Ponni's Beloved Volume 1: New Floods

by Kalki

Born in Kudaga Nadu[55], when Ponni (river) attained age, she wanted to meet her bridegroom, Samudrarajan (the sea). In her desire to meet him, she ran wildly through the forests and plains. As she neared him, her desire for him grew and there sprang from her, two arms racing to reach out to him. As her desire intensified, she developed more arms, each racing to reach out first to her lover. Do you want to know how our bride was bedecked to meet her groom? The women of the Chola Kingdom beautified her with fertile green sarees and lovely flowers.

“Akka, do you think I am that foolish? He is like the rising sun, and I am like the mist that will disappear when the sun’s rays fall on it. How can the mist desire the love of the sun?” “Why not? Haven’t you seen the mist covering the sun in the morning?” Hearing this, Vanathi suddenly became enthusiastic, “So you really think that the mist can attain the sun’s affection?” But again, her happiness evaporated. “The mist wishes to gain the sun’s attention but what does the sun do - it burns so fiercely that the mist disappears.” “That is wrong, Vanathi. Knowing the mists’ desire the sun absorbs her within himself. The sun is so possessive about the mist that it does not want anybody to look at her in the daylight.”

In those days, it was a practice to build memorial temples for war heroes. These temples were called Pallipadai.

But you men will always look at the tigers of the Chola clan. You do not care about the tigress. The tigress takes care of the family and provides an heir to the throne. And who do you think is ruling the kingdom? The old paralyzed Emperor or the princes of this kingdom?”

But Nandini did not look at him at all; she didn’t even look at him when he went near her. His plan to storm at her in anger and demand some answers was foiled because he had to pacify her now!

He remembered what the elders of his family had always told him - a man should never become a slave to three desires in his life - women, land, and gold!

“A warrior must not fear his enemies in the battlefield. In my dynasty, no one was born a coward. If there were one, I would have slain him, with my own bare hands. But you would be wise to fear the conspiracies, betrayals, schemes and intrigues that happen behind your back. You should also prepare yourself for any such eventuality. You are the heir to the throne, and you cannot afford to be careless. If you are not prepared to tackle these dangers, then the kingdom will suffer a huge loss.”

All kingly dynasties come to an end by some means. Lord Rama’s Ikshavaku dynasty too saw its end,

Karikala Vallavan and Killivallavan were great Chola kings, whose great deeds are known today thanks to some poets who sang about their great deeds. However even we cannot discern if these poets wrote these songs after a bellyful of wine and ripe imagination. But Mahendra Pallava and Narasimha Pallava left their history and the record of their great deeds through art. That will ensure that they are never forgotten.