“The people here would not recognise him. Did you not notice that everyone’s attention – including yours – was on the Chinese travellers? I hear that he also went to several other ancient pilgrimage centres with these travellers – some deep into enemy territory.”
“Oh yes, General. I had half a dozen armed soldiers near the door for company. The house was large. And for dinner, they sent me a cat. Just when I was about to finish off the cat, this Veera Vaishnavan came and disturbed me. The cat, which was a staunch Shaivite did not like this man one bit, and scratched his skin and drew blood.”
“She gave me an important task.”
“Which was.. ”
“To come here to Lanka and search for the Pandiya coronation crown and a bejeweled scepter. Apparently, it is hidden in some jungle here in Lanka.”
These scenes seemed to be exactly like what Sambandhar and Sundarar had described in their paasurams. The only difference now was that, in place of the devotees thronging to the Thiruketheeswaram temple, there were battalions of armed soldiers roaming around the city. It had been a cantonment city for the last hundred years.
While the Princess’s mind was flitting between so many of these thoughts, Vaanathi’s clear thoughts were focused on only one person – Prince Arulmozhi. She was worrying about the Prince, and the potential hardships that he was facing in Lanka. She was thinking about when he would return.
“Thirumalai, please tell me what you have seen and heard during your travels. Tell me as is, without hiding anything.”
“Are you asking me to narrate here? Things that I say might shock anyone who hears them – even Vayu Bhagavan, the Wind God, Bhooma Devi, the Earth, and Samudrarajan, the Lord of the Ocean.”
Aniruddha Brahmaraayar held office on one of the smaller islands near Rameswaram. He was surrounded by accountants and other administrative personnel.
“Oho, you think we should wash our mouths for having mentioned the name of Rama? You need not worry about that. When Rama worshipped Lord Shiva here, that dosham was washed away. Hence the name of this city – Rameswaram.”
The earlier Chozha kings had built embankments along the River Kaveri. For a long while, the embankments had been maintained well, and restricted the flow of the river. During the dark times, when there was a brief period of anarchy in the southern states, the maintenance suffered and the river had taken advantage. The river flooded in many places, got back its free spirit, and meandered down the Kaveri delta.
A master temple architect from Maamallapuram stepped up next and exhibited the miniature model of a temple. He explained how this was a new and unique temple construction. He expressed his desire to utilize this design for each of the 276 paadal-petra-sthalam temples, where the three main Shaivite saints had sung the Devarams.
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