Chapter 2: Seductive Net

Men who get married to younger women often dwell in a world where suspicion reigns supreme. They often regard strangers with distaste. Pazhuvetarayar felt the same when he saw Parthibendran outside his tent and added to that he didn’t like the way Nandini had come forward to talk to the Pallava Lord but he couldn’t chide her too!

He therefore replied to Nandini with a frosty smile, “Devi! There are many in this world that we do not know and we have nothing to lose, if we don’t.”

Parthibendran who had by then recovered his speech said, “Ayya! While it is true that you have nothing to lose if you do not know me, the loss is truly mine. Allow me to introduce myself to your wife. Devi! People call me Parthibendra Pallavan.”

“Oh! I have heard about you,” said Nandini.

“Parthibendra! Why did you omit all those titles that decorate your name? Since when did you turn so humble! Nandini! He isn’t just Parthibendra Pallavan, he is the warrior who won Vengai and Kalligam! He is the warrior who beheaded Veera Pandian!” said Pazhuvetarayar with a derisive laugh.

Nandini’s face darkened for a few seconds just as sudden clouds crowd on a clear blue sky. She regained her composure soon enough and laughed.

“Ayya! These days so many people are claiming the honour of beheading Veera Pandian that it is difficult to count,”

“Devi! Dhanadigari added those titles to my name out of respect but in truth, the honour of slaying Veera Pandian rests with Prince Aditya Karikalar!”

“Now I wonder why you say that? Don’t you want, your share of honour in killing a dead snake?” asked Pazhuvetarayar sarcastically.

“No, My Lord! Aditya Karikalar did not kill a dead snake. When he slew Veera Pandian, he was a live snake. When he drew his sword, a beautiful woman came in front to beg for the King’s life. If it had been me, I would have thrown that sword away and Veera Pandian might have escaped with his life,” said Parthibendran in reply to Pazhuvetarayar though his eyes were directed towards his wife.

Nandini who realized the dangerous route the conversation was taking, immediately turned towards her husband.

“Natha! Why are we talking about these old stories? Kindly enquire about his business hereabouts!”

Pazhuvetarayar immediately acceded and asked, “She is right. Let’s not discuss the old stories. What are you doing here? When did you leave Kanchipuram? Where are you bound?”

Parthibendran who had forgotten the purpose of his visit, soon remembered it.

“Ayya! Forgive me. I have come with news that would drown the Chola Kingdom in sorrow. Prince Arul Mozhi Varmar came along with me in my ship and when we were stuck in the cyclone, he jumped into the sea and has gone missing. We searched for him in the sea fruitlessly for an entire day. I came here hoping that he might have ashore…”

Even before he could finish his account, Pazhuvetarayar wailed, “What? What did you say?” and fell down in a dead faint.

Parthibendran sprang forward to hold him but Nandini pushed his hands away and sat down near her husband. Cradling his head on her laps, she shouted, “Water! Water!”

A handmaiden came running from the tent bearing a pitcher of water while soldiers and onlookers crowded them around. Nandini with a glance bid them to move away and sprinkled some water on her husband’s face and crooned lovingly, “Natha! Natha!”

 

Periya Pazhuvetarayar faints!

After a few minutes, Pazhuvetarayar opened his eyes and sat up immediately.

“Nandini! Did my ears deceive me? What did this Pallavan say? Did he say that Ponniyin Selvan was lost in the sea? I played with Arul Mozhi when he was but a wee child. I used to tell him tales while he rode on my shoulders! I held him in these very hands right from the time he was a babe! With these very hands, I put the seal on the royal decree to imprison him! Woe to me! What will the people of Chola Kingdom say about me and my clan?” wailed Pazhuvetarayar and beat his hands on his head. No one had seen the old man ever so distressed in their life, not even Nandini!

“Natha! Don’t distress yourself! The Pallava lord did not complete his message. Let us hear him out and decide what needs to be done,”

“Yes. You are right! Parthibendra! You said that the Prince drowned in the sea. Is that true? Or are you perhaps telling these tales out of some malicious intent? Do not play around with me!” growled the old man.

Parthibendra Pallavan 

“Ayya! Forgive me! I did not say that the Prince drowned and died. I cannot accept the fact that a storm can steal this Kingdom of its most beloved Prince. When the cyclone was at its worst, the Prince jumped from my ship into the sea. He might have escaped, if God willed it! That’s why I came here hoping against hope that he might be alive and might have come ashore…”

“He jumped from the sea during the storm! Why? What possessed him to do such a thing? Why did he come in your ship in the first place? What were you doing when he did such an insane act?” questioned Pazhuvetarayar one after another.

Nandini interjected saying, “Ask him to explain as to why he went to Elangai in the first place?”

“Yes. Tell me the truth or else you will never leave this place alive,”

“My Lord! I am not in the habit of telling lies. If for some reason, lies are called for even then, my tongue betrays me by telling the truth. We have been hearing disturbing rumours about the King in Kanchipuram. We also heard that the noble lords have gathered under the Pazhuvur Lord to conspire against the Crown Prince Aditya Karikalan’s right to succession,”

“Lies! Absolute lies!”

“I too wish that they were but mere lies nonetheless this is what we heard! This prompted noble Malaimaan to send me to Elangai so that I could bring back Prince Arul Mozhi to the Kingdom….”

Starting thus, Parthibendran recollected all the events that had occurred ever since he boarded the ship to Elangai. After listening to him, Pazhuvetarayar wailed, “Oh God! A great calamity has come to Chola Kingdom! And it came because of me. It was ‘I’ who sent those ships to Elangai to imprison the Prince!”

“My Lord! None of this is your fault. Even if you hadn’t sent those ships, the Prince would have travelled in the Pallava Lord’s ship to Kanchi and would have become prey to the storm. Pray, do not blame yourself for something that God had destined!” said Nandini wisely and then suddenly leaned towards her husband and whispered something in his ears.

Pazhuvetarayar’s face gained some colour after he heard her words and said, “Yes! Yes you are right! It didn’t occur to me at all!”

Next he turned to Parthibendran and said, “Pallava! I am going to go to your ship and inspect it. You will remain here under my guard, until then. Don’t try to escape or else my soldiers will hunt you down. You belong to the brave clan of mighty Pallavas and it would tarnish their fame if you were found wounded in your back!”

“My Lord! I have no intention of escaping from here. If I do decide to escape, none of your soldiers can hope to wound me and certainly not even in the back.”

“My lord! Don’t worry. I will take care of him. If he tries to escape, this dagger of mine will find its mark. You go to his ship and inspect it carefully. Speak to his sailors to verify his story.” Said Nandini with her hand clutching the dagger that she had taken out of her waist.

“Devi! I don’t want to burden you with this responsibility. You go inside the tent and take rest or else go to Thyaga Vidagarayar’s house. Our soldiers can keep him under watch until I return or else I could take him alone with me to inspect the ship…”

“I have no intention of accompanying you, My Lord. If I come with you, will suspect me again of influencing my sailors. I will not budge from here until you come,”

“My Lord! I have no intention of going anywhere too. I will be here waiting for you…” said Nandini and then leaned towards him to whisper in his ears again, “This Pallava Lord might have come here to spy on you, who knows? I will stay here to prevent such mischief. Moreover no one hereabouts should know the truth about the Prince’s fate until you come back from the ship…”

Pazhuvetarayar nodded his head and then took a boat to inspect Parthibendran’s ship that was anchored at some distance. Nandini stood looking at the boat until it moved away from the range of her eyes. She was also aware of the fact that Parthibendran was unabashedly staring at her face. She turned towards him expecting him to look away with embarrassment but the honeybee that has smelt the nectar will seldom turn away!

Nandini took the dagger back from her waist and said, “Don’t try to escape! You have been warned!”

“Devi! Why are you trying to scare me off with that dagger? How could a fish that has been ensnared in the fisherwoman’s net escape? Where would it go? I am truly caught in the net that you had cast…”

“What are you saying? Are you comparing me with a fisherwoman? If my lord were to hear this…”

“I am not worried about what he would think. But I did not mean to call you a fisherwoman. I was referring to your beautiful eyes that casts an alluring seductive net…”

“Chi! Chi! How dare you? Even if you had called me a fisherwoman it was excusable but you dare to call me, a woman of loose morals!”

“Forgive me! That’s not what I meant when I spoke about your beautiful eyes. There is nary a guile in them. The spider painstakingly makes a beautiful web as its home. When the flies fly into it, one can hardly blame the spider for enticing it inside…”

“So you are comparing me to a nasty spider. Do I look so horrible to you?”

“No! No! I should have compared you to the lamp. We light a lamp so that it relieves us from the darkness but the house flies and other pests are attracted to its beauty and they sacrifice their life at its altar…”

“A small wind can take care of this lamp. We can even blow off the lamp and extinguish it! That’s all the power that the lamp holds.”

“The lamp might be extinguished but is there any power in this world to dim the full moon’s light! The moon rises over the sea because of the natural order of things in this world but why does the sea try to reach it with its endless waves. Why does it constantly try to touch the moon with those scary waves?”

“I have heard that the Pallava kings appreciated art and imagination very much, today I have learned it to be true!”

“I never believed it when I read about it in the Puranic tales and old stories but today I am willing to believe it,”

“What are you referring to?”

“I have heard about who posses such unearthly beauty that they are able to enslave all beings in the three worlds. Didn’t Mohini enchant the Auras, just when they were about to partake the nectar? Didn’t the Apsara Menaka entice Sage Vishwamitra away from his austerities? Didn’t Kovalan fall prey to the beauty of courtesan Madhavi? Didn’t King Dasaratha banish Rama to the forest just to please Kaikeyi? Didn’t the glorious Kingdom of Rome lose its fame and glory when it bowed its head before the beauty of Egypt’s queen…”

“Enough! May I ask, why you are giving such examples to me?

“Devi! Can’t you guess why I am giving these examples?”

“If you are quoting these as an example for me, then you are making a huge mistake,”

“I doubt that. The women that I quoted as an example had as much power as you have,”

“I can prove that it is a lie with the help of your own words!”

“How so?”

“I sent my lord husband to the ship deliberately, so that I could speak to you privately,”

“I guessed your intent. That’s why I didn’t go with him,”

“A little while ago, you said that a woman tried to save Veera Pandiyan and that Aditya Karikalar didn’t accede to her request,”

“Yes I did,”

“Do you know who that woman was?”

“Yes. She is right now the beloved wife of Periya Pazhuvetarayar!”

“If I indeed were so enticing, wouldn’t I have saved the life of Veera Pandiyan? Why did I fail there?”

“It is true that Prince Aditya Karikalar didn’t accede to your request. His fury in war is legendary. But it is also true that for the past three years, he has been regretting his actions and is torturing himself for not granting your wish,”

“How is it that you know about this? Did he speak to you about it?”

“For three years, he had locked this sorrow in the deepest recess of his heart. I knew that he was troubled by something and begged him to reveal it to me. He opened his heart ten days ago, before I journeyed to Elangai. Since then…”

“Since then…”

“Since then, I have been wanting to meet the Pazhuvur Queen,”

“You said that if you had been in Aditya Karikalar’s position, you would have acceded to my request and granted Veera Pandiyan his life,”

“Yes I did,”

“Is that true?”

“Absolutely! You can test me if you want,”

“Ayya! I have a doubt. Can I tell you about it?”

“My ears are fortunate to hear anything that you care to say with your honeyed voice,”

“I think that you are testing me with your words. While you speak of the net that I am casting around, you are trying to trap me in your net! You are trying to gain my confidence so that you could learn all my secrets!”

Parthibendran was flabbergasted to hear Nandini’s words. He had indeed begun the conversation with intention of trapping her in a web of lies and to make her believe that he was smitten with her beauty. But what began with a deceitful intent soon became true for him and he became truly enamoured by her beauty. He was startled by the fact that Nandini was perceptive enough to gleam the truth out of his lies. Nonetheless, he tried to hide the fact from her and said, “Devi! If you truly believe that I have come here to spy on you, let the Gods unleash thunder and lightening upon my head!”

“Ayyo! Do not say that!” wailed Nandini.

“That messenger who came from your Prince, what was his name?”

“You mean Vandiya Devan?”

“Yes. He tried to spy on me very cleverly and if your account is true, it looks as if the lightening did indeed fall upon his head,”

“Alas Devi! The lightening fell upon the ship and not on his head and that finally led to the Prince leaving the ship in the heart of the storm!”

“Poor Kundavai! Two people who were most dear to her heart are lost to her forever. How unfortunate for her?”

“Devi! Who are these two people?”

“Didn’t you know that Prince Arul Mozhi Varmar was most dear to Kundavai?”

“Yes I do. But who is this other person who is dear to her?”

“Who but that messenger that your Prince sent along,”

“You mean Vandiya Devan?”

“Yes!”

“Chi! Chi! How could Princess Kundavai, who is powerful enough to rule this kingdom spare a glance to that upstart and vainglorious Vandiya Devan?”

“Nonetheless, it is true. She was attracted to him and that’s why she sought to save him from my husband’s soldiers, by sending him away to Elangai to fetch her brother. My husband is berating himself for sending those ships to imprison the Prince but in reality it is Kundavai who is responsible for the brother’s death. If she had not sent Vandiya Devan to the Prince…”

“…then the Prince wouldn’t have jumped into the sea during the storm.”

“When my Lord husband comes back from the ship, I would be grateful if you could point this out to him,”

“Devi! Is there anything else that I could do for you, so as to earn your gratitude?”

“Ayya! I am but a helpless woman and there are hundred ways to earn my gratitude,”

“If you could tell me I would be much beholden to you. Aditya Karikalar got a golden opportunity to earn your gratitude and he let it slip away and regretted his actions for three years. I would never make such a mistake in my life,”

“Is that true, ayya? Would you go to any lengths to do the bidding of a woman?”

“No! Yesterday, if someone had told me this, I would have laughed. But today, after I saw you, I can’t help myself. Tell me something, anything! If I had hundred lives, I would sacrifice them for you, just to do your bidding. I would sacrifice a thousand kingdoms just to please you. Ask me to forgive my deadly enemy and I would do it for you. Ask me to behead my dearest friend, and it shall be done forthwith…”

As Parthibendran went on listing the things that he was prepared to gain Nandini’s gratitude, his body shook and his speech slurred, his lips trembled and his breathe became hot! Parthibendran transformation will be a source of great surprise for all the readers. But if someone had gone to him and said, “You will become thus!” he wouldn’t have believed it. Later, after many years, he would think back to this day and wonder how he could have acted thus!

This kind of transformation is not limited to a person like Parthibendran. It happens all the time, all around us. We haven’t unravelled the mysteries of the human body yet and it would take many years before we unravel the mysteries of the mind.

People who commit acts of unspeakable evil, one day become devout and renounce their old life.  There are others who spend their life immersed in devotion but irrevocably slip into evil ways.

Nandini who heard Parthibendran’s declaration with a smug smile, interjected him and said, “Enough Ayya! I would never ask you to do anything so terrible as you just described. I would only request you to do something that would make us both happy,”   

Previous Chapter                                                                                           Next Chapter

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 22: Senthen Amuthan in the Prison

The mint where the Chola Kingdom made its coinage was as heavily guarded as the Thanjavur fort. That evening, Kundavai and Vanathi made their way through its heavily guarded corridors even as the goldsmiths were departing after a hard day’s work. The guards checked each of the goldsmiths thoroughly before letting them leave. When the guards and the goldsmiths noticed the arrival of the Princesses, they raised a cheer, “Long live Elaya Piratti!” The commander of the Mint and the Dungeons came hurriedly to welcome them. He showed them the fire smithy where the gold was melted and the moulds bearing the ensign of a tiger and the image of a ship. Mounds of freshly minted gold coins lay on one side and their glint caught the light of the lamps dazzling the onlookers.

 

Chola coins

“See Vanathi! For many centuries, gold has been coming to our kingdom from all our conquered lands. So long, it was the womenfolk who had to bear the burden of this gold as ornaments and trinkets. Thankfully that time is past now as our Dhanadhigari (Royal Treasurer) started minting the gold into coins,”

“Akka!  How do these coins help?”

“They are a big help to merchants and traders as they can now easily sell their wares for ‘so many coins’ instead of bartering them with something else. It is easy for the common people to pay their taxes instead of giving their produce. It is easy to trade with foreign kingdoms as the coins help to regulate our transactions. That’s why our merchants and traders are indebted to Periya Pazhuvetarayar since he has eased their burden. It also helps in many other things Vanathi! It also helps those who want to plot against the King and his family. It is easy to buy treason with a bag of gold coins…”

The Commander of the Mint who was standing next to her, heard this and said, “Yes Princess! We have heard of such rumours and that’s why we have increased the guards in this fort. That could be the reason why so many prisoners arrive and leave.”

“I know that Prisoners are coming quite frequently but I didn’t realize that they left too…”

“Yes. That has been happening too. This morning they brought a prisoner to shut in the dungeons and about a hour ago, he was released and taken away…”

“Who could that be?” wondered Kundavai.

After looking at all the fire smithys’ in the Mint, the Commander took them to the inner chambers of the fort through a small door. As they climbed down the steps, to the dungeons, they could hear the blood curdling growls of many hungry tigers. A guard stood at the end of the steps with a fire log to show the way. In the light of the fire, they could see many cages with tigers locked up in them. Some were prancing around majestically, while some were lying down.

Tigers in the dungeon

Kundavai held Vanathi’s hand tightly and whispered, “Vanathi! Are you frightened? Please do not faint away here, it would be very difficult to revive you.”

Vanathi gave a faint smile and said, “How could I be frightened of tigers akka? They are the protectors of our clan!”

“Many times it our protectors who join our enemies and become more dangerous than ever.”

“No Akka! Human protectors might do that but these tigers will never turn against us,”

“We can’t say that for sure. These tigers have tasted the flesh of many traitors and undoubtedly their blood would have intermingled with these tigers…”

Vanathi shivered when she heard these words despite the bravado that she had put up for the Princess.

“Akka! What are you saying? Do these guards feed the prisoners to these tigers?”

“No! The dungeons have only one door. Any one who enters has to go past these tigers to the prison below. If someone from below plans to escape, he needs to come through this chamber and that’s when they become prey to the tiger’s hunger,”

“Shiva Shiva! That’s barbaric!”

“That’s how great kingdoms work Vanathi! Compassion and cruelty are shown in equal measures here. You should have heard the way Chinna Pazhuvetrayar spoke to me today. I would not have been surprised if he had shut me in the dungeons with these tigers…”

“Akka! There is no one in these 14 worlds who has power enough to shut you in the dungeons. If someone were to attempt it, the earth that we stand upon would split and swallow everything in its wake. I am a bit worried about our Pazhaiarai Physician’s son. Let’s hope that poor boy did not attempt to escape…”

“He is a poor boy indeed! But one can’t always be sure as when they will change…”

As they neared the chamber, the growls of the tigers increased as they noted the new visitors. Kundavai asked the guard, “Looks like the tigers are very angry today…”

“No Princess! They are growling thus to welcome their Chakravarthi’s daughter,”

Kundavai smiled at this clever retort and said, “That’s a nice welcome…”

“Moreover it is time for their feed…”

“In that case, we will leave early. Where is the door to the dungeons below?”

The guard took them to the farthest corner of the dungeon and then moved the tiger cage. On the floor, there was a strong iron door, which required two strong guards to open. Built deep within the ground, there was no light save the fire log that their guard carried. The dungeons were narrowly built and they had to go in a single file following the guard with the fire torch. The narrow path ended in a chamber filled with prison cells. Some had single prisoners while some shared a cell. Most of them were skin and bones and their sad sorry selves was pitiful to watch. Yet among these there arose a soulful sweet voice singing –

“Ponnaar meniyane!

Pulitholai araikkasaithu

Minnaar senjadai mel

Milirkondrai aninthavane!”

The cells in the dungeons were not built in order. They had to move around the chamber like a maze to look into each cell as the guard raised the fire torch. Some prisoners were left to roam in the cell free, while some were chained with iron. Noting this, Vanathi asked, “Akka! This is very cruel indeed. So many prisoners shut down here? Didn’t these people undergo any trial?”

“These men are not ordinary prisoners Vanathi. They have committed treason against the King and the crown. Spies and people who help these spies are incarcerated in these dungeons. If they confess their crimes and tell the truth they are banished from the Kingdom but most of them have nothing to tell. Their condition is quite pitiful, indeed.”

As they searched for the Pazhaiarai’s Physician son, they neared the cell where the prisoner was singing. They found a young man with a slight build in the cell. He was none other than our old friend, Senthan Amuthan.

Senthan Amuthan

His innocent looks and thoughtful eyes made them stop there for a while. Kundavai, “You were the one who was singing?”

“Yes Princess!”

“Looks like you are quite happy here.”

“There is no dearth of happiness for me here amma! My God who is omnipresent, is here with me in this darkest of the dungeons…”

“You speak like a wise man. Who are you? What were you doing outside?”

“I am not a wise man Princess. I used to present my lord with flowers as my offering, when I was outside. Since that’s not possible here, I am offering him songs.”

“Do you know only this one song or many others?”

“I know many others Princess. But ever since I came here, I have been singing this song…”

“And why is that?”

“When they brought me here, I came through the mint and there I saw piles and piles of gold coins. The sheen and the glint of the gold reminded of my Lord Shiva who glows like a gold… hence the song,”

“You are lucky! It is easy to corrupt people with gold and fortunate are those who see the God in them. Do you have any relatives living outside?”

“My mother is there. She lives outside the Thanjavur Fort where we have our garden…”

“What is her name?”

“Vaani Ammai”

“I will meet her and tell her that you are living happily here.”

“That would be useless, Amma! My mother is deaf and mute.”

“Is that so? Is your name Senthan Amuthan?” asked Kundavai

“Yes. How is it that the Princess knows my name?”

“Do you know why you have been imprisoned here?”

“I didn’t know about it until yesterday. I learned about it today.”

“What did you learn?”

“They have shut me here because I helped a ‘spy’ to escape from Thanjavur Fort.”

“Who was this spy?”

“I met a traveller near the Thanjavur Fort. He was looking for a place to rest that night so I took him to my home. I didn’t know that he would turn out to be a ‘spy’,”

“Do you know his name?”

“His name was Vallavareyan Vandiya Devan. He said that he belonged to the old Vanar clan…”

Vandiya Devan

Excited by his reply, Kundavai and Vanathi looked at each other. Vanathi asked Senthan Amuthan, “Tell us everything that happened after you met him…”

Senthan Amuthan told them all about their meeting and Vandiya Devan’s return during the dead of the night with his wounded friend, Kandan Maran. And then he also described their flight from Thanjavur on the horse and the chasing Pazhuvur soldiers and his subsequent capture.

“Why did you help this stranger? It seems like, he got you into a lot of trouble…”

“Devi! Life is strange. I didn’t know Vandiya Devan very well but I liked him and trusted him, right from the moment I met him. I would have sacrificed my life too, if I had to save him from those murderous soldiers of Pazhuvetrayar. And there are some we meet for a very little while and we feel like murdering them. The guards brought a prisoner today and shut him in this cell along with me. I couldn’t control the anger that I felt towards him. Thankfully, he got released by Pazhuvur Elaya Rani’s men, a short while ago…”  

“Is that so?” said Kundavai. She bit her lips with her pearly white teeth and let out an angry sigh, “Do you know this prisoner’s name?”

 “I don’t know his name but he is the son of a physician from Pazhaiarai.”

“What did the physician’s son say to make you so angry?”

“He spoke ill of my uncle’s daughter, Poonguzhali who lives in Kodi Karai. That is why I got very angry. But he also gave me a good news so I let him go…”

“What good news was that?”

“This scoundrel went to Kodi Karai along with my friend Vandiya Devan and he double crossed him and betrayed him to the Pazhuvur soldiers but my friend escaped.”

“He escaped? Are you sure about this?” asked Kundavai and Vanathi simultaneously.

“Yes Devi! Poonguzhali took him on her boat across the sea to Elangai and this fool got captured by the Pazhvur soldiers instead…”

 

Poonguzhali helping Vandiya Devan

Smiling with relief, Kundavai said to Senthan Amuthan, “If you are so happy because a ‘spy’ escaped, then it is best that you stay imprisoned here in the dungeons…”

“Devi! If that is true, then you both should rightfully occupy the cell next to me…”

His witty reply elicited laughter from both the women. The sound of their mirth sounded as strange and out-of-place as Senthan Amuthan’s song.

“You are very clever indeed! If we leave you here, you might just corrupt the other prisoners with your songs. I will speak to the commander and get you released immediately…”

“Devi! Please do not do that. One of the prisoners here keeps telling me, ‘Teach me at least one song and I will tell you where I have hidden the Pandyan Crown and Indra’s pearl necklace in Elangai,’ I don’t want to leave this place before learning that secret,”

 

Pandyan's Treasures

Smiling at his wit, Kundavai said, “So you want to be here until you become mad like the rest of them. What will happen to your mother then? Think about it…” and left with Vanathi. After an hour’s time, the guards released Senthan Amuthan and escorted him out of the fort.