Chapter 23: Nandini’s Letter

Nandini Writes a Letter

That evening, Nandini sat alone on a decorated couch shaped like a swan in her garden. She was writing a letter on the palm leaf olai. She would write a few words and then hesitate and stop. Sometimes her body trembled like a small leaf caught in a storm and despite the soothing cool winds blowing through the garden and she had a handmaiden fanning her with a peacock fan while droplets of sweat appeared on her forehead.

“My Prince, I write this letter after much deliberation and hesitation. I hear a lot of rumours about the Kingdom and sadly your father’s ill-health is worsening every day. I hear that you have refused to come here despite the summons that he has sent. I am tormented by the thought that you wouldn’t come to Thanjavur, because I am living here. I believe that we could lay aside our differences if we could only meet once more. If you do not wish to come to Thanjavur, then can I request you to meet me at Kadambur Sambuverayer’s Palace? Today, I am married to a noble lord whose age matches that of your grandsire and that makes me your grandmother. I see no impropriety in our meeting at Kadambur. I am handing this message to the brave prince of Kadambur, Kandan Maran. You can trust him completely and send a reply to me.

Unfortunate and unlucky Nandini

After completing the letter, she read through it again and then turned to her handmaiden who was fanning her and said, “Go and fetch the Prince of Kadambur,”

When Kandan Maran came, he found it difficult to meet Nandini’s eyes. He looked down at his feet and somewhere aimlessly in the garden, unable to behold her mesmerizing beautiful visage.

“Ayya! Please sit down,” said Nandini. The slight tremor in her voice made him look at her face. Nandini continued with a smile, “I know that it would be difficult to see me with eyes that beheld and admired the beauty of the Princess,” Her words pained Kandan Maran’s heart, while her smile encouraged him to say and do many foolish things…

He said, “A thousand Kundavai cannot match the beauty of one Nandini Devi!”

“Nonetheless, if Kundavai were to say the ‘word’, you would even travel to the heavens to bring her King Indra’s throne. But you won’t heed my word and seat yourself, would you?”

Kandan Maran immediately sat down on the stone bench opposite to her couch and said, “Devi! You just need to say the word and I would even go to Brahmalokam and bring one of the heads of the Lord Creator,”

Nandini trembled at his words. She turned her head and said, “Lord Shiva left Brahma with four heads when he took one. Even if you take another head, at least he will have three more to live with…”

“Devi! I will listen to whatever you say but please do not talk about Princess Kundavai to me. I couldn’t stand the fact that she supported Vandiya Devan,”

“Still your flights of fancy were very impressive when you described the fight that you had with your friend,”

Nandini’s appreciation made Kandan Maran shy. He smiled foolishly and said, “I had to tell her something about how I met him, so I just allowed my imagination to take over but in the end he did stab me, so that was not a lie.”

“Ayya! I think it would be better if you could try to remember everything that happened that night,”

“Devi! Do you doubt my word then?”

“No. I believe you. But I think you have forgotten a few things that occurred that night. One day, our soldiers will catch Vandiya Devan and bring him here to stand trial for his crimes. Your testimony at the trial would be very vital and that’s why you need to make an effort to remember everything that happened…”

“I have no interest in that. I would like to forgive rather than condemn him to a life in the dungeons…”

“You have a forgiving heart. Nonetheless, I think it would be better if we could think back and decide among ourselves as to what happened that night. Do you remember what happened in the underground passage when you escorted Prince Madhuranthakan? Do you remember meeting me and Lord Pazhuvetarayar?”

Kandan Maran escorting Madhuranthakan

“How could I forget meeting you, Devi? No memory is more fairer or dearer to me than that…”

“If that is so, then you must also remember what you spoke on that occasion?”

“No. I remember meeting you that’s all. I can’t recall what I spoke…”

“Thankfully I do. You said, ‘Ayya!  I had heard many describe the beauty of your daughter but now I realize that mere words cannot pay homage to her…’ to my Lord Husband.”

“Ayyo! Did I really say that? No wonder he was red-faced with anger. Even now, I know that he does not like me much.”

Nandini laughed at him and said, “I does not matter if he dislikes you but you do like him, don’t you?”

“Devi! There is no use in hiding the truth from you. I too dislike him very much…”

“That is fine. I like him. That should make up for everything I think. I am very fortunate that God gave me a husband like him.”

Kandan Maran looked a bit embarrassed at her frank admission.

“Do you remember what happened after you met us there?”

“I followed the soldier who guards the underground passage. He had a fire torch and he opened the door of the passage and waited for me to enter. I entered the passage and that’s when someone stabbed me… Vandiya Devan must have known that I would be coming that way and was probably waiting outside to attack me,”

“Ayya! Your surmise is wrong. He was not waiting outside,”

“Devi! You too believe that he is not a ‘spy’ and a ‘traitor’,”

“No. He is a spy. But I know that he was not waiting outside the underground passage to attack you. I think he was waiting inside the passage.”

“But Devi, how is that possible?”

“You know that he vanished from the Fort that day when my brother-in-law’s soldiers were searching for him. I suspect that he somehow entered the underground palace and learned all its secrets. He must have seen you there and followed you. That’s how you ended up stabbed in the back… Maybe he felt remorse at having hurt you so he left you at the house of the deaf and mute woman…”

“Devi! You are right. I have been thinking about this for so long and I couldn’t understand how he came upon me so suddenly. Devi! I have just realized that there are people who are very beautiful but are witless and there are those who are very intelligent but not pleasing to look upon. It is very rare to find wit and beauty in the same person. Lord Brahma undoubtedly excelled himself when he created you with equal portions of beauty and wit.”

“Ayya! Do you really mean these words or are you trying to flatter me?”

“Devi!  I am not flattering you. I am merely stating the fact.”

“If that is so, will you do a task for me?”

“I will do anything that is within my powers to please you…”

“You will need to travel to Kanchi (Kanchipuram) for me,”

“I would go to Kashi also if you ask it,”

“You don’t have to go so far. Just Kanchi is enough. I have a letter for Prince Aditya Karikalan for you deliver. And you will need to invite him as a guest to your palace in Kadambur…”

“Devi! What is this you are saying? Don’t you know the arrangement and the oath that your husband and my father have sworn?”

“Yes I know but I also know many other things that these lords do not know. We are all at the brink of danger and sadly no one seems to know about this, except me. Do you know who is responsible for it?”

“No Devi! Please tell me.”

“The rakshashi who was here as our guest this afternoon is responsible.”

“Ayyo! Are you referring to Kundavai Piratti?”

“Yes, I am talking about that snake. I know the venom that Kundavai is made of. Do you know, she has sent your friend, Vandiya Devan to Elangai? And it is not for getting medicinal herbs for her father. She has no intention of saving her father from his ill health. After his demise, she wants the crown for her brother Arul Mozhi Varman. If he becomes the next king, she can rule the kingdom in his name as a ‘queen’. And do you know who the ‘king’ would be? Your friend, Vandiya Devan.”

“Aha! Devi! We have to stop this from happening somehow. Let us tell your Lord husband and my father…”

“There is no use telling about this to them. They will not believe it. We need to counter Kundavai’s moves through mine and it is not possible without your help,”

“Devi! I am at your disposal. Command me.”

“I want you to take this letter to Kanchi and hand it over to the Prince carefully. Will you do that?” asked Nandini with her hand outstretched holding the letter and its metal case.

Rendered witless over her beauty and beseeching words, Kandan Maran instead of taking the letter from her hand, held her hand and said, “I will do anything for you,”

Periya Pazhuvetrayar

At the same instant, they heard the sound of resounding steps that could only belong to Periya Pazhuvetarayar. Startled they turned towards the sound and saw him marching through the garden path towards them. A parrot that was chained was perched on a metal cage near the lata mandapam. With his anger matching his long strides, Pazhuvetarayar seized the parrot in hand and the poor bird, frightened out its wits gave a resounding shriek.

  

Chapter 13: Ponniyin Selvan

Just when Vandiya Devan was finding his way by foot towards Maandotham and Anirudhar and Azhwarkadiyan were conversing about the Kingdom’s affairs, Princess Kundavai and Vanathi were on their way to Thanjavur on a royal elephant. Kundavai Devi had not visited Thanjavur for some time now, for many reasons. In the first place, Thanjavur did not have enough palaces to house the princess and her retinue. With result, she would have to stay at her father’s royal residence which was not only inconvenient but also lacked privacy. Independent by nature, Kundavai couldn’t abide by the rules of security laid down by the Pazhuvur brothers. Apart from that, she found it difficult to bear the arrogant behaviour of Pazhvur Elaya Rani whose insolence knew no bounds. Her father too accepted her reservations and did not demand her presence at the capital often.

Princess Kundavai

But after meeting Vandiya Devan, Kundavai felt that none of these reasons mattered much when the safety of the Kingdom and that of the throne were under question. ‘How can I roam joyously around the gardens of Pazhaiarai when the Kingdom is under such grave danger?’ was the question she asked herself. With the Crown Prince away in Kanchipuram and her younger brother in Elangai, ‘Who will take care of the kingdom?’ Her brother had cautioned her more than once to use spies to learn what was happening in the capital. But time for covert knowledge was past and she knew that she had to be in Thanjavur, beside her father.

So far, she had been uncomfortable with the arrogance and ambitious behaviour of the Pazhuvur brothers and when she learned about their plot to crown Madhuranthakan she knew that it was time she paid a visit to the Capital. That poor boy Madhuranthakan! God knows what they are planning to do with him. They have also somehow garnered the support of important chieftains and petty kings to help his cause. They might even stoop to kill the king to fulfil their ambition. They wouldn’t find a more opportune time to act than now with both the sons away from the Capital, it would be very easy to crown Madhuranthakan as the next king. If they were short of ideas, that Rakshashi Nandini would supply them with a few murderous ones. These were the thoughts that prompted Kundavai to leave her carefree world at Pazhaiarai and move towards the fort of Thanjavur. At the capital, it would easy to see through the machinations of the Pazhuvur brothers and hopefully save the kingdom from grave danger.

But why do they want to crown Madhuranthakan? Do they truly believe that he deserves the throne? No. They want a puppet king on the throne, someone who would listen to everything that they say while the real power would rest in the hands of Pazhuvetarayar and his queen. She would then rule over the Chola Kingdom and hold sway over everybody’s life, including hers. ‘No! This will not come to pass when I am alive.’ Let me see just how clever she really is.

While living in Thanjavur would be uncomfortable enough, her parents would undoubtedly ask, ‘Why have you come here instead of staying comfortably at Pazhaiarai?’ It would impossible to go anywhere outside the Fort without the permission of Thanjavur Commander Chinna Pazhuvetrayar. If that were not enough, the idle women folk at the palace would start talking about her marriage, which left her seething with irritation. She would have to meet Nandini upon occasion and bear her arrogant behaviour and ungracious self. But none of these were worth a consideration when the Kingdom was under such grave danger. She also intuitively sensed an imminent danger nearing her father.

Apart from all these considerations, there was yet another important reason for her travel. She wanted to know whether Vandiya Devan had reached his destination or not. She now knew that the Pazhuvur brothers had sent soldiers to Kodi Karai to capture Vandiya Devan. Will they be successful in capturing that brave youth? She thought not. But if they do, they would bring him to Thanjavur and wouldn’t it be helpful if she were there too. They dare not do any harm to a messenger sent by the Crown Prince that’s why they have brought about the false charge of attempted murder on him. If they can blame him for trying to murder Sambureyar’s son, they would be within their rights to imprison him. There was no doubt about the fact that it was a false charge but it might be difficult to prove it. She was determined to speak to Kandan Maran and learn his version of the story as well.

While Kundavai’s mind was unravelling the political intrigues and imminent threats against her father’s kingdom, her companion and friend Vanathi’s innocent mind was engaged with just one thought. ‘When would Prince Arul Mozhi Varmar come back home?’

“Akka! You said that you have asked him to come home immediately? Where will he arrive? At Pazhaiarai or Thanjavur?”

She was wondering whether the Prince would arrive at Pazhaiarai when they were visiting Thanjavur.

Kundavai who was otherwise engaged didn’t hear her question properly. “Are you asking about Ponniyin Selvan, Vanathi?”

“Yes Akka. I was asking about him. You have called him ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ again. Won’t you tell me the story behind that name? We have all the time in the world, as this elephant is moving very slowly towards the Fort.”

“If the elephant were to go anymore faster than this, we wouldn’t be able to sit on it. Do you know what happened in the Thakkolam war?”

“No. I don’t. I want to know the story behind the name ‘Ponniyin Selvan’.”

“Looks like you will not forget about that. Alright, here is the story…”

In the early years of Sundara Chola’s ascension to the throne, his family life was very happy. He used to take many pleasure trips along with his family in the palace boats along the banks of the Cauvery. Along with his wife and children and palace servants, bards and musicians, they used to have a merry day of pleasure. With sounds of laughter, encouragements and poetic verses, the king loved to travel along with his family, whenever he felt the need to relax from the burden of the work.

  

Once while they were travelling in the palace boat thus, the King and the Queen were engaged in a serious conversation and there arose an alarm, ‘Where is the child? Where is Arul Mozhi?’ Startled they looked around to find their youngest son missing from the boat. Kundavai who had raised the alarm searched everywhere around and soon the servants and the King himself jumped into the water to search for the lost child.

Kundavai was just seven years old then, while Arul Mozhi was five years old. Arul Mozhi was the darling child of the entire kingdom. But more than anybody else, it was Kundavai who took care of him and loved him almost like a mother rather than a sister. When she found her younger brother missing, she was alarmed and shaken. Worried she looked everywhere and around the boat to see whether he had fallen into the water by accident. But how long could they search for the missing child in the water and where to search? Learning about the danger to their darling child, the queen and some of her womenfolk fainted away in fear, while some cried bitterly.

Suddenly there was a miracle. They saw her at a distance from the bank; a woman holding the missing child in her hands. Half submerged in the water, she held out the child in her hand. Her beautiful face, arms and shoulders were the only thing that were seen. 

Prince Arul Mozhi saved by Mother Cauvery

The King who was swimming nearby, immediately took the child from her and by then the palace boat had neared them. He gave the child to the servants and got into the boat and suddenly fainted. With the king indisposed and a child to take care, the queen and her servants forgot all about the woman who had saved the child. After some time when things settled down, they pondered over who saved the child. No one came forward to claim the honour of saving the little Prince’s life. No one had noticed what happened to the woman after she handed over the child to the King. After endless discussion, they decided that it must have been Mother Cauvery who had saved the Prince. And every year, they held a special puja for River Ponni (tributary of Cauvery where the Prince had drowned) and since then, the Prince was referred lovingly as Ponniyin Selvan (Ponni’s beloved).

Chapter 57: Maya Mohini

Right from the time, when Aditya Karikalan had started his story, Parthibendran had been listening to him without much sympathy. But when his friend held his heart, he could truly experience his pain and his eyes grew moist.

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Chapter 56 – In the Anthapuram

Hundreds of years ago, King Mahendra Pallava had built small mandapams all over his kingdom and tasked royal bards to regale his citizens with stories from Mahabharatam. Thanks to the influence of Bhudhism and Jainism in these parts, many people had embraced peace and passivity in their life. Anticipating an imminent Chalukya attack, the King wanted to remind people of the glories of war and victory and he erected many small mandapams all through his kingdom to make story tellers to recite Mahabharatam and other war stories. Since then these small mandapams were called ‘Bharatha mandapam’. Even during the Chola age, Mahendra Pallava’s edict of reading the great epic of Mahabharatam continued unbroken. Every evening, people thronged to these ‘Bharatha Mandapams’ to listen to the glorious story of this war epic. Some bards even sang beautiful songs composed in the honour of the great heroes of the epic.

One of the stories that were oft repeated was that of Aravaan – the son of Arjuna and Chitrangi, the Princess of Manipur. When Arjuna was on a pilgrimage, he marries Chitrangi and has a son by her, called Aravaan. A brave warrior, Aravaan sets out to battle along with the Pandavas at the Kurushetra. On the eve of the battle, it was customary to sacrifice a young warrior to propitiate the Gods so that they grant them victory. Aravaan, offers himself as the sacrifice and willingly loses his neck for Pandavas. The story of brave Aravaan captured the imagination of many and temples were raised for this glorious warrior all over the Chola Kingdom. Next to Draupadi, who was venerated as a goddess, Aravaan was most glorified among the Cholas.

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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 54 – The Venom of a Woman

One of the old palaces of Pallava Kings was readied for the Crown Prince and his retinue. That night, Malaimaan left the palace to hear the story of Aravan – the son of Arjuna at the Mahendra Mandapam. After a sumptuous dinner, Karikalan and Parthibendran, sat in the terrace of the palace watching the beach and the harbour. They could hear the temple bells clanging along with the continuous roar of the sea waves.

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Chapter 41 - The Underground Chamber

Vandiya Devan climbed down the steps slowly. After a while, he reached level ground but there were a few feet steps... As the path wound endlessly, he wondered how long he would have to roam in the dark.

Suddenly he saw a very dim light somewhere... he wondered if there was a window through which moonlight was beaming in or if there was a lamp, kept hidden in a corner.

'No! It can't be! Am I imagining things? Have I gone mad? How can this be? Is this even possible?'

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