Chapter 9 - From Kadambur to Kollidai

Vandiya Devan had lived most of his life in dry regions where there was no river or large lake, which is why he never learned how to swim. Once while he was patrolling the border of the Chola Kingdom (near Rashtrakuta Kingdom) he had gone for a bath in the river and got caught in a current in the river. The current swirled him round and round and started dragging him down. He started losing consciousness; the current had sucked out all his energy. Just when he thought that he would die, he miraculously escaped the current and a wave dumped him on the shore.

That night when he came back to his bed he felt the same swirling motion in his head. But this time he was not stuck in a river's current, but in a very dangerous political game.

"How am I going to escape from this now?" he thought. "The Chola Kingdom has only been recently relieved of warring enemies thanks to Prince Aditya Karikalan. The Crown Prince was a great warrior and an intelligent statesman. His leadership qualities were also admirable because that's what had made him lead a small army against King Krishna and crush the Rashtrakutas.

"Just when the Chola Kingdom became safe from these enemies, new plots against the Kingdom are being made by some of the most influential and powerful noblemen of the Kingdom!

"Almost all the powerful noblemen, petty kings are involved in this plot against the Kingdom. What would be the result of this dangerous scheme? Is this the first time they are having this kind of meeting? It seems that Pazhuvetar has been taking Prince Madhuranthakan in his veiled palanquin all around the Chola Kingdom. How very convenient indeed that he got married to a young wife at this age? It is aiding him a lot in plotting against the King!" thought Vandiya Devan.

So far Vandiya Devan had never had any second thoughts about Prince Aditya Karikalar's rights to the throne. He had never even thought that there could be another claimant to it. The only thing that he had heard about Prince Madhuranthakan was that he was a great devotee of Lord Shiva, just like his father. But he had never imagined that Madhuranthakan too had any claims over the throne.

"But who has more rights over the throne? Prince Aditya Karikalan or Prince Madhuranthakan? It seems that they both have equal rights and claims over the throne. But what is my duty now? Great! I had so many plans for my future thinking that Prince Aditya would ascend the throne and may be in due course of time by serving him well I could retrieve my old Kingdom from him. Now someone has challenged Prince Aditya's authority itself. When will he overcome these hurdles? When will he become the King? And when will I get my Kingdom back?"

With these thoughts running in his mind it took him a long time to sleep.

The next morning he did not get up until almost mid-morning. It was only when Kandanmaran shook him that he woke up with a start.

"Did you sleep well yesterday?" asked his friend like a good host should. "Yesterday after the other guest went to bed I came here. You were sound asleep," he added.

It took Vandiya Devan some time to suppress all the thoughts that were running in his mind about the previous night. He was afraid that he would blabber something about the midnight conference that he was not supposed to know about. So he said carefully, "I was dead tired yesterday. I must have slept like a log. Oh God! It is so late. I must leave immediately. Kandanmara, please ask your servants to get my horse ready for my journey."

"What nonsense! How can you go now? What's the hurry anyway? You will have to stay here for at least 10 days," said Kandanmaran.

"No, my dear friend, I can't stay. I have to go to Thanjavur urgently. My mama is not well. He might die any minute. I have to go to see him," lied Vandiya Devan.

"Oh, is that so? In that case you will have to stay here for longer when you return from Thanjavur."

"Sure, but now you have to let me go."

"Wait, don't rush like this. Have your breakfast and then we can leave. I will come along with you to Kollidam."

"How is that possible? So many important guests have come to your house - how can you leave them and come with me?" objected Vandiya Devan.

"No guest is as important to me as you," Kandanmaran said. After a pause he said, "My father and the servants will take care of the other guests. I couldn't even talk to you properly yesterday, so I am coming with you till Kollidam."

"As you wish my friend," accepted Vandiya Devan.

After an hour or so, both friends set out towards Kollidam in their respective horses. Since the horses were trotting slowly, they had time to look around and talk about old memories of the times they had fought together at the border.

After some time Vandiya Deva said, "Kandanmara, even if I stayed for only one night at your place, it was very useful for me. But I just have one disappointment. You spoke so much about your sister's beauty while we were together, but I couldn't get a decent glimpse of her yesterday. She was so shy that she was hiding behind your mother all the time. I agree that girls are naturally shy by nature but your sister seems to be extremely shy."

Kandanmaran looked as if he wanted to say something but he kept quiet.

Vandiya Devan continued, "Anyway I will be staying in your house for some time on my return journey - I will try to talk to her then. May be by then she would have overcome her shyness. What did you say her name was?"

"Manimeghalai."

"Wow! What a beautiful name! I am sure she must be as beautiful…"

Kandanmaran couldn't take it any more. He interrupted, "My friend! Please, forget about my sister. Just forget everything I said about her. Don't even talk about her to me."

"What is this, Kandanmara? Just yesterday you hinted that I could become the son-in-law of your house!" exclaimed Vandiya Devan.

"Yes, that was what I thought. But now things have changed. My parents have fixed up another bridegroom for my sister and she has accepted too."

Vandiya Devan thought, "Long Live Manimeghalai." It was not very difficult for him to guess who the bridegroom would be. It must be the great prince who travels in a veiled palanquin - Prince Madhuranthakan.

"Oh! So you have fixed your sister's marriage with one of the noblemen who came yesterday. Let me tell you frankly, Kandanmara, I am neither disappointed nor frustrated. I rather expected something like this to happen."

"You expected something like this to happen!" exclaimed Kandanmaran

"Who would like to have a poor orphan like me as a son-in-law? I have no possessions, no kingdom, no land and no property. I am just a nobody. What if my ancestors were great once upon a time? It is of no value in today's world."

"My friend, enough! Please don't insult my family anymore. I beg you. Our change of plans has got nothing to do with what you are. We have a very important reason for this. When you know come to know about it, you will accept it yourself. But right now I can't talk about it. So please forgive me."

"Kandanmara! What is this? Why are you talking so mysteriously?"

"You will have to forgive me for that, my friend. It is something that I can't share even with you. But whatever happens it will not affect our friendship. I assure you that. Please have faith in me. I will not forsake you. I promise you."

"Thanks a lot for your promise. But I don't see any reason for this promise because I am not dependent on you for anything. I depend only on my sword."

"Don't worry, we will soon get an opportunity to use our swords. At that time we will fight together like brothers, shoulder to shoulder."

"What are you talking about? Do you expect a war soon or are you planning to go to ellangai (Sri Lanka) to join the war?"

"ellangai (Sri Lanka)? If you hear about the war there you will be surprised. We will have to send ships full of food for the soldiers who are fighting there. It seems that they won't take any food from the people there. It is so shameful! But I am not talking about that war. I will tell you when the time comes. But until then don't ask me anything."

"Fine, if you don't want to tell me, you don't have to. Anyway we have reached Kollidam."



Cauvery River

At a distance they saw the rushing waters of Kollidam, a tributary of the Cauvery. There was a boat and a boatman at the bank. He already had one passenger who looked like a Saivite.
When they neared the bank, the boatman asked, "Lord, are you coming?"
"Yes, my friend is coming. Wait awhile," Kandanmaran said.
Both the friends got down from their horses.
"I was quite thoughtless to come with the horse. What do I do with it? Can we get him on the boat too?" asked Vandiya Devan.
"No, you can't take a horse across this river in a boat. Don't worry, that's why I had asked two of my servants to follow us on foot. One will ride your horse back to Kadambur while the other will come with you across the river and buy you another horse."
"How considerate of you! You really are a true friend."
"You must have thought our Kollidam is like the dry rivers of Pallaram. You cannot take a horse on the boat across our river."
"That's right. I am sorry about thinking that way about your Chola River. Really, so much water everywhere, it's like a sea."
Both friends embraced each other. Vandiya Devan and one of Kandanmaran's servants got into the boat. As the boatman started rowing, they heard a shout from a distance.
"Stop! Stop the boat. Wait for me."
The man who was shouting came running towards the boat. At one glance Vandiya Devan knew who it was. It was Azhvarkadiyan Nambi!
The Saivite in the boat immediately shouted, "Row the boat. I will not come with that scoundrel in this boat. Drop us across and then come for him."
But Vandiya Devan interrupted and said, "Please wait. Let him come. There is lot of room in the boat."
He thought it would be interesting to ask the Nambi about the previous night's incidents.