CHAPTER 22 The Velakkara Battalion
First the
cloth curtain, the outer one with the insignia on it, opened. Then the inner silk curtain also began to move.
Vandiyathevan saw the golden-hued hand he had seen earlier. Thinking it was not right to sit on the horse any longer, Vandiyathevan jumped down. He ran to the palanquin, looked up and said, “Raja, Raja, the bearers...” He closed his eyes, opened them and looked again. His eyes were dazzled. His speech slurred and and his throat grew dry. “No! No! You are the Pazhuvoor Ilaya Rani... the Pazhuvoor Ilaya Rani. The palanquin belonging to your men dashed against my horse,” he stuttered incoherently.
*****
All this happened within a split second. The armed soldiers at the front and rear of the palanquin surrounded Vandiyathevan.
Vandiyathevan’s hand reached automatically for his sheathed sword. His eyes however, could not tear themselves away from the face he saw between the curtains, beautiful as the moon.
Yes! Contrary to his expectations, the form he now saw in the palanquin was really a woman's. And what
a woman! Never had Vandiyathevan
imagined that beauty like this, which could drive the beholder
crazy, could exist.
Fortunately for him, a nerve
in his brain clicked at that moment. A fantastic idea came to him and he decided
to put it into action.
With a
great effort, he cleared his throat and willed himself
to be strong enough to articulate. “Forgive
me. Aren’t you the Pazhuvoor Rani? I’ve come all this way just to see you.”
A gentle smile played
over the Rani's
youthful face. Her lotus- like lips opened a little, showing pearly teeth.
The magnetism of her smile disconcerted our young warrior.
The soldiers seemed to be waiting for
orders from their mistress. She made a sign with her hands and they moved away. Two of them took charge of his horse.
The woman in the palanquin looked at Vandiyathevan. Two spear-points pierced his chest.
“Yes! I am the Pazhuvoor Ilaya Rani,”
she said. What intoxicating drug lined her throat? Why did his head spin at the sound of her voice?
“What
did you say just now? You complained about something, the palanquin bearers?”
Could the softness
of Kasi silk, the intoxication of liquor, the sweetness of wild honey and the blinding brilliance
of monsoon lightning
mingle in a girl's voice?
They had, just now.
“Did you say they ran the palanquin into your horse?”
The mischief in her smile told him she appreciated the joke. Vandiyathevan grew a little daring.
“Yes, Maharani! They did. My horse was frightened!” he replied.
“You look shaken too. Ask the priest from the Durga temple to sweep you with neem branches.
Your fear will vanish.”
But Vandiyathevan’s fear had evaporated completely by now. He was about to laugh.
The Pazhuvoor Rani's
expression suddenly changed.
Blazing anger replaced
her Smile.
“You
can joke later.
Tell me the truth. Why did you run your horse
into the palanquin?”
Vandiyathevan had to find a suitable
reply. Fortunately, an answer was ready in his mind. In a voice
so low that none could hear, he
whispered, “Devil Nandini Devil Azhwarkadiyan, that is Thirumalayappan, asked me to meet you. That’s why I resorted
to this trick. Please forgive me.”
He looked at her intently
as he spoke, waiting eagerly
to see the effect of his words.
It was like throwing a stone at a fruit tree. Would the fruit fall? Or the stone? Or would some unexpected disaster strike him?
The Pazhuvoor Rani raised her dark
eyebrows. Surprise and doubt appeared
in her eyes. She arrived
at a decision at once.
“Right!
It's not proper
to stand and talk on the highway.
Come to our palace tomorrow. You can tell me
everything there.” Vandiyathevan's heart swelled with joy.
It seemed as though he would succeed
in his mission. But it was no use crossing three
fourths of the well, he had to cover the remaining one- fourth
too.
“Devi!
Devi! I’ll not be allowed
into the fort, nor into the palace.
What shall I do?” he asked agitatedly.
The Pazhuvoor Rani opened a silk purse lying beside her and took out an ivory
ring.
“If you show this, you’ll be allowed into the fort as well as into our palace,” she said, giving
him the ring.
Vandiyathevan took it eagerly. He looked for a moment at
the palmyra insignia engraved on it.
When he raised his head again to thank the Rani, the curtains were being closed.
Aha! The planet Rahu swallows the full
moon bit by bit. But these curtains
had swallowed the
face of that
eloquent moon in seconds!
“At least from now on don’t follow me. It’s dangerous. Stay here awhile and proceed with care,” said a silken voice from behind the curtain.
The palanquin moved on, with soldiers at its front and rear.
Vandiyathevan stood by the roadside,
holding his horse. He noticed that
one of the men, the one who had questioned him turned back
twice or thrice. This sent signals to his subconscious.
Yes. His conscious mind however, kept
revolving around the beauty of the
Pazhuvoor Rani. Was everything he'd just seen
and heard real or an enchanting, illusory
dream? Could such a beautiful form exist in this world?
The Puranas
spoke of Ramba, Urvasi and Menaka whose beauty, he had heard,
could disturb the penance of sages and renunciates.
But in this world... perhaps the rumours that
Periya Pazhuvettarayar lay enslaved at this Mohini's
feet were true. It would not surprise him if they were. The hideous Pazhuvettarayar
with his grey hair, and battle scarred body;
the contrast between
him and this gorgeous young woman!
What wouldn’t the old man do to snatch a smile from her?
Standing still for a long time, immersed
in these thoughts, Vandiyathevan mounted
his horse and rode in the direction of the Thanjavur
fort.
The sun was setting as he reached the
main gate. The city limits were well before the fort. There
were rows of streets around the fort, filled with shops
selling various articles and with people practising all kinds of professions. Buyers, sellers, horse-drawn chariots and
bullock carts crowded
the streets.
Vandiyathevan was eager to enter the
streets and watch
the lifestyle of the inhabitants of the new Chozha capital, but he felt he had no time for it now. He had to first accomplish his mission. He could watch the fun later.
Vandiyathevan approached the main entrance to the city with this thought in mind. The massive gates of the fort
were closed. The gatekeepers were
pushing the crowds to both sides of
the road. Instead of going about their business, people also stood aside and seemed to be waiting
as though
they were expecting an approaching
procession. Men, women,
children, Old people:
everyone looked expectant.
The space in front of the gates was
empty except for the gatekeepers.
Though he was eager to know what the matter
was, Vandiyathevan had no desire to confront the gatekeepers all alone
and provoke an argument or a fight.
For the moment,
the task he had to do was more important than any display of
valour. This was not the time to get into a scuffle.
So Vandiyathevan stood in a corner from where he could see the
gates of the fort. He turned at the sudden fragrance of flowers and saw a young Saivite who bore the marks of his faith. Vandiyathevan took in the vibhuthi, the rudraksha mala and the baskets
of flowers the young man carried.
“Thambi, why are all these people standing aside? Is a procession or something like that expected?” he asked the youngster.
“Ayya,
you’re not from these parts?”
“No, I belong to Thondaimandalam.”
“That’s
why you ask that question!
It will be better if you get down from your horse.”
Vandiyathevan dismounted, so that
he could talk
to the young
man easily.
“Why did you ask me to get down, thambi”
“The Velakkara battalion will be leaving
the fort now after their darshan of the Emperor. That's why the crowd is waiting here.”
“Isn’t
it to watch the fun?”
“Yes.”
“Then why can’t I watch seated on my horse?”
“You can. But it will be dangerous if the Velakkara battalion
sees you.”
“What will happen?
Will they take
the horse away?”
“They’ll take both horse and rider away.
They’re wicked people.”
“Will people let them get away with that?”
“What else can they
do? The word of the Velakkara battalion is law in this city. There’s no one to question
them. Even the Pazhuvettarayars don’t interfere where
the Velakkara battalion is concerned.”
At that juncture,
a commotion was heard inside the fort. The sound of trumpets, drums and pipes
mingled with hundreds
of voices hailing
and cheering.
Vandiyathevan knew all about the Velakkara
battalion. It was an
important institution in old
Tamilnadu, especially in the Chozha kingdom. The Velakkarars were bodyguards to the reigning kings, but with an important
difference. They had taken an oath
that they would give their lives to ensure that no harm came to the king. If, because of their carelessness or because of circumstances beyond
their control, the king's life
was endangered, they had sworn to cut off their heads and offer them to Durga. Naturally,
warriors who had taken such a grim oath enjoyed privileges to which others were
not entitled.
The gates clanged
open.
Two horsemen led, holding a flag high in their right hands.
It was an unusual flag, with a tiger painted
on the top and below it, a crown. Below the crown was a sacrificial altar, a severed head and a big sword. It was quite a
frightening design.
Behind
the horses came a bullock,
with drums tied on both its sides,
and a man beating each drum.
About
fifty men followed, beating small and big drums
and another fifty blowing curved
horns.
Around
a thousand soldiers
came next, many of whom were shouting
praises in thunderous voices.
“Long live Paranthaka Sundara
Chozhar, the Emperor
of the world!”
“May he live long!”
“Long
live King Sundara
Chozhar!” “May he live long!”
“Long live the King of Thanjavur!”
“May he live long!”
“Long live the Perumal who defeated Veerapandyan!” “May he live long!”
“Long live the conqueror of Madurai, Eezham
and Thondaimandalam!”
“May he live long!”
“Long live the clan of Karikal Valavan!”
“Victory to Durga, Mahakali,
Parathpari, Parasakthis” “Victory! Victory!”
“May the victorious tiger flag fly all over the world!”
“Victory! Victory!”
“Hail, our spears, the heroic
vel! Veeravel!” “Hail, our spears,
the victorious vel! Vetrivel”
As hundreds of throats roared these
slogans, the sound that echoed from the walls made one’s
hair stand on end. Many of those on the roadside joined the chorus.
The uproar all around when the
Velakkara (Readers may be aware that another
name for the Tamil god Murugan is Velakkaran. The explanation given is that Murugan has vowed to protect His devotees.) battalion started to stream out of the fort lasted until they had gone down the street and were finally out of sight.