The old man gestured to Karikalan, who turned his horse and cantered towards the chariot.
"Karikala, I wish to go onwards to Thirukoviloor from here. Before that, I wish to speak to you for a little while. Get off the horse and come to that platform underneath that large banyan tree."
Karikalan dismounted and started to walk towards the tree, and so did the old man. Karikalan whispered to Kandanmaran, "Thank God. I was wondering if the old man was going to accompany us all the way." Kandanmaran giggled and said, "If he had done so, I would have pushed him into one of the brimming rivers on our way." The two laughed out loud.
The grand old Udayar of Malainadu said, "Aditya, 24 years ago, you were born in my palace at Thirukoviloor. The celebration was unparalleled. Everyone in my clan, and the entire royal family of Chozhanadu had assembled with their retinue. The feast was so lavish that it was often compared to the emperor's coronation feast. I had spent most of my ancestral wealth on those three days of celebration. Your great grandfather, the unparalleled Paranthaka Chakravarthy, your uncle Kandaradhitthar, and your father Sundara Chozhan, had all come to Thirukoviloor, to celebrate the birth of the next ruler of the Chozha kingdom."
"Your grandfather's elder siblings had not had any children until then. Your father was the only son of Arinjayan. When your father was your age, his beauty was unrivalled in this entire kingdom, including the other Tamizh allied Kingdoms. He was the most loved person in the royal household too. Kings, from Lanka all the way to the Vindhyas, wanted to wed their daughters to this handsome Prince, who was to be the Emperor of the Chozha Kingdom. Eventually the lucky person to become your father's father-in-law was me."
"In our lineage, we never attributed importance to beauty — be it for our men or women. Men were appreciated for their war stories and women, for their loyalty to their family. When it was announced that your father was to marry my daughter, my entire kingdom celebrated. The wedding happened in Thanjavur. I was very happy that the celebration of your birth in Thirukoviloor outsized even the wedding ceremony."
"When the time to name you came, several wanted to name you after your illustrious ancestor Karikal Valavan. Some others, including me, wanted to name you after your great-grandfather, Rajadityar. Finally, we put both the names together and named you Aditya Karikalan."
The old king pointed yonder and continued, "Do you see the temple tower of Thirunavaloor? Twenty-five years ago, your great-grandfather Rajadityar visited this shrine. I have seen many Tamizh warriors, but never have I seen anyone as brave as him. Anyone who had seen Rajadityar fight in a war, would say the same thing. He was raising a huge force to wage a war against Vadanaadu. He wanted to defeat King Kannaradevan of Irattaimandalam, and raze down his capital city of Maniyakedam, just like how the great Pallava king Mamallar flattened the city of Vathapi. He needed a large force for this war, and it would take a long time. They say it took Mamallar seven years to raise the army to fight Vathapi. Rajadityar felt that he could do it in around three or four years. To raise and train an army so large, he chose this land between the Kedilam and Thenpannai rivers."
"Aditya, you should have seen this land during those times. It was amazing. Rajadityar had camped here in Thirunavalur with thirty thousand men, and at Mudiyur, on the banks of the Pennai river was the Chera king Vellan Kumaran with twenty thousand men. Your grandfather, Arinjayan, was with me at Thirukoviloor. We had raised about fifty thousand men. Kodumbalur Periyavelan, Pazhuvettarayan, Kadambur Sambuvarayan, Thirumanaipaadi Munayatharayan, Malainaatu Maravarayan, Kundrathoor Kilaan, Vaidumbarayan, and others, came to this area, with their respective forces."
"There were elephant and horse cavalry units, and royal bodyguard units, and there were occasional practice spars between these forces. The earth literally quaked when the elephant forces practiced, and it felt like an avalanche when the cavalry marched. The sky seemed to be enveloped by arrows, when the archers practiced. There was so much energy all around. The local villagers came to watch this spectacle. The people of this land were very good people. They did not mind the huge hindrance to their agriculture because of these war-time activities."
"To compensate for this loss, Rajadityar dug many lakes and canals in this area. One of them was the grand canal from Kollidam to the Veeranarayanapuram lake. The vassal king who benefited most out of this was Sambuvarayan. The way he stood with gratitude in front of Rajadityar then, and the way he is behaving these days, surprises me."
Karikalan interjected, "Leave Sambuvarayan alone for now. Tell me, thatha, despite raising such a large force, why did our army face defeat in Thakkolam? You had fought in that war as well. Tell me what happened?"
"Hmm. I will tell you. While Rajadityar was raising this huge force, the Emperor Paranthakan got to know about unrest in Lanka. He had to send part of his forces there. The emperor did not want wars on both the northern and southern fronts at the same time. So Rajadityar had to wait. The adversaries did not wait. Kannaradevan had raised a huge army to attack Chozhanadu, and he advanced southwards. On the way, the Gangainaadu kings joined him as well, with their forces. This gigantic army marched southwards destroying everything in its wake."
"Our spies got to know about this and informed the emperor, who devised a new strategy. He wanted the enemy army to get tired after traveling the distance. He held the Chozha army back until the enemies reached Vada Venkadam. He wanted the enemy army close to home, so he could surround them from all directions, in Chozha territory. Once the enemy army came close, Rajadityar started with three lakh infantrymen, fifty thousand cavalry men, fifteen thousand elephants, two thousand chariots, three hundred and twenty commanders, and thirty two vassal kings, of whom I had the privilege of being one. I was also one of the unfortunate ones to return alive after our loss."
"After three days of journeying, in a place close to Kanchi, called Thakkolam, the two large armies met. People who were there compared this war to the ones in our epics like the Ramayana, and Mahabharatha. With five lakh infantry men, and thirty thousand war elephants, the enemy army's size was almost double ours. They did not have a strong leader like your great grandfather, though. It seemed like we were winning for some time. The war went on for ten days."
"It was difficult to even count the number of men. Dead elephants were strewn in black mounds on the war field. Despite having a large army, the enemy did not seem to be winning. They soon realized the reason for this. Wherever the elephant with the tiger flag and Rajadityar on it went, the army was energized and won the battle. Wherever our forces seemed tired, Rajadityar went there, and the forces were back in the battle."
"The enemy kings came up with a terrible plan. The one who came up with the plan and executed it was the Gangai king Boodhukan. Suddenly, he came to our camp on an elephant with a white flag, shouting — Sharanam Sharanam. Rajadityan wanted to know whether the Irattaimandalam king was accepting defeat, or if Boodhukan wanted to defect from the enemy camp. He blew the conch to signal a temporary halt to the fighting and made a sign for the elephant to come closer. He saw tears rolling down Boodhukan's cheeks and his heart melted in compassion."
"Boodhukan said that he had told Kannara Thevan that the Irattaimandalam army has no chance, and that they should surrender. Kannara Thevan had refused, and Boodhukan had ditched him and come to see Rajadityan. Hearing this, Rajadityan was furious, and did not want to trust such a traitor and take him into his alliance either. Just at that time, before Rajadityan realized, Boodhukan whipped out a bow and fired a poisoned arrow at Rajadityan's heart. No one was expecting this. Boodhukan fled on his elephant. The Chozha army was shocked and had to retreat. Our enemies chased us. That's when we came to our senses. I brought in reinforcements from our land and drove the enemy back. Yet, they remained in these areas for a long time. It was only a few years ago, when you returned after killing Veerapandiyan, that you fully recaptured our area up to Kanchi."
"Thatha, you have told me this story of my great grandfather many times. Each time I hear the story, it gives me great confidence and enthusiasm. Why did you choose to tell me this now, though?"
"Karikala, your great grandfather wanted the Chozha Kingdom to stretch from Lanka all the way up to the river Ganga. He could not accomplish that before his death. The kingdom speaks of you as the next great warrior who can accomplish that feat. I wanted to remind you not to succumb to a soft moment like your great grandfather."
"Thatha, that happened on the battlefield. I am not going to one. Why now?"
"Our ancient Tamizh poetry says not to fear the warrior who wishes to fight with a sword, but to be wary of people who act friendly, but are in truth, enemies. Your visit to Kadambur does not seem safe to me. I sense trouble. I tried dissuading you, but you seem adamant in going there."
The old king continued, "I hear from my sources that Sambuvarayan wants to marry his daughter to you. I do not comprehend the real reason for this. Kings from all over the kingdom are waiting to give you their girls in marriage. I am also hearing that they are planning to divide the Chozha Kingdom into two, between you and Madhuranthakan. I do not understand the reasons behind both. I sense treason. I am heading to Thirukoviloor and will come back right here with some forces. If, during your stay in Kadambur, you feel unsafe, or if anything is not going right, send me a message, and I will come immediately."
At that moment, Malayamaan realized that Karikalan's attention was distracted and he was staring at a distant building.
"Thatha, take a look at that."