CHAPTER 16 Arulmozhi varmar
The peerless Ko Raja Kesari Varmar Paranthaka Sundara Chozhar was Emperor of South India about nine hundred and eighty years ago. He had ascended the throne twelve years before this story began. The empire had been growing in might over a hundred years and had expanded in all four directions. In spite of this, at the time Sundara Chozhar ascended the throne, the enemies on the southern and northern borders of the empire were still strong.
Kandaradithar, who had ruled before Sundara Chozhar, had been a devotee of Siva and had been known as “Sivagnana Kandaradithar.” He had not shown much interest in expanding the empire. His brother Arinjayar, who had succeeded him, ruled only for a year before he died in battle at Athur.
Arinjayar's son, Sundara Chozhar, then ascended the throne.
Sundara Chozhar had all the makings of a great Emperor. Skilled in warfare, he led his forces southward at the very beginning of his reign. A clash took place between the Chozha and Pandya forces at Sevur. The Sinhala king, Mahindan, despatched a large force to assist Veerapandyan, the Pandyan king of Madurai. The brave Chozha army defeated the combined forces of the Pandyas and the Sinhalas at Sevur. Veerapandyan forsook his army and escaped to the wilderness where he took refuge in a mountain cave.
The Sinhala forces were almost completely annihilated. The few that survived lost their honour and valour, but escaped with their lives to Eezham.
For some time it had been the practice for the Sinhalas to help the Pandyas in battle. Sundara Chozhar wanted to put a stop to this. He therefore decided to teach the Sinhalas a lesson by despatching a huge army to Eezham under the command of Paranthaka Siriya Velan, the younger chieftain of Kodumbalur. Unfortunately, the entire army could not reach its destination, since ships were not available. The advance guard went ahead recklessly. Sena, Mahindra Raja's Sinhala general, surrounded them unexpectedly. A fierce battle took place. The Chozha general, Siriya Velan, fought valiantly and ensured his fame as a warrior before he was killed. His name was inscribed on tablets as “The Paranthaka Siriya Velan, who fell at Eezham.”
When he heard this news, Veerapandyan emerged from the cave in which he had been hiding, recruited a huge army and went to war. This time not only were the Pandya forces completely annihilated, but the king lost his life as well. The eldest son of Sundara Chozhar, Aditha Karikalan, led the Chozha forces and distinguished himself by performing many acts of valour. He was honoured with the title, “The Lion Who Captured Veerapandyan's Head.”
Sundara Chozhar wanted to teach Mahindan, the king of Lanka, a lesson. So did the army commanders, the courtiers and the soldiers for which a huge army was readied. When the time came to decide who should command it, the older son, Aditha Karikalan, had gone north. Having defeated the forces of the Rashtrakutas who had been dominating Thirumunaipadi and Thondai Mandalam, he had made Kanchi his headquarters and was getting ready to invade the north again.
The competition amongst the Chozha chieftains about who was to lead the forces to Lanka led to jealousy and bickering. In those times, it was rare to find a person in Tamilnadu who did not want to go to war. To end the conflict among the competing chieftains, the younger son Arulmozhivarmar volunteered, “Appa! I have had enough of being spoilt by my mothers and aunts in the Pazhayarai palace. Make me the commander of the southern army. I will lead the troops to Eezham,” he said. The youngest of Sundara Chozhar’s children and a great favourite with his father, he was then only nineteen years old. All the queens in the Pazhayarai palace and the entire Chozha country loved him greatly.
Sundara Chozhar was very handsome. His father Arinjayar had married Kalyani of the Vaidumbaraya dynasty, his one- time enemy. He had fallen in love with her beauty and the radiance of her skin. Sundara Chozhar had originally been named Paranthakar by his parents. The people began to call him Sundara Chozhar because of his good looks and the name stuck. Sundara Chozhar’s children were all very handsome. The youngest, Arulmozhivarman surpassed the others. The beauty of his face seemed not just human, but divine. The women of the household used to kiss him so often that his cheeks grew red. But the one who loved him most was his older sister, Kundavai, who, though she was only two years older felt wholly responsible for him. Arulmozhivarman was equally fond of her. He would do nothing against his sister’s wishes, not even if it was a joint request from Brahma, Vishnu and Siva.
The sister used to gaze at his face not only when he was awake, but also when he was asleep. “This boy has some divine power in him. It is my responsibility to draw it out, to make it shine,” she would think. She often examined his palms while he slept. It seemed to her that the lines on it were shaped like a conch and a disc. “Aha!” she used to think, “This boy is destined to rule the world, he will bring the whole world under one umbrella.” But there was no way he could ascend the throne. There were two others before him in the line of succession. Where would he find a kingdom to rule?
What did the gods have in mind for him? Who knew? The world was vast. There were so many countries, so many kingdoms. Had there not been men who crossed the seas to conquer kingdoms by the strength of their arms? Didn't the Bengal prince who was driven away from his homeland, escape to Lanka by boat and establish a dynasty there? And hadn’t that kingdom been stable for the last thousand years?
Kundavai Devi thought of all this ceaselessly. Eventually, when a discussion was held about who should lead the Chozha forces to Lanka, she decided that it should be Arulmozhi.
“Thambi! Arulmozhi It hurts me to be separated from you even for a second. But the time has come when I must ask you to leave. You must go to Lanka as the commander of the army.” she said.
The Prince accepted enthusiastically. He had been longing to break free from life in the palace, from the protection of the women of the anthappuram. Now, his beloved sister had herself asked him to leave. What was there to stop him? Once Kundavai made up her mind, there was nothing she could not achieve, since Sundara Chozhar had great affection for his daughter and deep faith in her. Prince Arulmozhivarman became the commander of the southern forces. He led his army to Lanka and waged war there for a while. The war did not end that quickly, however. The methods that he adopted were different and he did not receive the weapons and material he needed from home. He therefore went back on a visit, talked to his father, arranged matters to his satisfaction and prepared to return.
Kundavai had made plans for auspicious ceremonies to be conducted in the palace at Pazhayarai before sending her beloved brother back to the battlefield. As Arulmozhi stepped into the courtyard, the war drums thundered. Conches sounded. Small drums thudded. Cries of victory rose to the sky.
All the mothers of the Chozha clan blessed their beloved child, marked his forehead with vibhuthi and made signs to ward off evil spirits. Kundavai’s companions stood at the palace doors bearing golden plates with lighted lamps in them. These companions were not ordinary girls. They were all high-born, the daughters of princes, who considered it their good fortune to serve Sembiyanmadevi and be Kundavai’s companions. Vanathi, Kodumbalur Velan's daughter, was one of them.
Even when they saw him at a distance, the girls’ hearts fluttered with excitement. When he came nearer, they raised their plates and waved them, performing arathi to him.
Vanathi suddenly trembled all over and the plate fell from her hands with a clang. “Adada! What an ill omen!” everybody thought. But they consoled themselves that the lamp had not gone out even when the plate fell. The elders assured them that it was actually a good sign. Arulmozhivarman smiled at the girl who had grown so agitated for some inexplicable reason and dropped her plate. As he went past her, Vanathi fell in a faint, aghast at the grievous mistake she had made.
Kundavai ordered that Vanathi be taken to an adjoining room and herself rushed to help revive her, not even waiting for the Prince to leave.
From the gates, Arulmozhi had seen Vanathi falling in a faint. Before mounting his horse, he said to a servant, “Find out how she is, that girl who fell down. Is she conscious now?”
Kundavai asked the servant to fetch his master. “Tell the Prince to come in before he leaves.” Being a dutiful brother, Arulmozhi went back to the palace and found his sister holding Vanathi close to her, trying to revive her. He was deeply moved.
“Akka! Who is this girl? What is her name?” he asked.
“She’s the daughter of the Kodumbalur Siriya Velan. Her name is Vanathi. She's very timid by nature,” answered Kundavai.
“Aha! Didn’t her father die on the battlefield in Lanka?. She must have thought of him and fainted.” said Arulmozhi.
“Perhaps. Don’t worry about her. I’ll take care of her. Go to Lanka, and return quickly, victorious. Send me messages of ten,” said Kundavai.
“Yes, Let me know if anything special happens here,” said the Prince.
Vanathi began to regain consciousness at that moment, probably because of the charm of the prince's sympathetic voice. At first she opened her eyes slightly. When she saw the Prince, they opened wide. Then her face brightened, her coral lips smiled and dimples showed on her cheeks.
When she recovered consciousness fully, Vanathi began to feel shy. She turned, saw that the Ilaya Piratti was supporting her and felt very embarrassed. In a second, she recalled everything.
Tears filled her eyes and she reproached herself. “Akka, what have I done?”
Before Kundavai could reply, the Prince intervened: “Don’t worry Vanathi. Anyone can make mistakes. And you really have a good reason. That’s what I was explaining to the Ilaya Piratti.”
Vanathi could not believe that what she saw was real, that what she heard was not false. The Prince, who normally ignored women, was actually talking to her! Is he consoling me, she wondered. How can I describe my good fortune? My being is in raptures. I’m afraid I’ll faint again.
The Prince said to his sister as he left, “Akka! The armies are waiting. Let me take leave. When you send me news, tell me how this girl is. She has no father or mother, look after her well.”
Kundavai Devi's other companions were watching and listening from the balconies and balustrades. The fire of jealousy burnt fiercely in them. From that day, Kundavai was particularly kind to Vanathi. She never let her out of her sight and took her wherever she went. She taught her every skill she knew. Seated in the palace gardens, she often confided in Vanathi. She described her dreams for the younger brother’s glorious future to her. Vanathi listened to her avidly.
Vanathi fainted a few more times. Kundavai nursed her on these occasions and revived her.
When she recovered consciousness, Vanathi would sob her heart out.
Kundavai would ask, “What’s the matter?”
Vanathi would always answer, “I don’t know. Forgive me.”
Kundavai would hug her and kiss the top of her head, to the chagrin and jealousy of the others.
Was it therefore not natural for the girls to talk as they did when Kundavai and Vanathi left in the chariot to visit the Kudandhai josier?
