Chapter 4 - The Kadambur Palace

Vandiya Devan reached Kadambur Palace within an hour after he left Veeranarayana Temple. Sengannar Sambuverayar was one of the foremost noblemen in the Chola kingdom. His palace stood as a testimony of his power. It looked almost as huge as a king's fort with its high walls.
At the entrance there were horses, elephants and their caretakers moving around. At strategic points there were soldiers holding torches.

"Seems like there is something important happening here. Why did we have to come here today of all days?" thought Vandiya Devan.

But he was also interested in knowing what was happening in the palace that day. The doors of the palace lay open but were heavily guarded.

Vandiya Devan knew that if he stood hesitatingly watching the palace the soldiers wouldn't allow him inside. So he rode up to the entrance. Just when he reached the entrance the soldiers guarding it surrounded him.

"Is this the way people here treat their guests?" asked Vallavareyan furiously.

"Who are you? You tell us that first," asked one of the soldiers.

"You dare to ask me who I am? I am Vallavareyan Vandiya Devan of the Vanar clan in Thiruvallam. Once upon a time soldiers like you proudly carved the names of my ancestors on their chests," bellowed Vandiya Devan.

"You might have as well brought an announcer to announce Your Highness' arrival,' sniggered one of the soldiers. Hearing this the other soldiers laughed.

"Whoever you are you cannot go inside now. The guests who were invite have all arrived and our master has ordered us not to allow anybody else inside," said the head of the guards.

Hearing the commotion and the jeers at the entrance the other soldiers engaged in other chores near the palace came to the entrance to find out what's happening. Along with them came the gang of Pazhuvur soldiers who had harassed our hero's horse a little while ago.

"Hey look! It's the same horse."

"Don't say horse. Say donkey instead."

"Look how proudly that guy is sitting on the donkey."

You can imagine how angry Vandiya Devan would be now.

"This isn't the time to fight. I must remember what Prince Karikalar told me. May be I should just go back or else may be I should show them Karikalar's signet ring to gain entrance," thought Vandiya Devan.

But as the Pazhuvur soldiers jeered more he came to a decision as to what to do.
The soldiers who were blocking him gave way. He immediately kicked his horse deep in the belly causing it to lift its hooves high up in the air, striking the jeering soldiers and at the same time he pulled out his sword.

Many things happened simultaneously. The soldiers inside the palace hearing the commotion urgently shut the huge doors and started ringing the alarm bell. Guards from all over the grounds started running towards the entrance.

There were almost twenty or thirty soldiers around Vandiya Devan and his horse. He jumped from his horse and started swinging his sword around him, lest they attack him and at the same time he started shouting at the top of his voice, "Kandanmara, your soldiers are attacking me!"
Hearing this the soldiers hesitated to approach him.

Next moment they heard a thundering voice from the terrace of the palace.

"What is this commotion? And what is happening here?"

"Master, one guy tried to enter the palace and when we didn't allow he started attacking us and started shouting our young master's name."

"Kandanmara, just go and see what's happening there," ordered the same thundering voice.
Vandiya Devan and the guards remained quiet until Kandanmaran came.

"What is happening here?" asked Kandanmaran when he arrived. And when his eyes fell on
Vandiya Devan he became excited and forgot the reason he came there.

"Vallava, is it really you?" he asked looking at Vandiya Devan surprised and then enveloped him in a bear hug.

"Kandanmara, you invited me earnestly so many times so I thought I would visit you when I have work in this region. But I never expected such a welcome in your house." said Vandiya Devan pointing at the guards.

"Fools! Idiots! You don't know how to behave with guests!" shouted Kandanmaran at the guards.

After that Kandanmaran took Vandiya Devan's hand and pulled him inside the palace. He was thoroughly excited to see his best friend. He immediately took him to the terrace to introduce him to his father.

On the way Vandiya Devan asked him, "Kandanmara, what's happening here? Why so many guards and restriction?"

"That I will tell you later. But do you remember when we were at the border you were telling me that you want to meet Pazhuvetar and Mazhavareyar? Today is your lucky day Vandiya Deva, you can meet them all here," said Kandanmaran.

In the terrace Kandanmaran's father and other noblemen were sitting. Kandanmaran took Vandiya Devan straight to his father and introduced him.

"Father, do you remember I told you about my best friend Vandiya Devan. This is him."
Kandanmaran's father didn't seem too very happy to see him. He said, "Really? So all that confusion and chaos downstairs was because of him?"

Kandanmaran, angered by his father's words, replied "No. It was because of those idiots that we have got as guards."

"Even then he needn't have created so much of a commotion," said Kandanmaran's father.

Not wanting to argue further with his father, Kandanmaran pulled Vandiya Devan along and took him to the center of the terrace where many noblemen had assembled. There he introduced Vandiya Devan to Pazhuvetar.

"Mama, this is my friend Vandiya Devan of Vanar clan. For a very long time he has been telling me that he wanted to meet you. He was always asking me whether you really had sixty four scars in your body."

"Really Thambi, so you think there cannot be a brave soldier from any other clan than the Vanar, is it?" asked Pazhuvetar.

Both Vandiya Devan and Kandanmaran were shocked. They never thought that Pazhuvetar would twist their words like that.

Vandiya Devan was furious. But he nevertheless said, "Sir, how can I think like that when I am in front of a great warrior?"

"I am very pleased to meet you," said Pazhuvetar though he didn't look pleased at all.
When they left the terrace, they met Kandanmaran's father downstairs who told him to get Vandiya Devan his dinner so that he could retire for the day.

After that Kandanmaran took Vandiya Devan to the anthapuram to introduce his mother. He also introduced his sister to him who was feeling shy and was hiding behind her mother.

Vandiya Devan, who was hoping to talk to her, was disappointed but he was also more disappointed when he noticed that lady in the veiled palanquin was not among the women there!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Glossary

Mama - uncleAnthapuram - A part of the palace where women were quartered