Ponniyin Selvan – Abridged English Retelling
“Parthibendran and I did not know what happened inside the hut. We recently got to know that it was a girl who had given refuge to Veerapandiyan. She had stood between Karikalan and her lover, the Pandiya King. Karikalan had kicked her aside and beheaded the King.”
The General said in a slow voice, “Prince, that girl inside the hut – she was Nandini. “
“There is a reason for this. The Prince is going through a very bad time. Even the Kudandhai Josiyar confirmed this to me. Friends and associates of the Prince would also face hardships. The Prince does not want this. He does not want anyone else to suffer.”
Is it really true that the Pazhuvettarayars have sent forces to arrest and capture our Prince? Why are we still calm and sitting here? We should start immediately, take on those two boats first, and vanquish those forces. We will bury them right here in Lanka. And then we will go after the Pazhuvettarayars.”
It is not right to accept the throne from the Buddhist monks. Religious emissaries should never interfere in politics. This would lead to problems in religion and in politics.
The monk looked in the direction of Prince Arulmozhi. The lamp was put off, and there was darkness again. In a few minutes, Vandhiyathevan noticed
The three of them reached the outskirts of Anuradhapuram when the sun was beginning to set. Vandhiyathevan was blown off his feet by the impressive city. He was awestruck by the size of the city, the height of the city walls, the grand mandapams, the beautiful stupas, and the overall grandeur of the city. He thought to himself that the three grand cities of Thanjavur, Pazhayarai and Kanchi were no match for this city. Perhaps Pataliputra of Ashoka, Ujjain of Vikramaditya or Kaveripatnam of Karikal Valavan may come close to the grandeur of this city. As they rode closer to the city, the crowds grew.
There are only two forms of sculpture that have impressed me – the Natarajar sculptures of our Chozhanaadu, and the Buddhas of Lanka.
I am reminded of an ancient poem about the fictitious elephant owned by one of my ancestors, Perunkilli Valavan. This elephant was supposed to have one leg in Lanka, one leg in Thanjavur, one in Kanchi, and the fourth in Urayur (present day Trichy).
The Prince came and sat on a tree stump in the centre. He was not wearing a beautiful gold crown, pearl necklaces, or dressed in fine silk. Vandhiyathevan and Nambi were sitting close to him. They were getting ready for an enactment of the tale of Elela Singhan.
Nambi got down from his horse, walked over to Vandhiyathevan, and whispered in his ear, “Appane, the scroll is currently with the person to whom it should be delivered.”
