Ponniyin Selvan 1-A New Floods Chapter 25 || Inside the Fort || by Kalki Krishnamurthy || Tamil Historic Novel about the Great King Raja Raja Cholan
CHAPTER 25 : Inside the Fort
CHAPTER 25 Inside the Fort
The ring with the palmyra insignia was like the magic ring in fairy tales. In the morning there was a crowd waiting to
enter the fort; milk and curd sellers, flower merchants, vegetable vendors and people engaged in various professions. The guards paraded their powers arrogantly, opened the side gate and allowed them in one by one.
The minute our young hero produced the ring, the guards very respectfully opened one of the main gates and Vandiyathevan entered the fort.
Aha! No one knows at what auspicious moment he placed his foot inside the Thanjavur fort. Many decisive events followed in rapid succession and assumed critical importance in the history of the Chozhas.
For quite a while after he entered, Vandiyathevan stood where he was, amazed.
Kanchi, the old Pallava capital, had been the target of several enemy attacks. Its palaces, mandapams and other buildings had grown very old and were covered with moss. They were certainly beautifully sculpted buildings. But many of them had crumbled in parts. The few structures Aditha Karikalar had renovated when he came to power looked like the odd flowers on an otherwise dead tree. They actually accentuated the dilapidated appearance of the city.
Thanjavur was a complete contrast to Kanchi. All the palaces and mandapams were new. The red brick buildings that stood between white lime-and-mortar structures shone like precious stones set among pearls and diamonds. The lush trees growing. in the palace gardens seemed to have sucked up the goodness of the red earth. The myriad shades of green in the dense foliage of the punnai, thennai, ashokam, arasu, pala and venbu trees delighted the eyes and gladdened the senses. It was as though the city had been constructed by the divine architect, Mayan. A spurt of enthusiasm surged through one when entering the new city, and the heart swelled with joy and an inexplicable sense of pride.
Vandiyathevan had thought, when he saw the guards at the gates and the security precautions they enforced, that there would be very few people in the city. But the streets were bustling with activity. Horses and horse-drawn chariots thundered along. The sound of elephant bells resounded in the air as the animals walked along ponderously, like moving black hillocks. The cries of vendors selling flowers, vegetables, fruit, milk and curds pierced one’s ears. The clang of gongs indicating the time mingled with the roar of kettle-drums. Women sang to the harmonious accompaniment of musical instruments.
This is what a city should be like, thought Vandiyathevan. The capital city of a swiftly expanding kingdom had to be like this!
Vandiyathevan did not want anyone to know he was unfamiliar with the city. If he asked a passer-by for directions, he was sure to look him up and down, realizing he was a stranger, and speak to him disdainfully. He had to find his way to the palace without asking anyone for help. It shouldn’t be that difficult.
He saw flags and festoons fluttering over all the buildings. They rustled noisily, battling against the strong breeze. Most of them had the tiger and palmyra insignia. Noting a tiger flag that touched the sky, flying high over all the other flags, Vandiyathevan guessed it marked the palace and went towards it, wondering what his next course of action should be.
His first task was to meet the Emperor personally and hand over the palm-leaf scroll to him. He also had to convey to him the message from Aditha Karikalar. He would not be able to see the Emperor without the permission of the commandant of the fort, Chinna Pazhuvettarayar. How would he get it? God had helped him to get into the fort. But could he be sure God would help him all the way? He would have to resort to some device to meet the Emperor. What device? O Vana brain that has come to me through generations... let’s see you do a little work! Push your imagination a bit! It is not just poets and writers who need to be imaginative. People engaged in affairs of state need imagination as well! Let’s see how skilful you can be!
He wanted to make sure Periya Pazhuvettarayar had not yet returned. So, as soon as he entered the fort, he asked one of the guards, “My friend! Has Pazhuvettarayar come back?”
“Whom are you asking about, thambi? The younger is in the palace.”
“Don’t I know that? I asked about the older one, who’s gone to the central regions.”
“Oh, had he gone there? I didn’t know. The Ilaya Rani's palanquin came back last evening. The older prince has not yet returned. We have information that he might come this evening.” said the guard.
This was good news. He had to see the Emperor and give him the palm-leaf scroll before Periya Pazhuvettarayar arrived. How was he to do this? An idea struck him. His anxiety vanished and in its place appeared a mischievous grin and a look of happiness.
He did not have to wander around too much to reach the Emperor's palace. Going towards the tiger flag, he came to it very soon. Aha! What a palace! It was like Indra's in Devalokam, like Vikramditya’s in Ujjain. The sculptures on the pillars in the front mandapam were marvellous! A carved horse that stood with its front legs poised in the air seemed ready to spring out.
A number of paths led to the palace from all directions and two horsemen stood at the end of each with a few footmen. People walked up to the entrance and left without approaching the horsemen. Some of them waited for a second, looked up at the tiger flag, then went away. Whenever it looked as though a crowd might gather, the horsemen signalled to them to disperse at once. Those who came up to the entrance spoke in whispers.
Vandiyathevan did not hesitate like everyone else. He walked up to the guards quickly, arrogantly. Two horses immediately blocked his way, their faces almost touching him. The horsemen and the footmen crossed their spears.
Vandiyathevan showed them his ring. That was it — their haughty demeanour vanished at once. Three guards examined the ring, one after another. “All right, give way,” said one. The spears parted and Vandiyathevan entered briskly.
Was that all, then? Were there more guards? Where would Chinna Pazhuvettarayar be? How could he find out? Whom could he ask? He would not be able to see the Emperor without Chinna Pazhuvettarayar's permission. Where in this vast palace was the bedridden Emperor? How was he to find out?
Realizing that there was a group of people trailing him, Vandiyathevan turned around. Yes, about ten or fifteen people stood in a group near the guards. Dressed in expensive silks, they wore pearl necklaces around their necks and golden eardrops dangled from their ears. Some had vibhuthi on their foreheads, others had sandalwood, kumkumam or musk pottus. They looked like poets... Ah! it was obvious they were a group of poets.
One of the guards announced, “The poets are here. Give way!” He turned to another guard and said, “Chinna Pazhuvettarayar is in the audience hall. Take them there.”
“You poets! If you’re given any presents, come back this way. If you’re not, go back some other way,” he said, much to the amusement of the others.
Vandiyathevan realized that good fortune had fallen into his lap. If he went along with these poets, he would reach Chinna Pazhuvettarayar. He would not have to ask anyone the way. And he could count on his own smartness and luck thereafter. He went on.
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