voice. Sitting languidly on the boat, she sang a haunting song about the sea and it seemed as if the wind stood still to listen to her honeyed voice. Even the sinking sun seemed to be listening to her before it could usher in the night.

Listening to her, one might even wonder what sorrows this young maiden might be hiding in the deepest recess of her heart that seemed to give such a poignant tinge of sadness to her voice.

She was close to the shore by the time, the song ended. She plied her oars mechanically and came near the beach. She nimbly got out of the boat and dragged it behind her and let it rest near the many boats that were left on the beach. Then she looked around the beach and spotted the light on the lighthouse that acted as a beacon and a warning for ships lest they come too near the shore. On the other side of the woods, there was a temple that stood hidden among the many trees that grew there. Two hundred years ago, Sundaramurthy Nayanar had come to Kodikarai Kuzhagar temple and had sung his divine devaram about how Lord Shiva stood alone amidst the sea and the beach.

“My Lord! Why are you here all alone amidst this lonely beach and waves? This place isn’t worthy of you? You are needed in a place where throngs of devotees would place their offerings at your divine feet and not a lonely stretch of beach.“

Kuzhagar Temple Today
Photo Credit: ancientindiantemple.blogspot.in

But even after two hundred years, Kodi Karai still remains a secluded stretch of beach, sand and woods during the time of our story. The thick woods around the temple were full of wild animals and hooting owls, making it more dangerous than it was two hundred years ago. There was however one difference. Two hundred years ago, there was no lighthouse here. It was built during the period of King Paranthakan I and since then the place became a home for a few families who took care of the lighthouse and the temple.

Remains of the Ancient Lighthouse Built by Paranthaka I
Photo Credit: madraswanderer.blogspot.in

Poonguzhali looked around her and thought of going towards the lighthouse. Then she saw the temple gopuram of Kuzhagar temple and decided to go there instead. Even as she decided to go there, the temple bells started ringing melodiously. What am I going to do at home so early? Let me visit the temple. I can ask the Pattar to sing the divine devaram songs and then take the prasadam home.

Deciding thus, she walked fast towards the temple. On the way, she saw a herd of deer running towards the forest and among them was a lovely young deer, graceful and childlike. Her enthusiasm crossed all boundaries when she saw the deer. She ran along with them as if she was going to catch them but no matter how fast you run, one cannot really compete with the agility of the deer. The herd outstripped her and ran gracefully ahead of her. 

At one place, all the deer collectively leaped as if they were escaping from a dangerous deep pool. All the big deer leapt safely and reached the other end but the one of the smaller ones fell in the middle. Sinking in the muddy quicksand, it tried to claw its way up but moaned piteously when the attempt failed. The mother deer and the rest of the herd had stopped running and were watching the small deer worriedly but they couldn’t help in anyway.

Poonguzhali immediately set about to help the little dear. She noted carefully where the quicksand ended and approached the place where the little deer was stuck. The deer herd and the mother deer looked at her suspiciously not knowing her intentions. But she cooed at them with a strange sound and that seemed to reassure them. She bent over the quicksand pool and grabbed the little deer’s legs and pulled it to safety. The little deer stood trembling from fear for some time and then turned around and ran to its mother for succour and comfort. Soon the entire herd started running at breakneck speed.

“Chi! Such ungrateful creatures!” she exclaimed and then comforted herself saying, “But they are certainly better than the humans who are worse than ungrateful.”

She started walking towards Kuzhagar temple into dense forest. The thick grove of forest was so dense that strangers who are unfamiliar with the terrain can easily get lost and roam around clueless for long. Nestled amidst the trees stood the old temple looking a bit desolate and deserted. She entered the temple and went straight to the inner sanctum. The temple priest looked at her in surprise and smiled. Visitors to the temple was a rare sight for him and among them attractive young boat girls were more than welcome.

After she finished her prayers, the priest gave her a coconut and the divine prasadam to eat and said, “Amma! Will you wait for a while? I will lock the temple and come along with you.”

“I will wait for you Ayya! I am not in a hurry. I can wait until you finish all your work here.”

Saying thus, she came out of the temple and nimbly climbed on one of the trees to hoist herself on the temple walls. Along the walls, there was a statue of Nandi, the bull. Sitting with her back on the considerable bulk of Nandi, she leisurely ate the coconut and the temple prasadam that the priest had given her.

Poonguzhali

While the darkness enveloped the temple from all around, she suddenly heard horses galloping. She looked intently at the direction of the sound and her heart was stirred with a long-gone memory that threatened to choke her with an indescribable sorrow. Who is coming here? What do I care who it is? There are too many strangers coming around here these days, citing royal duties. Yesterday too, two people had come here wanting to go to Eelangai. They looked so disgusting but Anna took them on his boat after they gave him a bag full of gold coins. May a thunder fall on their money! Who wants money here? What purpose does money serve when you are living amidst a forest? But Anna and Anni’s world revolves around money. They just want more and more!

As the sound of galloping horses came closer, she noted that there were two people coming there. It looked as if they had travelled a long distance and were very weary. The man on the first horse was quite young, handsome, broad chested and looked like a soldier. But when compared with that other face that she had enthroned in her heart, she found him downright ugly. To tell the truth, this man’s face resembles an owl!

As the readers might have guessed, the first man on the horse is our friend and hero, Vandiya Devan. Behind him came the Physician’s son who had accompanied him from Pazhaiarai. They both were saddle sore and travel weary and were ready to rest somewhere. Yet Vandiya Devan’s face bloomed when he saw Poonguzhali lounging atop the temple wall, carelessly eating the coconut. When he saw that she too was looking eagerly at his face, his enthusiasm knew no bounds. He stopped the horse and looked at her with a smile. If he had known that she had been comparing his face to that of an owl, he might not be so enthusiastic to talk to her. Thankfully, God found it worthwhile to make humans hide their innermost thoughts and wishes from others.

When Poonguzhali realized that the man on the horse was staring at her, she immediately got up from the temple wall and jumped down on the soft sand of the temple and started running along the temple wall.

When Vanidya Devan saw her running, he too got down from his horse and started after her. Now who can divine why she felt like running away from a man who was staring at her or what prompted Vandiya Devan to take off after her. We can only conclude that each one of them was following their natural instincts in the order of the world. 

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Chapter 55 – Nandini’s Lover

“I was twelve years old, when I met Nandini for the first time. We were in Pazhaiarai then and I was playing with my sister and brother near the lake. We heard our Periya Patti Sembiyanmadevi calling us. We went to the kodi veedu and told her about how we went boating on the lake. She was not alone. There were three other people along with her and one of them was a girl who was about my age. Other two people were her parents. When we entered, they stopped talking and looked at us. I still remember her beautiful eyes, widened in surprise when she looked at us,”

Saying thus, Karikalan looked up the sky. A few clouds dotted the midnight blue stars but his thoughts were somewhere in the past. Did he perchance see the face of the twelve-year-old Nandini out there? We do not know

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Chapter 20 - Our First Enemy

Azhvarkadiyan greatly appreciated the timely help given by the bat. Ravidasan and his gang thought that the bat had made the sound and continued with their discussion, while Azhvarkadiyan listened in.

"Hey, this bat frightened us out of our wits. Let us kill it," cried one of the gang members.

But Ravidasan said, "No, why do you want to kill this bat unnecessarily? Instead let us save our swords to kill our enemies. Bats are our friends. Just like us, they come out of their nests, when men are asleep.

"Listen to me, friends! Until we have the great treasury of Thanjavur we need not worry about gold. All that we need is, people who can take up this dangerous task and complete it successfully. We need to divide ourselves into two groups. One group should immediately go to Elangai and the other should go to Kancheepuram. We need to complete both the tasks at the same time, otherwise our enemies will be forewarned. Who among you is willing to go to Elangai?"

"I will go!"

"Let me go!"

"On second thoughts, I think we should decide who should go, in the next meeting. We need to make a lot of preparation before we leave."

"Ravidasarey, which is the best route to Elangai?"

"We can go via Kodi Karai. That would be the easiest way. But reaching Kodi Karai from here is difficult. Moreover the Cholas, have spies all through that route. So the best thing to do, would be to go to Sethu and cross the sea there. We will land near Mandhotham. From there we will have to find our way. Whoever goes to Elangai must know to swim and row a boat. Who among you knows to swim?"

"I know."

"I know too."

"First we must meet the Elangai King, Mahindan, and talk to him about our plans. So whoever is to go there must know to speak Sinhalam. Where are our other two friends, Soman Sambavan and Edupankari?"

"Here they come!" said one of the men.

The two men came from the opposite direction, making their way through the shrubs. Azhvarkadiyan wound himself around the tree to avoid detection.

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