Book 02 - Chapter 10: At the Port

Kundavi slept badly that night. The Chozha prince’s sad, yet handsome face kept her awake.  She finally fell asleep after midnight, but she was soon woken up by nightmares.

In one of those, the prince had been buried neck deep in sand. A mad elephant was running towards him. In another minute, its large feet would stomp on his head. Kundavi rushed over to get in its way. The elephant just picked her up, put her on its back and resumed its run. When Kundavi looked at the prince, his face had a contemptuous smirk. Kundavi, woke up trembling and realized it was just a dream.

When she was able to fall asleep again, the dream was no more pleasant. There was a row of stakes. The prince was brought there to be impaled. Kundavi rushed towards the scene, and prayed to Durga, the Goddess. The stakes caught fire. Delighted, Kundavi turned towards the prince, just to realize the twelve soldiers around him were going to pierce him with their spears. Kundavi screamed, woke up and realized that she had fallen off the bed.

She gave up any attempt to sleep at that point. Her reason told her that her father’s justice system did not allow barbaric punishments like impalement and having elephants trample people to death. The daybreak finally arrived.

She wanted to talk to her father again about the prince. But she could not catch him alone. He took his leave from her and started walking. She could not contain herself. She called out, “Father, please remember what I said”.

Her father turned around. “What? Oh, you mean that thing you said about handing him a stiff punishment! I will keep that in mind”. Then he left without looking back.

Kundavi was overcome with helpless anger and sorrow. She threw herself on the bed and sobbed. The prince would now suffer a stiff punishment, thanks to her. If he ever came to know her role in his misfortune, he would surely hate her! She agonized over such thoughts and decided that she had to do something.

She summoned the palace administrator. “Udayavarma, please have someone watch the trial of the Chozha prince and let me know the verdict. As soon as it happens”. The administrator sent someone to the court.

Kundavi did not follow her routine that day. She did not go to the gardens to pick flowers. She did not go to the temples. She gritted her teeth and waited for a message from the court.

Finally, the messenger arrived. His summary was along these lines: The emperor was magnanimous, and offered to forgive the prince and crown him as the king of the Chozha kingdom if he agreed to pay tribute. The prince did not just turn down the offer, but also challenged the emperor to a duel. The emperor was then forced to sentence the prince. The usual punishment for such crimes would be death. Considering the prince’s age, he was banished from the kingdom. The prince would be deported to a remote island, and would be sentenced to death if he ever dared to return to the Chozha country. The prince was taken to Mamallapuram after the sentence was pronounced.

Kundavi was relieved that the prince was not sentenced to death. Still, the sad realization was that he would soon be sent away, and she might never see him again.

She wanted to see him again. Soon after she had that thought, it seemed to grow to possess her mind, body and soul. She thought more, and grew hopeful of convincing him to change his mind, and accept being a vassal under her father. She wanted to meet her father. But she was informed that he rode away as soon as he pronounced his verdict.

Kundavi thought for a while and summoned the administrator again. “Udayavarma, I need to go to Mamallapuram. I think I left my mother’s necklace in the Mamallapuram palace. I need to go to find it”.

Udayavarmar hesitated a bit and asked if it could wait for the emperor’s return, and soon was taken aback by her fury. He was surprised at her decision to travel alone at such short notice. It was not common for the officials to question her decisions, so he suppressed his surprise, and made the arrangements. Soon, Kundavi was on her palanquin, and on the road with her entourage. She kept urging the carriers to go faster, displaying uncharacteristic haste.

Upon reaching Mamallapuram, she was told that the ship bearing Vikraman had just set sail.  What she saw on reaching the port was heartbreaking. A vessel with the lion flag had pulled away and was  cruising along the shore. The Chozha prince was standing on the deck, bound by ropes, with his palms together in respect. His eyes were on the shore.

Kundavi followed his gaze to see whom he was paying his respects to. A majestic looking Shaivite sage with long braided hair was standing there, with his right hand raised, blessing Vikraman. Kundavi looked at Vikraman. For a fleeting moment, his gaze seemed to meet hers. Just as she was wondering if she was imagining it, he turned again to face the sage.

She remembered hearing that Vikraman’s revolt was instigated by a sage. It must be the same man! Could she catch him, somehow? She asked her entourage to hurry towards him. The sage somehow had disappeared among the workers working at the dock. Eventually, Kundavi gave up the search. Meanwhile, the ship had sailed a long way.

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Art by Sujatha Anand

Book 02 - Chapter 09: The Father and the Daughter

Kundavi had lost her mother when she was young. Narasimha Varman’s wife, the empress, who was also the Pandiya princess, died when Kundavi was seven. Sivagami Devi brought Kundavi up for a while with such loving care that she would not miss her mother. Sivagami was the daughter of the master sculptor Ayanar. She had been rescued by Narasimha Varman from captivity in Vatapi. After the empress passed away, people expected Narasimha Varman to marry her. The wedding did not transpire for some reason. Sivagami Devi passed away after a while as well. From then on, the emperor played the role of mother as well as father for Kundavi.

Kundavi had a few grandmothers – Mahendra Pallava’s wives - in the palace. Kundavi never grew close to any of them. They referred to Kundavi’s mother as ‘the southerner’, in a dismissive way. They also vilified Sivagami Devi. Such behavior made it hard for Kundavi to get attached to any of them. They also disapproved of Kundavi’s independent streak. They felt Narasimha Varman had been spoiling her with his indulgence.

All this pushed Kundavi even closer to her father. She enjoyed his company. She found great pleasure in her debates and playful quarrels with him. She missed him whenever he had to travel on his imperial duties. Each day away from him felt like ages. The emperor, for his part, doted on his daughter. Some unfortunate events in the past had hardened his heart. Kundavi’s arrival came like a fresh breeze, and caused a change in his outlook on life. Each word, act and gesture of Kundavi had delighted him.

It was about three days past the full moon day. Kundavi was waiting for her father’s arrival on the terrace of the palace. The reddish moon was rising between the rows of palm trees. On another occasion, she would have lost herself in this beautiful scene. But not that night. Her mind kept going back to the young man bound by chains. She was eager to see her father and  find out more about the young man.

Finally, the emperor returned to the palace. Kundavi ran up to welcome him and hugged his broad shoulders.

“Why are you late, father?”, she asked.

Narasimha Varman was surprised by her agitated state. He said, ‘I am no later than usual. Is anything special today?”.

“There is something, but I will tell you later. But you first – anything special in the court today?”

“Yes, there is good news indeed! I got word from Sri Lanka that our forces won a big victory. Your brother has sent a messenger asking for my advice. He says that the Lankan king is seeking peace, and wants to know how to respond”.

“That is very good to hear. Does that mean that he will return soon?”

“It will take a while for him to return. Your maternal uncle in Madurai is not well. I asked him to stop on the way back to spend some time with your uncle. My child, do you also want to go to Madurai? Your uncle wants to see you”.

“No father, I don’t want to leave you. Do you have any other news? What is happening in the Chozha kingdom?”.  She felt a flutter when she said “Chozha kingdom”.

The emperor noticed it, and asked, “Kundavi, are you feeling well?”.

“I am fine, father. Tell me, what is happening in the Chozha country?”

“There is a young boy in a town called Kaazhi in the Chozha country. He composes songs sweet as nectar in praise of Lord Shiva. People say that the holy ash he gives cures incurable diseases. People call him  Gnanasambandar”.

“If he cures everyone by dispensing holy ash, the after-world is going to be empty! These days, people don’t die in wars either. You have turned peaceful!”.

“It’s all because of you dear! You are dangling from my shoulders and wouldn’t let me go to war! If only I can get you married off to someone…”.

“His life will be pitiable!” Kundavi completed the sentence. She added. “Let’s get back to the topic. Any other news from the royal court today?”

“Yes, there is one more thing. You remember the messenger bringing me a scroll when we were in Mamallapuram? It was about the Chozha prince. If you remember, you asked me to punish him well. The soldiers captured him and brought him here”.

“Did they chain him up when they brought him here?”

“Yes, how do you know that?”

“I saw him on my way to the temple this afternoon”.

The emperor again noticed that Kundavi seemed unusually tense. He said, “It must be him then. Let us change topics. Can you sing one of the compositions of Appar?”

Kundavi asked, “where will they keep that prince tonight?”.

“Where else? The prison."

“Oh, gosh!”, exclaimed Kundavi.

The emperor, startled, asked, “Kundavi, did something scare you?”

“No, father, I wondered what happens if he escapes”

“My child, the governance in the Pallava kingdom hasn’t deteriorated that far yet. If he tries to escape, he will be pierced by the spears of the twelve soldiers guarding him”.

These harsh words made Kundavi shudder again. “Father, will you listen to something I say?”

“Are you going to leave me if I don’t?”

“When I saw his face, I didn’t feel that he was a bad sort. Someone must have incited him to rebel against you”.

The emperor said, “I heard the same thing as well. Apparently, a Shaivite sage visits him and his mother often. That man must have driven him to this misadventure”.

“So, father, my theory was proven right. What happened in Uraiyur then? Was there a big battle? Did many people die?”.

“There was no battle, big or small. All that happened was that this gullible boy was trapped. He has an uncle named Marappa Bhupathi. Marappan had promised this boy to gather a big volunteer army. He did no such thing. He did not even turn up that day. He also revealed the plan to our general, Achutha Varman. Our soldiers intercepted all the men trying to enter the town that day. Finally, Vikraman only had an old man and half a dozen soldiers. The old man died, and the others were all taken prisoners. They sent Vikraman here upon my orders”.

“Poor man!”, said Kundavi.

“Kundavi, why are you sympathizing with the traitor?”

“I pity him. He was deceived. All that aside, you seem to have foreseen and planned all this. How is that, father?”

“You already know of my magical powers! That aside, how about singing a composition of Appar?”, asked the emperor, trying to steer the conversation back to the topic.

“Father, what I am thinking is … if only you can forgive him this once…”.

“Kundavi, listen to yourself. The other day, you wanted me to hand him a severe punishment. They say it is a woman’s prerogative to change her mind. That must be why they say women can’t ascend the throne”.

“They are all wrong. If only I can meet that prince once, I will change his mind. Do you want to see?”

“Perhaps you can, my child. Many women have fooled intelligent men, turned determined men into dependent idiots, and brave men into cowards. Some other women have achieved the opposite – they have turned cowards into principled men and great achievers. Women appear to have these powers indeed. However, in this case, it is too late. You should have picked up the challenge before he committed the offense. There is nothing that you can do now. The guilty must be punished. If I let Vikraman go now, it will set a precedent. Every town will have a mutiny, and the kingdom will fall apart”.

Kundavi was speechless for a while in the face of this counter-argument. She asked, “What punishment will you give him tomorrow”.

“I don’t know my child. I will sit on the seat of justice. I will listen to the facts and decide on the punishment after weighing them. It has never been said that the Pallava justice system has faltered. It will not falter tomorrow either”, said the emperor.

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Book 02 - Chapter 08: Kundavi’s Conflict

Poets wrote in Sanskrit:

Pushpeshu Jathi; Purusheshu Vishnu:

Narishu Ramba, Nagareshu Kanchi

This means:

Among flowers [the best]  is Jasmine, among men is Vishnu,

Among women is Ramba and among cities is Kanchi.

Kundavi was traveling in a palanquin in a city so praised. She was on her way to the temple to offer noon prayers. However, her thoughts were still on the Vijayadasami festivities that she had witnessed in Mamallapuram. She was wondering if her father ensured his place in history through the work he initiated. She realized she was lucky to be born to such a father. She also thought the citizens were fortunate to be ruled by such a king.

Her train of thoughts was disturbed by a strange sight. A handsome young man of royal bearing was riding a horse. His body and arms were bound by criss-crossing chains. Soldiers surrounded  him and were holding the chains binding his body. The young man appeared tired, but did not seem worried. His face displayed rare courage, despite the situation that he was in. His facial expressions appeared to be saying, ‘you may bind my body but not my will’.

On seeing him, Kundavi’s large eyes widened further in surprise. The young man caught sight of the princess at the same time. Her beauty must have startled him for a moment. It was all fleeting though. The palanquin and the horse crossed each other. Kundavi glanced backwards a few times. Perhaps she expected the young man to be equally curious and turn around for a glance. However, the young man did not turn his head even an inch. It was not clear if the chains prevented him from turning back, or if his resolute nature did.

Kundavi was known for her spirituality just as she was known for her beauty. She used to lose herself in prayers whenever she visited a temple. This was the case, regardless of whether the deity gracing the temple was Shiva, Vishnu or Shakti. It was not the case that day. Her mind wavered, and kept going back to the young man on the horse, even when she was at the altar. She felt a mixture of thrill and fear with her newfound sensation. She somehow finished her prayers and made her way back to the palace. By that time she had given up all attempts to steer her mind away from the young man. Her thoughts went along these lines – ‘Who might that regal looking young man be? Why was he chained? Where might the soldiers be taking him? And what crime could he have committed to deserve this treatment?’. Then she remembered the emperor talking about a conspiracy by the Uraiyur prince, and about having made arrangements to deal with it. Kundavi wondered if the young man might be that prince.

Upon that thought, she felt a pang of anger. She thought, ‘How dare this young man! How can he remain nonchalant after having conspired against the emperor?  People from faraway lands long to live under Narasimha Pallava’s protection. Just ask the delegation from Senbaga Islands! Where did he get the nerve to conspire against such an emperor? And he is a prince of a minor territory! I should ask father to give him a stern punishment’.

She wavered again. ‘He does not look like a bad sort’, she thought. ‘He may not have conspired on his own accord. People around him must have instigated this. It’s those people who need to be punished. What good will punishing him do? Won’t the chains hurt his gentle skin? Should father not let him off with a warning? Should I talk to my father tonight? Isn’t father known for his fairness? He will surely pardon the Chozha prince, won't he?’.

Kundavi reached the palace and was looking forward to the nighttime, when her father would return to the palace after his royal duties. She was counting down to the time of his return. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions.

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Parthban Kanavu: 

Book 02 - Chapter 07: The Temple Work Resumes

The emperor and Kundavi went into the temple first to pray to the Goddess. After they took their  seats in the middle of the canopied area, ministers, officials and others took their  respective seats. The priests presented the prayer offerings to the emperor and garlanded him. 

The emperor then tied the ceremonial silk headgear on the chief architect leading the temple work. He presented the architect a tray with silk clothes and  a hundred gold coins. The architect accepted it with great respect. Hundreds of sculptors and the courtiers were honored in the same vein. 

Vishnu Sharma, the chief minister, stood up and addressed the gathering. He recalled the valor of the great kings of the Pallava clan. He also described the rare traits of Mahendra Pallava.  He told the gathering that the Pallava dynasty’s fame has spread to overseas regions after Narasimha Varman ascended the throne. There would be an episode in the court later to illustrate the point.  Representatives from Senbaga Theevu (the Champak Island) were going to visit and appeal to the emperor for his protection. They were going to request the emperor to ensure Senbaga island’s safety by annexing it to the Pallava empire. The assembly expressed its happiness with resounding cheers.

The minister resumed after things settled down, “Dear fellow citizens! Kanchi and Mamallapuram are the two eyes of the Pallava empire. Traditionally Mamallapuram has been just as important to the empire as Kanchi. However, after Emperor Mahendra Varman started the sculpture work here, Kanchi took a back seat, and Mamallapuram attained eminence. Eight years ago, Emperor Narasimha Varman marched north for war. That caused a disruption in the design and sculpture work here. Our emperor defeated the tyrant Pulikesi and made a victorious return. He had to spend some more time in drought relief and in quelling some minor uprisings. Thanks to the Goddess and to the good deeds of the Pallava clan, our emperor has been successful in all those efforts. Work now resumes in this town, which has taken the emperor’s name. Our emperor has graciously agreed to visit often and help guide the work”, he said to the audience’s great pleasure.

The emissaries of Senbaga Island were summoned to the Emperor’s presence. Their chief spoke Tamil, but with an accent that the assembly found amusing. He told the assembly that the Senbaga island was inhabited by Tamil people who had sailed from India about five hundred years ago, in Karikala Chozha’s days. The royal lineage had ended a few years ago without heirs. The neighbors had been raiding the island using that opportunity. The assembly of the island met and came to a unanimous decision. They decided to make an appeal to the Pallava Emperor to annex the island to his empire. They requested the emperor to send a brave warrior as a regent to rule on his behalf.

The emperor did not give them an immediate response. He asked for a week to consider the request. He asked the emissaries to enjoy the sights of Kanchi in the meantime. 

Narasima Varman, Kundavi and the ministers returned to the Durga temple along with the sculptors. Both the walls of the exterior hall were bare. The emperor approached one of those walls, took a piece of saffron chalk from Kundavi and started drawing. The audience watched without batting an eyelid. While everyone was looking, the sketch of Goddess Durga, attired for war, and seated on a Lion emerged on the wall. 

Kundavi appeared to be intimidated. She said, “Father, the anger of the Goddess is fearsome! Can you also draw the adversary, the object of her anger?”

The emperor sketched the form of Mahishasura, armed with a mace. 

Kundavi said, “Now I can look at her without fear!”.

The emperor addressed the chief sculptor. “Stapati, Goddess Durga defeated Mahishasura on this holy day of Vijayadashami. Isn’t it appropriate that we restart our work by sculpting that scene?” 

The sculptor nodded in assent and handed him his chisel. The emperor chipped away a bit at the sketch he made and handed it back to the sculptor. The sculptor accepted it respectfully, paid his obeisance to the emperor and started his work. 

Chisels would sound continuously for several years in Mamallapuram.

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Book 02 - Chapter 06: The Arts Festival

The emperor stayed at Mamallapuram for three days. The town celebrated joyfully all those days. On the first day, the emperor and the princess went around the town in a procession. The citizens rejoiced at the opportunity of meeting the royals at their doorsteps. The second day was Saraswati Pooja, the day on which they prayed to the Goddess of knowledge and wisdom. The citizens prayed at their houses in the mornings and participated in the public celebrations in the afternoon and evening. The temples, monasteries, theatres and schools were decorated to celebrate the auspicious day. The emperor and the princess visited the Shiva and Vishnu temples, prayed, and made gifts to the priests. They visited schools and gifted clothes and jewels to the teachers. As they moved from one destination to another, crowds cheered and greeted them.

However, the full extent of the public’s enthusiasm was not seen until the next day, Vijayadasami. The festivities on that day took place outside the town. The boulders and hills to the south of Mamallapuram were decorated with colorful artwork, depicting scenes from the Indian epics. A large rock had paintings of Krishna’s childhood adventures in Gokul, from the killing of the demoness Putana , all the way up to the taming of the snake Kalinga. In another painting,  Krishna, as a child, had his  arms around the neck of his mother, Yasoda, who was churning milk. Krishna seemed to be pleading for some butter. His facial expression was breathtaking. A split boulder had a painting of Bhagreerat’s penance, to get the river Ganga to earth. Devas, the celestial beings stood on either side, awestruck by his efforts. The painter who painted this wonderful scene must have been blessed with a sense of humor. The painting also showed a cat who was pretending to pray with closed eyes.

The rocks had several such wonderful paintings. Men, women and children crowded around the rocks, and moving from rock to rock, admiring the artwork.  They were dressed in nice clothes and jewelry. Women wore flowers in their hair. Men wore floral garlands. The mood was festive all around.

In addition to artwork, there were other things to reinforce the merry environment. Musical treats were offered in small canopied structures decorated with banners and banana trees. You could hear flute from one of the tents. Another emanated Veena music. Priests were chanting Sama veda in another. Yet another tent had a musician singing Appar’s verses in a way that could melt a rock. Thus, people had a choice of visual or audible treats. 

Some tents were serving water, sweet drinks, buttermilk and sweetened rice flakes with kind hospitality.

In such a crowded place, one cluster was particularly dense. The cluster was moving, just like one large wave standing out among the heaving waves of the ocean. At the core of the cluster was the emperor and his beloved daughter.

Narasimha Varman was riding a horse of rare stock, with Kundavi nearby. A handful of soldiers were clearing the crowds ahead of their path. An ox mounted with a drum went ahead, with the drummers announcing the arrival of the emperor.  Wherever the emperor and the princess stopped to admire the artwork, the crowd showered flowers, rose water and sandalwood paste. Chants of “Victory to the emperor!” and “Long Live Emperor Narasimha Varma Pallava!” went around. The emperor looked at each painting with care, talked to the artists who were standing nearby in respectful attention, and paid his compliments.

The entourage finished the tour and reached the Durga Temple. The temple was carved out of a mountain in Mahendra Pallava’s days. The work was interrupted before it could be entirely finished. The temple was the center of attention in the day’s festivities.

There was a large area under a canopy in front of the Durga temple. If you looked up from inside the canopy, you’d get the illusion that you are staring up at the cloudless night sky. The ceiling was covered by navy blue silk with bright patterns of tiny octagrams that shone like stars. The pillars were covered with colorful silk. Flags with lion symbols were fluttering in the evening sea breeze. The edges of the canopy were decorated with hangings made with tender coconut leaves.  Two richly decorated seats meant for the royal visitors faced the altar in the middle of the canopied area. Seating for others was carefully arranged round those two seats.

The work interrupted by Pulikesi’s attack was set to resume that day. The community leaders had already taken their seats. When the emperor and the princess entered the area, cheers and celebratory music from various instruments rang out into the evening sky.

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Book 02 - Chapter 05: The Messenger from Uraiyur

The emperor and princess Kundavi arrived at Mamallapuram. At their destination, natural rock formations had been carved and sculpted into several beautiful chariots and temple towers.  Adjoining these towers were sculpted forms of an elephant and a lion. The emperor approached the sculpture of the elephant.

He said, “Kundavi, see how life-like this elephant is. Thirty years ago, a barren rock stood here, not this elephant”.

Kundavi asked, “Weren’t all these temples barren mountains as well?”

“Yes, my child. I came here with my father thirty years ago, just as you and I are here now. You know how your grandfather was. He was crazy about sculpture and art….”.

“You are just as crazy!”, interrupted Kundavi.

The emperor smiled and said, “He was far crazier than I am. He must have built a thousand temples with bricks and wood. He was not satisfied with those. He wanted to build permanent monuments that befit God, the eternal force. He was thinking of doing that by carving the mountains. It was around that time we arrived here. I must have been about your current age at that time. I was observing the roaming white clouds in the sky. They seem to resemble various things. One of them looked like an elephant. I had a brainwave. I drew an elephant with a piece of chalk on one of the rocks. My father was observing me.  When I completed the drawing, he embraced me and started dancing with joy. He said ‘Narasimha, this is a brilliant idea! We will carve the mountains here into temples. The smaller rocks can be the animals who are the legendary vehicles of God.  Those sculptures will stand here for eternity!’. He spoke like a man possessed. True to his word, he started sculpting work here soon after. The sounds from thousands of chisels rang out nonstop for about twenty years. They only stopped when I had to march northwards for war”. He paused and lapsed into a thoughtful silence.

Kundavi waited for a bit, and asked with a mischievous smile, “So they were glad you stopped the work and named the town after you?”.

The emperor laughed out. “No, my father acknowledged that I was instrumental in creating this sculpture-land and thought that it may be apt to name it after me. There might be many kings with the name ‘Narasimhan’, but it is unlikely for a king to take the name ‘Mamallan’. Hence, he named the town ‘Mamallapuram’. My father really adored me”.

“Yes, he loved you! You might have at least a fraction of that love for your son, my older brother. If you did, you wouldn’t have shipped him off to Sri Lanka”.

“My child, I was able to realize almost all my dreams from my childhood. The one wish that did not materialize was my desire to sail to faraway lands. My father did not approve of my plans to sail. After I assumed responsibility for the throne, it was not practical for me to sail. I wanted your brother to achieve what I could not. I would gladly send any youngster that I love for such an adventure”.

“Does that mean you don’t have love for me?”

“I am all for sending you on a sailing adventure, but unfortunately you were born a girl. Sometimes I wish you were born a boy and your brother, a girl”.

Kundavi said, “If I were a boy, I would not have let you sit on the throne for this long! I would have jailed you just like Kamsa did to his parents and crowned myself. My brother is too nice for his own good. He sailed off as soon as you told him to”.

Kundavi hurried off to see the rock-temples. After a while, the emperor approached her and said, ‘My child, you can resume your sightseeing another day. People may be waiting for us”.

Kundavi asked, “Father, some of these temples are still incomplete. Are you going to resume the work here? What deities are you going to place in these temples?”

The two started walking towards the horse and the palanquin, which were resting under the shade of a tree.

The emperor replied, “No Kundavi, some of these temples will remain incomplete. I am going to order resumption of work on the rest of the site. There was a master sculptor named Ayanar who masterminded the work on these temples. He fell into some misfortune and passed away a few years ago. There was no one capable of resuming his work. Nor can anyone do it in the future”.

“I have heard of Ayanar. Was his daughter  …”

“Wait - I wonder who that is!”

It seemed that the emperor said that as a diversionary tactic, but there was indeed a horse with a rider approaching them. The rider arrived just as they reached the tree. He dismounted in a hurry, touched the emperor’s feet, and said, “Salutations my Lord! I am coming from Uraiyur. General Achuta Pallavaraya ordered me to give you this urgent message “.

The emperor took the scroll with the message but did not read it. He said, “I have already issued orders to respond to this message. You may return”.

The messenger touched his feet again and withdrew.

“Is this how you rule the country? You don’t even read the messages”, teased Kundavi.

“You don’t believe in my clairvoyance?  I will tell you what this message says. Vikraman, the Chozha prince, is planning to raise the Chozha flag to declare his independence. Achuta Pallavarayan is asking me what to do about it. Read the scroll if you wish”.

Kundavi read the message and said in a surprised voice, “Father, you seem to have some magical powers indeed! You should teach me how you do it”.

They resumed their journey on the horse and the palanquin. On the way, Kundavi said, "The Chozha prince seems to be full of himself. He should consider himself lucky to pay tribute and live under your protection. You should hand him a severe punishment”.

“Yes, my child, I intend to order that he be brought to Kanchi and punish him”, said the emperor.

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Book 02 - Chapter 04: Mamallapuram

The seaside town of Mamallapuram wore a festive look that day. The houses were decorated with mango leaves, tender leaves of the coconut tree, flags with the lion symbol and colorful banners. Streets were filled with wondrous art – kolams. The kolams depicted chariots, horses, elephants, trees and flowering plants; and formed a sumptuous visual treat. Men, women and children were up early. Dressed in  silk and fine jewels, they had assembled in street corners and in the front yards of houses. Music from drums and auspicious pipes completed the festive mood. Interspersed with the music, there were murmurs of people exchanging news bits like, ‘the emperor has left Kanchi!’, ‘he has reached halfway’ and ‘princess Kundavi is coming along as well!’. 

As you might guess, the reason for all the excitement was that Emperor Narasimha Varman was visiting Mamallapuram. There had also been an announcement to the effect that he was going to declare the resumption of the sculpture work that had been suspended seven years ago.

It was not surprising that the residents of Mamallapuram made a festival out of the visit by the emperor, and his beloved daughter, princess Kundavi. Those days, Narasimha Varman’s fame had spread not just in India, but overseas as well. The lion flag fluttered in all its glory in the region between the rivers Kaveri and Krishna. The citizens of that country adored Narasimha Varman. The citizens took pride in his reputation for knowledge, bravery, generosity, civic administration, justice, and fostering art. Their pride increased manyfold after he killed the arch-rival Pulikesi and burnt his capital down.

People were certain that there had been no king like Narasimha Varman, and nor would there be an equal in the future. Of course, they had no way of knowing that kings named Rajararaja and Rajendra would emerge in Thanjavur three centuries later.

While all Pallava subjects were devoted to Narasimha Varman, the residents of Mamallapuram had a special relationship with him. Was he not the one who gave the town the name? In his youth, Narasimha Varman had defeated several well known wrestlers in a competition. He had been awarded the title ‘Mamallan’, the great wrestler at that time. The coastal town later inherited the name. 

Kundavi and Narasimha Varman were seated on the howdah on the royal elephant. Armed soldiers marched on either side of the elephant. Several banners were seen in the formation as well. Oxen carrying drums led the pack. Sound waves made by the drum beats spread in all directions as the entourage marched on. 

People who saw the emperor and his dear daughter together would have been dazzled, as if they watched the sun and moon side-by-side. The magnetic charm on their faces was striking. The crowns, jewelry and royal clothing added to their brilliance.  

The Pallava emperor was well built and majestic looking. His build was gracious as well as powerful. His distinguished face bore marks of several wars that he had fought and won. Princess Kudavi was beauty personified. The painters and artists who tried to capture her likeness in art conceded that they could not do justice to her beauty. They confessed to getting disoriented by her large, expressive eyes. The consensus was that Lord Brahma had created her to keep their artistic egos in check.

Kundavi asked, “Father, you promised to tell me why this town bears your name. Can you tell me now?”

The emperor replied, “We need to dismount for me to answer that question”.

“That is easy. Should I jump from the elephant, then?”

“If you were a commoner, you’d have been free to jump, and even break your leg. Alas, you are a princess of an empire”.  

Kundavi chuckled, and said, “So, I am not even free to break my leg because I am a princess?”

“If you jump off the elephant, word will get around that princess Kundavi jumped off the elephant. No prince from the fifty-six kingdoms will be willing to marry you. I may have to trick some prince, just as king Janaka did to get Sita married”.

“Janaka had to trick someone? Why?”

“When Sita was a little girl, she playfully picked up a special bow. On hearing this, no prince was ready to marry her. Her father sent sage Vishwamitra to fetch a gullible prince called Rama. He had packed a box with  a bow that was broken in the middle. Rama picked up the bow and it broke into two. Janaka said, ‘you broke the bow that was our family heirloom. Either fix the bow. Or marry my daughter’. Rama did not know how to fix the bow, so he agreed to marry Sita”.

Kundavi had a laughing fit. “Father, I have heard several narrations of Ramayana. Yours is a new interpretation”.  After she settled down to a calmer state, she added, “but you do not have to worry about getting me married. I am not going to marry anyone".

The emperor, surprised, had a question. “This is news to me. Why are you against marriage?”

“If I get married, I have to leave you. I don’t want to leave you”.

“Is that so? Tell me one more time?”

“Golden words are not to be repeated. Everyone says you grasp everything after hearing just once. If that reputation is well-earned, why are you asking me to repeat my words?”.

“Lord Almighty, I am not sure which prince is going to have to get hitched to this loudmouth. Please protect him from this girl”, said the emperor playfully, looking up at the skies.

“Father, enough of jesting. Stop the elephant. I will have to jump off if you don’t. You will be stuck with me for life”. Kundavi pretended to jump.

“No dear, please don't,” said the emperor. He asked the mahout to stop the elephant. Father and daughter dismounted. He asked for a horse and palanquin. After they arrived, he summoned the leader of the entourage and said, ‘You should go ahead. We will join you at the gates of the town”.

He rode the horse off the royal highway. The palanquin followed him. The royal entourage went on their normal path. The emperor’s courtiers were not surprised. They were quite accustomed to such changes of plans.

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Parthban Kanavu: The Tamil version of the novel is in the public domain. Copyright for the translation is reserved by the translator..

Book 02 - Chapter 03: The Conspiracy

Shortly, Queen Arulmozhi and Prince Vikraman entered the hut, greeted the sage and touched his feet in respect. The sage embraced the prince and blessed him. In the last six years, Vikraman had transformed from a child to a well-built young man. His face reflected his bravery and the restlessness of ambition.

He started speaking rapidly, “Your holiness, my father appeared in my dream last night. He took me to the Chirappalli Hill. He showed me the Lion flag flying on top of the hill. I can’t be patient any longer. Please give me your blessings”.

“You always have my blessings. I asked you to wait for the right time. It may be the right time now. Tell me your plans. You can’t get what you want by haste. You have to think everything through. In the scrolls that your father gave you, the divine poet says,  

‘Enni thuniga karumam, thunindapin

Ennuvam enbadhu izzuku’

Which means ‘Reflect, think through the task and commit. Once you commit, don’t yield to second thoughts'. You should never forget this” said the sage.

“I have thought through this, your holiness. On the full moon day of the coming month, Purattasi, I am going to pull out the lion flag flying on the Chirappalli hill, and replace it with the tiger flag. I won’t let anyone talk me out of this plan”.

“I am glad to hear this, Vikrama! I am not going to try and dissuade you. I was waiting for this day. I only want to know how you intend to carry this out. What happens after you unfurl the tiger flag? Who is going to guard it? Do you expect General Achuta Varman of the Pallava army to stand by and watch you do it?”, asked the sage.

“Your holiness, you don’t have to worry about it. The Chozha people are all prepared. Ponnan will vouch for this. On the full moon day, there will be a gathering of warriors in Uraiyur. As soon as the tiger flag is unfurled, they will publicly swear allegiance to my army. We are going to annihilate the Pallava army stationed here, and capture Achuta Varman”.

The sage said, “This is a risky venture. Do you have enough support? Who is coordinating the warriors? You have rarely stepped out of the spring palace!” 

“My uncle, Marappa Bhupathi is helping me gather a large army. He has been working on this secret mission… ”.

The sage seemed displeased. His face darkened on hearing this. He interrupted Vikraman and asked, “Marappa Bhupathi? When did you tell him all your plans?”.

“My uncle has seen the error of his ways. He is remorseful for his behavior towards my father. He is willing to sacrifice his life for the freedom of the Chozha country”.

The sage looked at Arulmozhi and asked, “Is this true”?

Arulmozhi nodded, “Yes, your holiness. Marappan indeed appears to be a changed man”.

“I am glad if that is the case. I wish your mission success. May Lord Kartikeya guard you. May Goddess Parashakti add her strength to your shoulders. I will return at the right time. I will take my leave now”.  The sage stood up.

Vikraman said, “Your holiness, my uncle is expected to arrive now. He is very eager to meet you. May I request you to stay a little longer?”.

“No Vikrama, I can’t stay any longer. Stay resolute. Don’t forget the word that you gave your father”.

Arulmozhi addressed Ponnan. “Ponna, take the prince to the boat. I will be there in a minute”.

After Ponnan and Vikraman left, Arulmozhi touched the sage’s feet. She said, “Your holiness, I don’t know who you are. I have speculated on your identity in the past, but I have always been certain that you are our well-wisher. I no longer need to know who you are. But I want to ask for a boon. You are my only hope”.

The sage, moved to tears, said, “I will do anything that is within my powers. Tell me what you want”.

Arulmozhi, overcome with emotion, said, “You are a wise and powerful sage. I want you to save my son’s life. I don’t have confidence that Vikraman’s mission is going to succeed. What can a young boy do against the might of the Pallava emperor? You know everything, and yet you have encouraged him. I don’t know your plans, but whatever they are, I place my trust in you to protect him”.

“Only God can guarantee someone’s life, but I will say this with certainty – Vikraman’s father’s spirit will guard him. Stop worrying” assured the sage.

They could hear hoof-beats approaching from the west. The sage took his leave and started walking east.

In a few minutes, Marappan arrived on horseback. He dismounted and asked, “Vikrama, has the sage arrived?”.

“Uncle, he just left. If only you'd arrived a few minutes earlier…” Vikraman looked east.

Marappan said, “He went this way, did he? Let me catch up with him and look at his face”. He mounted his horse again and hurried off. He rode a long way. The sage was nowhere to be found. He had apparently vanished into thin air!

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Parthban Kanavu: The Tamil version of the novel is in the public domain. Copyright for the translation is reserved by the translator..