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.

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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Chapter 2 – The Quicksand

Vandiya Devan chased the girl through the thick forest. Nimble and quick, she skirted through trees, pits and mounds and would vanish from his line of sight for a while and just when he was ready to give up she would appear again. Vandiya Devan was reminded of the magical deer that Lord Rama had to chase in Pachavati. My god! This girl is not a magical deer but she has all the swiftness and the grace of a deer. And just as he was thinking about her, he also wondered why he was chasing her in the first place. To justify his actions, he also imagined a reason for it. Even as he neared Kodi Karai he was reminded of Senthan Amuthan’s description about Poonguzhali. This must be Poonguzhali, his uncle’s daughter. It might be beneficial to make friends with her and he also needed a guide to take him to the lighthouse.

Though the lighthouse was visible at a distance, he had found it difficult to approach the place once they got into the forest. Confused and disoriented, he and the physician’s son were roaming aimlessly when they came upon Poonguzhali at the temple. He had wanted to ask her for directions to go to the lighthouse but before he could open his mouth, she had started running.

What to do now? Shall we leave her and go back? But he didn’t want to acknowledge to himself that a girl had bested him in running either!

Even while he thought thus, they came out of the woods and he could see the beach ahead and the calm sea. What a glorious sight! The lighthouse was also visible and lighted with fire. Shall I leave this girl and go towards the lighthouse?

No. It will be easier to catch her in this beach and moreover she was running towards the beach. How long can she run there, he reasoned? What if she was a sea nymph? Will she disappear when she reaches the water? He regretted not bringing his horse here. Astride on the horse, he would have caught her within no time!

Running wildly after her, he saw that she had stopped running abruptly ahead of him and had turned left and was running towards the woods again. With his legs protesting loudly and breath rasping, he gave chase after her. What would she say if he caught hold of her and said, “Girl, Stop running! I have got a message from your lover in Thanjavur.” How surprised will she be? While it was true that Senthan Amuthan did not send any message to her but what of it? He just needed to give his imagination a free rein!

Thinking thus, he sprang after her hoping to catch her before she disappeared again. He didn’t know what happened exactly but found himself shouting, “Ayyo!” It took him a moment to realize what had happened. He found himself drowning in mud and he was going down on the quick sand.

My God! How did this happen? How did I end up here? The place looked dry enough when he had stepped on it but looks are deceptive. Vandiya Devan had heard of quicksand near beaches and marshy areas that have swallowed even elephants! To his horror, he realized that he was fast sinking and had nothing to hold himself and hoist up. What will happen now? What will happen to my dreams? He realized that only Poonguzhali could save him now. He shouted loudly, “Ayyo! I am dying. I am drowning in this muddy quicksand. Please save me!”

Poonguzhali stopped running and turned around. She noted his dangerous situation and decided to help him. There was a half sunken boat on the quicksand pool. She got on it nimbly and came to the other side of the pool. Bracing her legs on the hard floor, she reached out and held her hand to Vandiya Devan. Her seemingly lean arms had an iron grip that belied her slight figure. Vandiya Devan was astonished by her strength and compared it with that of Chinna Pazhuvetrayar’s iron grip.

Poonguzhali

After he came out of the quicksand, he laughed out aloud though his legs were trembling.

“Do you really think that you saved me from that quicksand? Did you perhaps think that I wouldn’t have come out of it without your help?” he asked her cheekily.

“Then why were screaming, ‘ayyo’ ‘ayyo’? asked Poonguzhali looking peeved.

  “To stop you from running.”

“Really! Then let me push you back in that quicksand. This time around, you can rescue yourself,” saying this she tried to push him back

“Ayyayo!” shouted Vandiya Devan and moved away from her warily.

“What are you scared of now?”

“I am not scared for my life but I don’t want to get muddy again. As such, I am half drowned in mud.”

Poonguzhali smiled at him and said, “There is the sea, go and wash yourself there.

“Only if you can come with me as a guide.” Said Vandiya Devan and they both started walking towards the beach.

“Why did you run so wildly after looking at me? Did you perchance think that I was some demon or a vicious ghost?”

“No. I didn’t think you were a demon. I thought you looked like an owl.” She said and laughed.

Vandiya Devan who was vain enough to acknowledge himself to be very handsome found this to be an unpardonable slight from a woman. He got very angry and muttered, “My owl-like face is a perfect match for your monkey-face.”

“What did you say?”

 “Nothing. I just asked why you ran away.”

“Why did you chase after me?”

“I wanted to ask you for directions to go towards the lighthouse.”

“There is the lighthouse. Can’t you see? Why ask me?”

“I couldn’t find the way after entering the woods. That’s why? Why did you run away?”

“Men are vicious beasts. I don’t like them.”

“Even Senthan Amuthan?”

“Who?”

“Thanjavur Senthan Amuthan.”

“What do you know about him?”

“I know that he is your lover.”

“What? What?”

“Your name is Poonguzhali isn’t it?”

“Yes. I am Poonguzhali. What did you just now say about Senthan Amuthan? He is my….”

“I said, ‘He is your lover.’”

Poonguzhali laughed out loud and said, “Who told you this?”

“Who else? Senthan Amuthan told me. “

“Thanjavur is very far away from here, that’s why he must have told you this lie.”

“Otherwise…”

“If he had told this in front of me, I would have buried him in that quicksand.”

“So what? Here is a big beach to wash all that mud off.”

“That quicksand has buried cows, horses and even elephants.”

Vandiya Devan found himself getting goose pimples. He couldn’t forget the sinking sensation he had felt as he found himself drowning within its muddy mouth inch by inch. What if Poonguzhali had not rescued him? By now, he might have been buried there up till his neck! He found himself trembling even as he thought about it.

“What else did Senthan Amuthan say about me?”

“He said that you were his uncle’s daughter and that there is no one to compare your beauty even in Devendran’s court.”

“Looks like your friend has gone all the way to Devendran’s court. What else?”

“He said that you sing very well. He said that when you sing, even the sea listens to your song. Is that true?”

“You will find out soon. Go wash yourself at the beach.” 

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