Why did Marappa Bhupathi follow
Valli and Ponnan that night? We need to go back to the events of the evening to
answer that question.
When Marappan left the
Emperor’s court, he was disheartened. He did not expect his services to the
empire to go so spectacularly fruitless. It had been seven years since
Parthiban died on the battlefield. Marappan had expected to be rewarded with the
throne of the Chozha empire just for abstaining from that battle. When the
expectation did not materialize, he had not shown his disappointment or
displeasure. His loyalty to the Pallava empire was outwardly the same.
Finally, he had also
tipped Achutha Varman on Vikraman’s conspiracy. His tip had been the reason the
revolt was quelled. He had been convinced that his loyalty would be rewarded. All
that he desired was a position of a vassal under the Pallava Emperor. At the
very least, he was hoping to be reinstated as a commander in the army.
What really happened was
that the Emperor developed misgivings as to his loyalty. He, who was once the
heir to the Chozha throne, had been insulted in the presence of a lowly boatman
and his wife. Upon this thought, he was vexed with his life. He was letting his
horse take him places without conscious thought. The horse seemed to sense its
master’s frame of mind and went slowly on its own way. It wandered around on
the streets of Uraiyur and reached the banks of Kaveri. It walked east along
the river. It was the fourth night of waxing moon. The moon appeared; and then
the stars emerged all over the sky, resembling scattered diamonds. Marappan
went a fair distance without sensing the beauty in all this. When he
eventually regained awareness, he checked where he was, and turned the horse around towards
Uraiyur. As he entered the Uraiyur fort, he saw a group of people coming along the street, carrying
torches and playing musical instruments. He also noticed that they were
carrying the lion flag. He thought it might be the Emperor and his family going
to Sri Ranganatha temple, got off his horse and respectfully moved to the side
of the street.
When the group got
closer, he did not see the Emperor, but saw General Achutha Varman and an
ascetic with shaved head. The ascetic was well-built and had an aura about him.
Marappan was struck by a thought – ‘could this be the impostor who acts as the
Shaivite sage?’
Achutha Varman’s sight
fell on Marappan at that time. He beckoned him to come closer. And pointed him
to Siruthondar, the ascetic. “Your holiness, do you recognize him? He is
Marappa Bhupathi, the brother of King Parthiban.”
“Oh, is he? I have seen
him years ago, in Emperor Mahendrar’s time. I can’t recognize him now.”
Acthuta Varman said, “He
is the one who alerted us on Vikraman’s rebellion. But for whatever reason,
he has not found favor with our Emperor.”
Siruthondar gave
Marappan another look but moved on without further comment. After they
left the spot, Marappan saw that a palanquin followed them, surrounded by royal
maids. He guessed that it may be the princess and started moving away. To his
surprise, the palanquin stopped. He heard a sweet voice calling ‘Bhupathi!’.
He saw that Princess
Kundavi and a devout looking older woman were in the palanquin. He was
pleasantly surprised that it was Kundavi who called him. He was also bashful.
He wanted to look at Kundavi, but stood looking at the ground, feeling shy.
“Bhupathi, my father was
unduly stern with you today. Please don’t let that upset you. I believe you. If
you can help me find that Shaivite sage, I will be on your side”, said Kundavi,
with a note of sympathy in her voice.
Marappan was thrilled
beyond words. He felt he went from the abyss straight to heaven. He looked up
slightly and said, “My lady, your wish is my command. I won’t rest until I find
that impostor!”
“Very good. Let me know
when you find him”, said Kundavi, and ordered the carriers to resume their
journey.
Marappan stood stunned
for a while after the party left. He had to think to confirm that he was not
dreaming. He mounted the horse that walked up to him. He thought of the
ascetic with the shaved head. He had heard of General Paranjothi. He had heard
that Paranjothi had been close to King Parthiban. Did that not give him the
motive to assume the guise of the Shaivite sage and to cause trouble? He needed
a way to verify that theory. The only way was to get back into the good books
of Ponnan and Valli. Upon thinking, he realized that he had not met Ponnan or
Valli in the long trip down the riverbank and back. They must still be in
Uraiyur. Where would they stay in Uraiyur? Could they be at Valli’s
grandfather’s house?
This thought gave him
fresh energy. He hurried back to his residence. He handed the horse to the
servants and set off on foot. He did not think of food or drink. He was keen to
meet Valli and Ponnan that night. He walked towards the Metalworkers’ Street.
It was about three hours
after sunset. The pedestrian traffic had thinned down. There were a few people
on the street, including those who were returning from the temple, people who
were going to see folk plays, and a few beggars. The dialog from a folk play of
the sage Vishwamitra summoning King Harischandra was heard at a distance.
Marappan was walking in a way that he hoped would not attract attention to him.
As he neared the metalworkers’ street, he saw a sight in the dim light that
stopped him dead. It was the figure that was etched in his mind – the Shaivite
sage. Just as he recognized the sage, the street lantern went out.
Marappan was eager to
catch the impostor and present him to the princess. Marappan ran towards the
spot. It was a four-way intersection. When he got to the spot, he could see no
sign of the sage in any direction.
A theory formed in his
mind. If it was indeed the sage, he must have been on his way to meet Ponnan
and Valli. He must have gone to Veerabadra Achari’s house. Who knows what
devious plans they were cooking up! It was indeed fortunate that the Emperor
was visiting at the time of the conspiracy. How would it be if he can catch
them at the act! Would that not correct the impression the Emperor had of him?
Marappan was thinking
along these lines, and approached Veerabadra Achari’s house. Ponnan and Valli
were coming out of the house. Valli was covering a lit lamp with the end of her saree. They took
a narrow lane that went northwards. Marappan concluded that they were following
the sage to a destination, which would be the rendezvous for the conspiracy.
All this excitement had
transformed Marappan into a new man. He followed them at a safe distance,
without making a noise. Ponnan and Valli reached the banks of Kaveri. Valli
boarded the boat, placed a basket on the boat and covered it with her saree. As
we already saw, Ponnan had dragged the boat, reached the outer wall of the
palace garden, tied the boat, and entered the garden with Valli. Marappan knew
that it used to be the royal garden in Parthiban’s days, and it had been
unoccupied since then. He also knew that it had been locked on the Emperor’s
orders.
All this made Marappan
conclude that Ponnan and Valli could be up to no good, entering the garden at
this time. He guessed that the sage was already in the garden. He was struck by
a more ominous thought. Is it possible that Parthiban did not actually die in
the battlefield? Could he have escaped from the battlefield, assumed the guise
of the sage and be masterminding this conspiracy? In any case, he was going to
solve the mystery that night!
He latched the garden door from outside and went to get help.
Parthban Kanavu: The Tamil version of the novel is in the public domain. Copyright for the translation is reserved by the translator..
Art by Sujatha, unless otherwise credited.
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