Book 03 - Chapter 36: The Sacrificial Altar

They traveled for about fifty minutes tracking the wild river. The dwarf then turned south and led them into the dense jungle. After walking a while through the jungle, they encountered an incline. The dwarf climbed the incline with ease. The horses struggled to follow him. The top of the incline turned out to be the shoreline of a lake.

Ponnan and Vikraman looked in the direction the dwarf pointed. They could see a landscape of boulders and shrubs. They could see hundreds of torches moving. The figures moving around in the foot of the hills must have been human, although it would have been easy to mistake them for ghosts in that eerie setting. Drumbeats contributed to the unsettling atmosphere.

Vikraman and Ponnan were both nervous, but they just resumed following the dwarf without showing their fear. The dwarf was walking faster now. He walked along the shoreline, and then cut through the dried part of the lake. As Ponnan and Vikraman followed, they could sense that the horses were shivering as well. In another ten minutes, they reached the forest at the foot of the hills. The horses seemed more nervous now. Ponnan and Vikraman dismounted, tied the horses to trees and entered the forest.

In the glow of torches, they could see several people dancing in a fanatical trance. Some, clad in yellow, were meditating with closed eyes. Some others were cooking pongal, the ceremonial porridge offering. Some were sharpening their swords on the rocks, while others were beating their drums.

They had arrived at a clearing. There was a hillock to their right. A large figure of Goddess Kali was carved on the stone face and was painted in bright colors. The eyes of the Goddess were open wide in a fearsome stare. There was a huddle of men near the figure. Kapala Bhairavan was in the middle, towering over all others, with his reddish hair, necklace of skulls and red paste all over his body. A man near him was making rhythm with Udukkai, an hourglass shaped drum. Kapala Bhairavan’s eyes were closed. He was muttering something. His body was shaking.

Near that hillock was a flat rock, naturally shaped like a sacrificial altar. The Shaivite sage was lying on the rock, his arms and body bound. He had his eyes open. He seemed to be observing everything that was happening around him.

A giant man was standing with a sword near the rock, apparently waiting for Kapala Bhairavan’s command.

Vikraman scanned the scene and observed all this in an instant. He rushed to the giant man and swung his sword. The man’s sword fell away with a clang. Vikraman stood near the sage, and addressed Ponnan, “Ponna, what are you waiting for? Untie the ropes.”

These events occurred before anyone realized what was happening. The crowd now protested noisily. Kapala Bhairavan heard the commotion, opened his eyes, and slowly walked towards the altar. He gazed at Vikraman intently. He laughed. The laughter echoed around the boulders, causing goosebumps.

The crowd sensed that something important was happening and surrounded the altar. Kapala Bhairavan raised his arm and grunted. Everyone fell back. The giant had retrieved his sword by this time. He fell back as well. Ponnan stood paralyzed, rooted to the spot.

Kapala Bhairavan gazed intently at Vikraman again. “My boy! Aren’t you Vikraman, the son of King Parthiban? You arrived at the perfect time, just as Mother Kali had foretold. What can I say about the omniscience of Mother Kali!”

Vikraman stood silent, hypnotized by his gaze.

“My boy, I came to Mamallapuram, looking for you. That madman, Marappan intervened and ruined my plans. But I was expecting you here tonight.”

Still under the spell, Vikraman asked in a feeble voice, “Who are you and why did you look for my arrival?”

“Why? Mother Kali’s rule begins in the southern country tonight. Mother Kali commands that you be crowned as the prince of Her kingdom!”

Someone in the crowd giggled derisively. Kapala Bhiravan, Vikraman and everyone looked in the direction, but it was not clear who giggled.

The sound of the giggle broke the spell Vikraman had been under. He looked at the sage and then met the eyes of  Kapala Bhairavan.  “I don’t know what you are talking about. But if you really want to designate me as the prince, don’t intervene in what I’m doing. This man is an esteemed friend of my family. He has helped us in difficult times. I consider it my duty to free him. While I’m alive, I can’t permit anyone to harm him!”. He approached the altar, intending to cut the ropes that bound the sage.

“Stop!”, roared Kapala Bhairavan. Vikraman, for all his bravery, was startled by this cry. His sword remained in the air.

Kapala Bhairavan resumed in a loud voice, “Vikrama, my boy. This sage is an impostor. If you knew who he is, you wouldn’t be so keen to save him!”

Vikraman was surprised at the venom in his voice. He recalled his own suspicion that the sage was actually the Pallava spy chief.

Kapala Bhairavan roared, “Ask this impostor who he is. Let’s see if he has the courage to answer!”.

Vikraman looked at the sage. The sage was smiling serenely.

Another voice thundered, “Vikrama, ask this impostor with the garland of skulls who he is. Let’s see if he answers!”. The man behind the voice emerged from behind the boulder nearby. Everyone turned around to look. There was a loud exclamation from the crowd as light fell on the man’s face.

Vikraman felt a surge of respect as he saw the man, wearing prayer beads and holy ash. It was the man who used to be the general of the Pallava army, known as Paranjothi and Siruthondar.

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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 35: The Mother and the Son

Vikraman and Ponnan were pleasantly shocked on hearing that the queen had returned.  They got off their horses. A voice from the pavilion called “Who is there? Did I hear Ponnan speak?” It was Queen Arulmozhi’s voice.

“Mother!”, cried Vikraman as he rushed towards the Pavilion. Ponnan followed him.

A figure emerged from the dark pavilion. It was Queen Arulmozhi, but she had changed considerably. When Vikraman had seen her last, she had traces of youthful appearance. She looked considerably older. She appeared to have aged by three decades in three years.

Vikraman prostrated himself on the ground and grabbed her feet. The queen sat down on the ground, placed his head on her lap and shed tears of joy.

Ponnan, who had followed Vikraman into the pavilion, was quietly watching the emotional scene. His eyes fell on a figure who lay bound on the floor. He recognized the figure as the dwarf. The dwarf recognized Ponnan and cackled.

Vikraman, startled, sat up, and turned and began, “Ponna!”.

“Yes, my king, this is the man who acted as your guide from Mamallapuram”, said Ponnan.

The dwarf cackled again.

Arulmozhi looked disoriented as she looked at everyone. She did not seem to know what to say. Finally, she addressed Ponnan, “Ponna, I don’t understand what is going on, or how you all got here. I don’t know how long I spent in that cave by the mountains. I decided to end my life by jumping into the waterfall. The sage stopped me and gave me courage. He said, ‘Your son is back. You should be able to meet him soon’. Ponna, I also heard that you saved Vikraman from the currents of the wild river. Is that true?”

Vikraman intervened. “Not just the wild river. Ponnan saved me from the Emperor’s capital punishment and from being sacrificed to Kali!”.

“Sacrificed to Kali?”, asked Arulmozhi, shuddering.

The dwarf again laughed an eerie laugh. “Yes, sacrifice. There is going to be a large sacrifice today to quench Mother Kali’s thirst!”. Everyone watched him with morbid fascination as he resumed, “At midnight the Shaivite sage is going to be sacrificed. The rule of Mahabadra Kali will start. There will be no shortage of skulls from now on!”.

Vikraman jumped to his feet. “Ponna, what is this nonsense about the sage?”

Dwarf resumed his cackle. “Nonsense? I am speaking the truth. That impostor - the sage will be bound and lying on the sacrificial altar by this time. The sword will come down at the stroke of midnight!”

The queen turned to Vikraman and said in a miserable voice, “This man has been torturing me by saying this since we got here. I escaped from the cave and tried to jump in the waterfalls. The sage stopped me and assured me that a few men will come to rescue me. The men arrived as he had promised. They also found this man hiding nearby and captured him. Since we arrived here, he has been telling me that the Kapaliks are about to sacrifice the sage. The sage is a holy soul. He has been a guide to us. And he is in such a terrible position!”

Vikraman said, “Ponna, what is the point of us being alive if we can’t intervene?”

“My king, you seem to be forgetting the position that you are in. We really need to get to Mamallapuram before daybreak.”

“You will miss the ship. That’s all, right?”, asked the queen.

Ponnan turned to the queen. “My queen, your son is in danger. You know the punishment for breaking the terms of banishment. Marappa Bhupathi has already recognized your son and would have tipped the emperor off by now. If your son misses the ship, it will be hard to escape punishment. To save the sage, he has to put his own life at risk. What do you think we should do?”

Arulmozhi seemed nonplussed.

Vikraman addressed her. “Mother, you are the brave queen of King Parthiban. Tell me what I should do. The sage has been a great source of strength to us. Should I run away now to save my own life? Is that what father would have wanted me to do?”

“You need to stay alive to have a chance to carry out King Parthiban’s wishes”, said Ponnan.

Arulmozhi looked at the two alternatingly. Finally, she said, “Ponna, you may think of me as a heartless mother. My instinct is not to abandon a great man who has been helping us all these years. I don’t want to hear people say that my son ran away to save his own life when a friend was in danger!”

Vikraman touched her feet, and said, “Mother, you are the ideal mother; and worthy wife of King Parthiban”, with emotion. He turned to Ponnan and said, “Ponna, get ready to leave.”

“But where are we going? We don’t know where the sacrifice is going to be!”

“I can show you if you untie me”, said the dwarf.

Finally, the dwarf was untied, and was handed a torch. Ponnan and Vikraman mounted their horses. They followed the dwarf along a wooded path that led west.

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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 34: “My Heavens! What is This?!”

Vikraman and Ponnan mounted their horses and got on their way. As they started riding, Vikraman asked, “Ponna, you were the cartman in turban, sporting a fake moustache, weren’t you?”

“Yes, my king.”

“When I was in prison, I feared you might have forgotten me.”

“Even if I had forgotten, there is someone who would not have let me forget!”

“Who is it?”

“Who else? The lady who rescued you from the jaws of death!”

Vikraman’s heart leapt on hearing this. He wanted to ask more about Kundavi, but suddenly felt shy to ask. After a pause, he asked, “Where are we going now?”

“My king, we are going to Mamallapuram.”

“Ponna!”

“Yes, my king?”

“We must reach Mamallapuram before morning!”

“Yes, my king. That’s why I suggested we leave immediately.”

“The ship will wait until the afternoon.”

“We will reach before then!”

After another pause, Vikraman asked, “Where is Lady Kundavi now? I will be pleased if I get a chance to thank her and bid goodbye.”

“It is not possible, my king!”

“What is not possible?”

“To be able to say goodbye.”

“It sounds that way. There is no time to go to Uraiyur now.”

“My lady is not in Uraiyur now. She is in Mamallapuram.”

“Ah!”, exclaimed Vikraman. He felt a sense of exhilaration on hearing this news. This news combined with the sense of freedom after having been imprisoned and the cool ride in the nighttime breeze made him feel as if he was floating in the air.

“Then why did you say I can’t say goodbye? I need to see the princess at least for a moment to thank her; I’d also like to entrust her with the job of looking for my mother.”

“That is impossible”.

“How can you say that so emphatically?”

“I say that because I know how determined my lady is. She has no intention of bidding you farewell. She is determined to leave with you”.

“Really? Why did you not say this earlier?”

“I was not supposed to say anything to you at all. My lady was planning to surprise you after you boarded the ship!”

Vikraman was lost in his thoughts until Ponnan said, “Look over there my king!”.  Vikraman was brought back to the present. He saw a group of ten or twelve men standing under a tree. One of them was carrying a torch. They presented a ghastly scene in the light. They were wearing garlands of skulls and had red sandal and Kumkum paste all over their bodies. Their swords gleamed in the dim light.

VIkraman shuddered. After the horses crossed them, he remarked, “What a horrific scene!”

“My king, they were waiting for you. Marappa Bhupathi had ordered his soldiers to hand you over to these men. I preempted their plans. They wouldn’t have expected you to ride like this. They will wait for you a little longer and return to report to Kapala Bhairavan that you did not arrive. Bhairavan is not going to be very happy with Marappan!”.

“Ponna, you did not save me just from the Emperor’s punishment and the cult of human sacrifice. You saved me from the flash floods too. You have been the guardian angel of the Chozha royal family. How am I going to repay you for all this? We will part ways tomorrow. I am not sure when I will see you again!”.

“What an odd thing to say?!”, said Ponnan.

“What?”

“Why would I part ways from you? Do you think I am going to let you sail away, leaving me behind again? Valli is already in Mamallapuram with the princess. We are both sailing with you!”

Vikraman paused and said, “Ponna, I am happy to hear this. If you and Valli come along, it will be as good as taking my beloved Chozha country with me. However, I have some misgivings. Who is going to look for the queen now? Who will tell her of your decision to leave? I came home to see her but am leaving without meeting her. Do we not need someone to stay behind to at least give her my messages?”

Ponnan had this thought at the back of his mind as well. He had been wondering if the sage had managed to find the queen. Despite his misgivings, he said, “You don’t have to worry about that, my king. The sage is all powerful. He will find the queen and take care of her.”

“You are right. Didn’t he say he would meet us at the sculptor’s house?”

“We can’t take a detour now. If we go there, we are going to miss the ship.”

“I realize that. But it is heartbreaking to leave without seeing mother and the sage!”, said Vikraman.

Ponnan exclaimed, “My Heavens! What is this?!”

They had approached the wild river and the Mahendra Mantap that was adjacent to the river. The scene in front of the pavilion astonished Ponnan. There were seven or eight armed soldiers. Two of them were carrying torches. A palanquin was on the ground.

“It's a night of of surprises!”, muttered Ponnan.

“Who could be here at this time of the night, Ponna?”, asked Vikraman.

“I don’t know, my king!”

“They don’t look like Kapaliks. Who could they be?”

“Perhaps Lady Kundavi has sent us help. But who is the palanquin for?”.

They had neared the pavilion. Ponnan thought one of the men looked familiar. Then he recognized him as Kumarappan, a member of Paranjothi’s entourage that he had met in Thiruchengattangudi.

The man recognized Ponnan as well. He exclaimed, “Look who is here! Ponna, do you know that the queen was rescued? She is inside the pavilion. She asked about you too!”

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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 33: The Night Before New Moon

About three hours after sunset, the prison gates opened. Marappan and a few of his soldiers handcuffed Vikraman and led him outside. An open bullock cart was ready. Vikraman got on that cart. A few soldiers hopped on and sat on either side. Soldiers were placed ahead of and behind the cart.

Marappan whispered something to the soldier who appeared to be the leader. He then indicated that the party should leave. The group started their journey.

The cart traveled through the streets of Uraiyur. The streets, which used to be brightly lit in the nights during the days of Chozha rein, were fully dark. Vikraman found it disturbing to see the Chozha capital in such state.

“Oh Masters! Who is this young man, and where are you taking him?”, the cartman asked. Vikraman was astonished to hear the voice. ‘This sounds like Ponnan! Could it really be him?’

One of the soldiers replied, “How does that concern you? Stop the gossip and mind the cart!”

“True! It does not concern me. But word on the street is that there is a spy from Senbaga Island who came here on the pretext of trading gems, and fooled even our princess Kundavi. I heard that our commander arrested the man. I was only wondering if this is that man.”

“Maybe! You can pretend this is the spy if that satisfies your curiosity”, said a soldier.

“Where are you taking him?”

“Where else? To Kanchi.”

“That far! But there are only seven or eight of you. What if someone tries to free him on the way?”

Vikraman wondered if it was indeed Ponnan. ‘Was this a signal to me that help is coming?’, he wondered. As he was thinking along these lines, the leader of soldiers asked, “What is that chatter?”. It seemed to silence everyone.

They reached the banks of Kaveri. Vikraman and the soldiers got off the cart. A boat was waiting for them. A man was standing there in wait with a lit torch.

The cartman turned the cart around. As he was doing so, he said to the soldiers, “Goodbye and take care. Get the spy safely to the Emperor’s court. You may want to be careful around the wild river on the way!”. Vikraman was able to see his face in the torch light and was disappointed to see that it was not Ponnan. But the bright eyes seemed familiar. Later, it dawned on him that it was indeed Ponnan! He was hard to recognize because of the large fake moustache. He must have indeed signaled his intentions to free Vikraman near the wild river. This thought cheered Vikraman up.

They crossed the river by boat and walked until midnight. They slept at a roadside pavilion. They resumed their journey on a cart the next morning, and crossed Paranthakapuram around dusk. Vikraman estimated that they were approaching the wild river. He was restless, wondering what sort of help he might get and who might come.

It was about three hours after sunset. Vikraman was surprised at the pedestrian traffic that late on a dark night. People were traveling in small groups. It looked as if they were heading to a temple. Many people were dancing and singing with cultish passion as they were traveling. Many were wearing yellow clothes. Each group had someone bearing a torch. Some were carrying large swords. Vikraman watched with horror and fascination, and wondered ‘Who are these people, and why are they carrying swords?’

Marappan’s soldiers were watching these and whispering to each other. He heard odd words in the conversation, like ‘Kali’, ‘Sacrifice’ and ‘Kapala Bhairavar’. These words caused him alarm and concern. He remembered the conversation between Kapala Bhairavan and Marappan near the Mahendara Mantap. When he realized it was the new moon day, he began wondering if Marappan sent him as a sacrifice instead of sending him to Kanchi.

Just as he was thinking along these lines, he heard people shout, “Om Kali! Victory to Kali!”.  Vikraman felt his hairs stand up on end. A crowd surrounded the cart. Their swords gleamed in the star light. “Om Kali, Victory to Kali! Where is the sacrifice?”, shouted a harsh voice.

The soldiers walking ahead abandoned the cart and fled. The soldiers sitting on the cart guarding Vikraman jumped off and ran away too. Vikraman’s arms were chained to the side of the cart. He was not able to get off the cart. A voice from the back reassured him, “My king, it’s me. Please don’t be alarmed!”. Ponnan got onto the cart and removed the chains. As Vikraman jumped off the cart, he saw that two majestic horses were standing nearby, ready to go.

“My king, get on the horse. We can’t linger here!”, said Ponnan.

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Book 03 - Chapter 32: The Uraiyur Prison

Vikraman was locked up in a solitary cell in the Uraiyur prison. He smiled wryly at the irony of fate, which put him in the prison of the city where he should rightfully be on the throne. He remembered the days of his father’s rule. He recalled the day that his father left for war. He remembered each painting that his father showed him, and the dreams that the paintings represented.  ‘Will all those dreams remain unfulfilled?’, he asked himself. He had held on to hopes that he could somehow redeem the pledge that he had made to his father. It appeared that those hopes were lost altogether.

‘How long should I lie in prison waiting for the Emperor’s orders? And what orders would they be? A death sentence would be the most likely one. And Marappan will love to carry it out. No one will know of my fate. King Parthiban’s name will live on at least for a while. No one is going to remember me. Why did I bother returning from Senbaga Island? It was a small country, but an independent one. I was happy ruling those subjects. What possessed me to set off on this misadventure?’, he thought.

His thoughts went to the reasons for his return, and how justified they were. When he was in Senbaga Island, he longed to see his beloved Kaveri and Chozha land. Paradoxically, he would also get frustrated that the Chozha people had lost their spirit of independence and had accepted the Pallava rule. The frustration had now boiled over and transformed into disgust. ‘These people don’t even realize that King Parthiban’s son is now locked up in the local prison’, he thought ruefully as he pursued his chain of thoughts. ‘My wish to see my mother will remain unfulfilled’.

And Kundavi! He had tried to put her off his mind, but it was impossible. Thinking of her made him realize something. He was making up various reasons for his return home. The genuine reason, which  had remained buried in his subconscious mind rushed to the surface now. ‘It was Kundavi’, he realized. Steel is strong as a substance. However, it loses its power as a magnet draws it. Kundavi’s beauty… no, her true love had melted his steely heart. Her magnetic love had drawn him all the way from Senbaga Island.

He had held on to misgivings as to her motives for a long time. Even after he realized that she had nursed him back to health, he had been angry at her. He suspected that she would try to melt his resolve for independence. She had proven him wrong. She had won him over when she said, ‘I won’t ask my father to pardon him. Instead, I’ll ask that we be married before the sentence is carried out’. He thought, ‘To win the hand of such a girl, it is not just worth coming from Senbaga Island, but might be worth coming down from heaven. If Marappan had not gotten in the way, we might be leaving to Senbaga Island on the new moon day.’

Vikraman got increasingly agitated as the new moon day neared. The ship would dock on the new moon day. It might wait for him for two days. He had to somehow escape to get to the ship. Each moment of wait was agony for him. Finally, Marappan arrived on the evening before the new moon day.

‘Hey gem trader, I have the orders from Kanchi’, he said.

Vikraman was rattled. He assumed the worst.  He was not afraid of dying, but he abhorred the idea of dying by the sword of the executioner.

Marappan continued, “I have orders to send you to Kanchi safely. We leave three hours after sunset. Be prepared”.

Vikraman was encouraged. He thought he might get an opportunity to escape, or at least die a brave death in a fight to escape. If neither was possible, he might be able to proclaim on the Emperor's court that he would rather die than accept life as a vassal. What could be better than making this statement in Kundavi’s presence?

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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.