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