Book 03 - Chapter 22: “Is it really you?”

Kundavi stood motionless under the tree for a while. Vikraman did not turn to look at her, but kept his gaze fixed on her reflection in the water. She picked up a pebble and threw it in the water. It sank and splashed some water on Vikraman.

It had the effect that she expected. He turned to look at her. His eyes widened. He gazed at her intently and eagerly. His lips parted, as if he was about to say something. But he just sighed and turned around to look at Kaveri.

After standing for a while longer, Kundavi walked away from the tree and sat beside him. Vikraman looked at her two or three times, only to look away each time.

Kundavi got up, saying, “I will be leaving then!”.

Vikraman, looking surprised, asked, “Did you talk?”

“Yes, I’m not mute!”

Vikraman gazed at her with a look of wonder but did not say anything more. Kundavi started walking away.

“Why are you leaving?”, asked Vikraman, sounding emotional.

“It didn’t look like you would speak”, said Kundavi, returning to take the seat beside him.

“I was afraid.”

“Afraid of a young girl? If you are delicate enough to be afraid of girls, why did you travel alone?”

“I was not afraid of you. I was wondering if this is part of my fevered hallucination. I thought you might disappear if I spoke!”, said Vikraman.

“What do you think now?”, asked Kundavi, with a smile.

“I’m still not sure. If you don’t mind…”

“If I don’t mind?”

“I would like to make sure”, said Vikraman. He raised his hand and moved it close to her cheek. She did not disappear as she had done in his fevered dreams. Nor did she turn her face away. He touched her soft cheek. His hand stayed there, reluctant to move away. She grabbed his hand and returned it to its position.

“Were you able to make sure?”

“Yes, and I was able to confirm several things.”

“What sort of things?”

“It is really you, not a product of my imagination”.

“And?”

“You are not a celestial being. Nor a statue. You are a real human that I can touch and feel!”

“Anything more?”

“I also realized that I can’t live without you anymore.”

Kundavi momentarily turned away, wiped her eyes, and asked, “Do you remember me?”

“Wrong question! You should have asked if I was able to remember anything else! Day or night, happiness or suffering, your face has been etched in my memory. I have thought of nothing else for the last three years.”

“It has only been ten days since we met on the streets of Mamallapuram! Where did three years come from?”, asked Kundavi with a mixture of a smile and disbelief on her face.

Taken aback by this question, he paused for a while. “Has it been only ten days?”

“Did you think you were sick for three years?”

“My fever must have made me feel that way. I feel like I have known you for years!”

“Have you seen me before we met in Mamallapuram, by any chance?”

He thought for a while. “I am not sure, My mind has still not entirely clear. Further…”

“Further?”

“I seem to lose my train of thought when I gaze into your large eyes. I’m lucky if I can remember who I am. Tracking days and months is a lot to ask!”

“You are still in fever-induced delirium. You are totally incoherent. You should not have come here alone”.

“No fever at all – see?”, he stretched his hand.

Kundavi touched his hand. “You are burning up!”

“Perhaps, but it is not due to fever!”

“Ok, look away from my eyes and respond to this – do you remember who you are, and where you are from? Or have you forgotten everything?”

“Of course. I sat here at the riverbank and reminded myself of all that. I came here from Senbaga Island for selling gems.”

“Do you remember meeting me at Mamallapuram?”

“Yes!”

“Do you remember me asking you to come to the palace to sell gems to the princess?”

“Now, I recall it! Yes.”

“Why didn’t you visit the palace? Why did you have to leave overnight, and travel alone along the deserted route?”

Vikraman paused a bit, and asked, “Do you want me to respond truthfully?”

“If gem traders are allowed to speak the truth on occasion, please do so.”

“The truth is that I was afraid that I won’t be able to leave you if I had met you again. I now realize that the fear was well founded.”

“Is this how men of Senbaga Island lie and mislead women? Do they teach you this as an art form?”, asked Kundavi with a mocking note in her voice.

“You forget something. I live in Senbaga island, but I was born here, in the Chozha land. I grew up playing on the shores of this holy river, Kaveri. I learnt to swim in its currents. I grew up roaming the pleasant mango orchards and coconut groves of this country. When I was in Senbaga island, I used to shed silent tears, missing this country. How I longed to return here! That desire has been fulfilled, thanks to your help. How am I going to repay that favor?!”, said Vikraman, visibly moved.

“Why do you thank me? You should thank Lady Kundavi.”

“Who?”

“The Emperor’s daughter, princess Kundavi. She is the one who allowed us to carry you along. It’s her that you need to thank.”

“Is that so? It appears that there is still plenty for me to learn. I’m still wonderstruck on the realization that I am back here, and sitting on the banks of Kaveri. It is hard to grasp other things. Can you please explain in detail how I got here? To start with, what is your name?”

“Don’t you remember? I introduced myself in Mamallapuram.”

“I can only remember meeting you. Nothing else!”

“My name is Rohini. I’m a friend of princess Kundavi.”

Kundavi had introduced herself as Madhavi when they met at Mamallapuram. As she had made the name up on the spot, it did not stick to her memory.

Vikraman said, “Rohini! What a beautiful name! Many nights in Senbaga island, I have looked at the sky and admired the star Rohini shining near the crescent moon. But the star is no match for the radiance of your eyes!”

“I have seen through your guise!”, said Kundavi.

“Guise?”, asked Vikraman, worried.

“You are not a gem trader at all. You are a poet. You are one of those nomadic composers. You never had gems in your bag!”

After a thoughtful silence, Vikraman said, “I can’t show you now, but someday, I will prove to you that I was indeed carrying gems. I am definitely not a poet. If I did acquire some poetic skills, it was all due to you. On seeing the radiance of your face…”

“Stop mocking me!”

“Mocking you?”. Vikraman resumed after a pause. “If you don’t like this, I will stop. However, I will be grateful if you tell me how I got here.”

“You were lying unconscious in fever in a Mahendra Mantap on the route from Kanchi to Uraiyur. If you tell me how you got there, I will tell you the rest of the story.”

Vikraman told her briefly of his journey from Kanchi.

Kundavi listened to this, and said, “The Emperor’s son Mahendran, and daughter Kundavi were traveling to Uraiyur. I was in their group. After we crossed the wild river, we heard a cry for help from the pavilion. I peeked inside. I recognized you as the trader I had met in Mamallapuram. I asked the princess for permission to take you along. She was kind enough to agree. She has allowed me to keep you here until you recover fully.”

“I saw your face in what I thought were my feverish dreams. I now know that they were not dreams at all.”

“You may be right. I visited you often when you were sick. Princess Kundavi is the one to thank for that too!”

Vikraman seemed lost in thought. Kundavi interrupted his thought. “I have told you so much about the generosity of the princess. You have not said anything expressing gratitude.”

“I can’t thank anyone from the Pallava royal family”

“If you meet Lady Kundavi in person, you will not speak like this! You might forget me then!”

“I most certainly won’t. A thousand Kundavis can’t be a match for you. Changing topics, a question! Are those two here in the palace now?”

“Who are those two?”

“The brother and the sister.”

“Prince Mahendran is not here. He had to return to Kanchi. A traveler from China is visiting Kanchi. He has come here after visiting several countries in Bharat. His name is strange – ‘Hsuan Tsang’. The prince was asked to receive and honor the visitor, as the Emperor was busy. The prince had to leave in a couple of days after he got here. Do you see how our Emperor is famous in faraway kingdoms? Is he well known where you are from?”

“Yes, the Emperor is famous there as well.”

“Is it not an honor to be ruled by such an Emperor? I heard that the Chozha prince refused to pay tribute to the Pallava Empire and instead chose to live in Senbaga Island. Do you understand why? What is your opinion?”

Vikraman met her eyes, and said, “As far as I am concerned, I’d prefer to be independent in Senbaga Island than live in the Chozha country and be ruled by someone else.”

“Are you sure? You won’t stay here even for my sake?”

Vikraman looked at her with a sad expression and said, “I hope you won’t place me in such a quandary!”

They both recognized each other and were trying not to acknowledge that they knew. How long could they keep that up?

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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..

Art by Sujatha, unless otherwise credited.

Book 03 - Chapter 21: The Spring Island

For a week, Vikraman oscillated between hell and heaven.

He is standing between walls of fire. His father, holding his hand, asks him, “Will you jump into the fire for your country?”. Vikraman is aware that his mother is in tears, but responds, “Of course father!”. His father’s grip loosens. He walks into the fire. It burns him, but he is fully conscious. He wonders, ‘How is it that my body and sense are intact amidst this fire? How long will I be alive? How long can I withstand this inferno?’ Amidst excruciating pain, a cool hand touches his arm, and feels his chest. He can see a beautiful face look down on him with concern. He emerges from the fire. He wants to thank the divine woman who led him out of that inferno but can’t find her.

Vikraman is sailing. The flag with tiger insignia is fluttering above. Hundreds of soldiers are aboard. As the ship set sail, King Parthiban and Queen Arumozhi had blessed him and wished him success. Thunderstorms and hurricane arrive without warning. The ship capsizes. Vikraman battles the waves to stay afloat. He can feel hypothermia setting in. Just as he is losing hope, he can see a boat magically cruise towards him. On the boat is a familiar looking woman, with the radiance of full-moon in her face. She lends him a hand and helps him get aboard. Her face is wet. It is not clear if it was due to the waves, or tears. Vikraman wants to thank her, but the words are trapped in his throat.

Vikraman is walking in a desert. The sun burns his body. The sand burns his feet. He is thirsty. There is no greenery or shade in sight. He sees something like a water body afar.  He hurries towards it, but it remains just as far away. ‘Is this what they call a mirage?’ he thinks. The last drop of energy drains. He collapses. ‘I’m doing all this at my parents’ command, for my country’, he thinks as his consciousness fades. A gentle pair of hands picks him up. He tries to find out who is helping him up but can’t see. ‘Did I lose my vision in this heat?’, he speculates in despair. The arms lay him down on a comfortable bed. It feels like he is in the middle of an orchard near Kaveri. He can taste the water of river Kaveri. He wants to thank the divine soul who quenched his thirst. He senses a face close to his. He smells jasmine. His eyesight appears to return. ‘The kind, smiling face that is looking down at me looks familiar. It is the same face that saved me from several dangers’, he thinks. He wants to raise his arm to touch the face, but the arm is too heavy to lift. He falls unconscious.

After swinging between bliss and misery for days, Vikraman returned to full consciousness. His memory cleared. The last thing he remembered was resting in the pavilion in Ponnan’s company. He looked around. The place seemed familiar. As his head cleared, he was astounded to find himself in the spring palace in Uraiyur. ‘How did I get here? Who brought me here? Who else is in the palace?’, he wondered. ‘And where is Ponnan?’

He remembered the bittersweet hallucinations in the fever. At least a part of that must be true – the young woman’s face, he told himself. He could hear anklets. He looked up eagerly. But he saw that they were maids, strangers.

The physician came to treat him. Servants and maids came to tend to him. But there was no sign of that woman! He could not bring himself to voice his thoughts and questions to the maids. They were also mute in his presence as they served him.

A day went by. He slept that night. The next morning, he could not lie in bed. He felt strong enough to walk. His legs felt stable. He wandered out of the palace, into the garden. No one stopped him. He walked on, towards the river. He was elated to look at the river Kaveri and the spring palace island after several years. The shade of the mango tree was heavenly. He walked slowly and sat down at the bank. He felt at peace.

He looked down at the water. He saw the reflection of a young woman’s face. The divine face! The same face that he saw in Kanchi and Mamallapuram. The face that gave him comfort in the middle of feverish misery. The face that he was wondering if he was ever going to see again.

Kundavi had arrived and was standing, leaning on a tree.

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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..

Art by Sujatha, unless otherwise credited.

Book 03 - Chapter 20: Ponnan and the Sage

Ponnan was intrigued on seeing the sage. One person entered the sculpture house and another emerged. Were they really two different people?

Ponnan’s face reflected his thoughts, but he did not get a chance to verbalize them. Before he could speak, the sage said, “Ponna, you came at just the right time. I was leaving for Uraiyur. If you arrived few minutes later, you would have missed me!”. He seemed excited. After they sat down in front of the house, he added, “Tell me the news from your side. Something important has come up. I will tell you more about it. But first, do you have news of the queen?”

“Indeed, I do, your holiness!”, said Ponnan. He told the sage about his trip to the Kolli Hills, his climb along the waterfall, encountering the one handed man and the dwarf, and waiting for them at the base of the hills. He held back the news on Vikraman, intending to discover the sage’s identity first.

The sage asked for a detailed description of the one-handed man. Ponnan obliged, and then asked, “Your holiness, do you know who that man is?”

“Ponna, now I have no doubt that Parthiba Chozha’s queen is somewhere in the Kolli Hill region. Many things make sense now. Do you want to know who that man is? He is the man polluting this holy land that begot many great spiritual leaders. He is Kapala Bhairavan, who promotes the terrible practice of human sacrifice.  I have tried really hard to meet him in person, but have not succeeded yet. I have a theory as to why he has been evading me. The two of us can confirm that theory soon! Before that I have an important job to do. I am going to give you some surprising news. The Chozha prince has returned”, said the sage and looked intensely at Ponnan’s face.

Ponnan looked a little surprised, but had not been elated as the sage had expected. “Ponna, do you not believe what I said?”.

Ponnan grew a little cautious. “I will never doubt your words, your holiness. I am only concerned that the prince returned, despite the risk involved.”

“Your concern is valid. The prince seems to have met with some sort of danger. Whatever happened, must have happened when he was on his way to Uraiyur. We need to find him first, before we start looking for the queen”.

Ponnan was genuinely surprised. “Your holiness, how did you know this? Did you see him? How did you conclude that the prince met with danger?”, he asked.

“Ponna, something seems to have changed in you. You are asking for the reasoning behind my statements. Very well! I saw the prince. Talked to him. I sent him to Uraiyur.”

“Why did you send him to Uraiyur. Your holiness?”

“Why? Because I wanted him to see his birthplace. Do you know when a man fully appreciates his motherland? It is when he returns to his motherland after a trip abroad. If a man returns after a couple of years, he will think it is heaven, even if it happens to be desert land. Imagine a man's feelings on return to the fertile Chozha country! I wanted Vikraman not to want to leave the Chozha country again. I did that to fulfil the promise I made his father on the battlefield. But I did not anticipate this danger. How am I going to explain what happened to his mother?!”

“Your holiness, what sort of danger befell the prince? And how did you learn of it?”, asked Ponnan.

“Even more questions! I don’t know what danger, But I do know that Vikraman is in danger. If only God had made this horse capable of speech! Your prince rode this horse. He left for Uraiyur from here. Two days later, the horse returned on its own. We need to find out what happened to the prince. I’m leaving now. Do you want to come along? You can ride a horse, can’t you?”

“I can your holiness. But I want to learn a few things before I can accompany you!”

“What sort of things?”, asked the sage, with a note of incredulity in his voice.

“A few things. To start with, who are you?”

The sage had a bright smile on his face. “Oh, that’s what it is!”

“I saw you ride to this house. You wore a different guise then. You entered the house and emerged in a different form. I have reasons to think neither is your true form. I have had this suspicion for a while. But now I really need to get it clarified. If you reveal your identity….”

“If I reveal my identity?”

“I can tell you something that you very much desire to learn. If you don’t, I will go on my own way.”

The sage noted the determination in Ponnan’s eyes. “In that case, I will tell you who I am. I need you to make a promise though. Do you swear to keep it a secret?”

“I swear, your holiness!”

“Do you swear on the soul of King Parthiban?”

“I do, your holiness!”

“Here you go then!”, said the sage, and removed his beard and wig, just as he had done on the battlefield.

“My Lord, is that you?”, asked Ponnan and touched his feet.

Donning his guise again, the sage asked, “Did Valli not tell you?”

“Valli is sneaky! She deliberately misled me on your identity. I suspected it was you. When I asked her though, she told me that the sage was King Parthiban! But now, I know something valuable. I’m not sharing it with her!”

Ponnan told the sage his story in detail, starting from him saving the prince from the wild river, all the way until princess Kundavi taking him along in her palanquin.

The sage, who had looked unruffled until this point, displayed a great deal of surprise through this story. He said, “Ponna, we don’t need to worry about your prince anymore. He is in good hands. Our next order of business is to find the queen!”.

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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..

Art by Sujatha, unless otherwise credited.

Book 03- Chapter 19: Ponnan’s Thoughts

Ponnan encountered the royal entourage as he was walking on the streets of Paranthakapuram. He stood out of the way to let the entourage pass. In the torch light, he saw Kundavi’s face. He felt a surge of respect for her. He felt that her kindness was divine, just as her beauty was. ‘How generous does she have to be, to help a stranger lying sick and unassisted, and carry him in her own palanquin!’, he thought.

He slept at the temple that night. As he lied down, he started planning his next steps. He realized that his prince was in good hands. He could not have provided the care the Kundavi had arranged. She was taking the prince where he had intended to go. It all seemed to have been arranged by divine forces. It would take a while for the prince to get well. There was no chance of meeting him while he was recovering. There would be no point in hovering around him as he recovers. The time would be better spent in looking for queen Arulmozhi. The Shaivite sage had asked him to come to a spot to meet him whenever he had new information on the queen’s whereabouts. He had provided directions to the sculptor’s house in the forest on the way to Mamallpapuram. It might be best to go there next to get his advice.

The next morning, Ponnan saw the royal entourage set off towards Uraiyur. As he saw them leave, he prayed for the prince to be entirely cured by the time he returned from Mamallapuram. He started walking in the opposite direction. As his feet took him to Mamallapuram, his thoughts flew to Uraiyur, along with his prince.

He realized that there was a significant element of risk in the prince being under Kundavi’s care. He thought, ‘What would happen if princess Kundavi discovers who the gem trader is? The sick prince can reveal his own identity in delirium. Or he could be so surprised on finding himself in his childhood home that he might give himself away. Once the princess knows his identity, the information might get to prince Mahendran and through him to the emperor’. Ponnan was aware that violation of the terms of deportation was punishable by death.

‘By God’s grace, it won’t come to that’, he reassured himself. ‘If the princess learns his identity, she will make an effort to save him. There is talk that she argued his case after hearing of the verdict to deport him. Did the sage not tell queen Arulmozhi how eloquently the princess pleaded with the emperor to pardon my prince?’

Thinking of the sage and princess Kundavi together took his thoughts to the conversation he had overheard in the travelers’ pavilion. Princess Kundavi had ordered Marappan to capture the sage. This thought filled him with an unnamed fear.

‘Who is the sage, really? Is he the noble soul that he appears to be, or a pretender? Is he really a friend of the Chozha dynasty? Is it a good idea to tell him about the prince’s return and whereabouts? I wish I had a chance to discuss the sage with prince Vikraman!’, he thought.

Ponnan made another connection that surprised him. ‘Didn’t the prince say that he stayed with the spy chief in a sculptor’s house? The sage has asked me to meet him at a sculptor’s house. From the directions, it seems to be the same house. What is the connection between the spy chief and the sage?’

Ponnan had a firm belief that the sage was a noble man. He would be in the sage’s debt forever for saving him from Marappan. The queen also seemed to implicitly trust the sage. Despite all this, there were reasons to think that he was not a genuine sage. Valli had voiced a theory as to who the sage really was.  Valli had theorized that King Parthiban did not really die in battle. He did not want it to be known that he was the sole survivor from his army. Hence, he took on the guise of the sage. Much as Ponnan admired Valli’s intellect, he did not buy into this theory.

There was another episode that contributed to his misgivings. He had been depressed after queen Arulmozhi left on her pilgrimage. He went to the Aiyanaar temple in the forest to pray for peace of mind. He found that one of the mud forms of elephants was broken. He found a bag within the form. When he had opened the bag, he had found things like tiger-skin clothing, prayer beads and a wig. He had concluded that those items must have been the costumes used for the guise of the sage.

So who was that impostor? What could his motives be? What did Kapala Bhairavan whisper to Marappan about the impostor’s identity? What had the sage done to incur the wrath of Princess Kundavi, who is otherwise generous to a fault?

Ponnan had no answer to these questions. But he resolved to ask the sage about his identity when they met. He would not reveal what he knew about Vikraman and queen Arulmozhi’s captors unless he received a satisfactory answer. If there was no satisfactory answer, he would wait to consult Vikraman before confiding in the sage.

Ponnan’s mind was a whirl of thoughts and emotions as he walked. When he was offered cart rides for parts of his journey, he took them. He reached the shortcut to Mamallapuram that cut through the forest. He had received clear directions from the sage. He was looking for the landmarks as he walked. He saw a rider coming from the opposite direction. The horse and the rider turned into the forest. It was not clear to Ponnan if the rider noticed him. He speculated from Vikraman’s description that it might be the spy chief.

The spot where the horse turned also met the description that sage had given Ponnan. He turned at the same spot. He followed the sounds of the horse going through the dense growth. He walked for about an hour and half. He could see an opening. He also saw a beautifully architected house. Ponnan saw the horse in front of the house. As Ponnan reached the house, the sage appeared at the entrance, smiling at Ponnan. Ponnan looked up at him with surprise.

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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..

Art by Sujatha, unless otherwise credited.