The Legend

The Legend

“Om Namashivaya!”

“Om Namashivaya!”

This powerful mantra was being played in the background, exuberating Tanjore Brihadeeswarar Temple with divinity. It was of general belief that Lord Shiva blessed his devotees in the form of Linga at this world famous temple. At the moment, the temple was overflowing with people as it had happened to be a Pradosham, an auspicious day.

In front of King Rajaraja Chola’s statue at the temple, a middle aged man was seen praying with closed eyes and folded hands. He seemed to have lost himself in praying intently, oblivious of the happenings around him. Tears welled in his eyes as he fondly caressed the statue.

“Don’t stay inside the temple for long. Move out, move out!” The policemen shouted. They were doing their best at controlling the ever growing crowd.

They were pushing away people from the entrance, including the man praying in front of the statue.

“Hey! Did you not hear what I said? In a short while, prime minister is arriving at the temple. People are not allowed to be inside.” The policeman scolded.

But the man did not pay heed to his words and stood praying with closed eyes.

“I know what to do with you!” barked the policeman and him along with others forcefully took him outside the temple and threw him away like garbage.

“Oh, You minion before my great King Rajarajan!” The man was shouting at the guys who left him behind in the street. But nobody cared a damn.

In a short while, a convoy of cars was seen at the temple entrance marking the Prime Minister Sushila Varma’s arrival. She descended her car and entered the temple with her entourage. She stood amazed watching the sheer grandeur of the majestic temple tower.

She kept walking around the temple, all the while listening to the history of the temple from her assistant.

The temple’s high tower, beautiful stone sculptures, the pretty paintings which are even now intact made her feel slightly jealous of the King Rajaraja Chola who built it to perfection.

As she came out of the temple, the people gathered in large numbers where seen excitedly waving and shouting slogans.

“Long live Indian Prime minister Sushila Varma!”

She acknowledged their words and nodded at them. She waved them good bye and sat in her car.

The car disappeared at lightning speed from the place. She became engrossed in the brilliance of the temple that she had just visited. She wondered how the fame of the king had still not diminished, even though it has been thousand years since he built this temple. Such kind of monuments are required for future generations to remember their ancestors and be amazed by their work.

She recalled her own achievements undertaken for the welfare of the nation. But she realized that none of it was going to be remembered for a long time.

Suddenly she had an idea that in ten months, Chinese government was building world’s tallest building and that she would build another structure even taller than that. She made a resolve of doing something which stood in the minds of people forever.

The car had now reached Chennai. The prime minister went to her hotel room and asked her staff not to disturb her for some time as she was tired. Just while she was beginning to sleep on her bed, there was a knocking on her door.

She walked towards the door reluctantly wondering what pressing matter had cropped up now. Otherwise her staff would not have wakened her. Her assistant entered the room as she opened the door and broke the shocking news.

Her eldest son Prem Varma had died in a road accident.

As soon as she heard it, Sushila covered her face and started crying inconsolably.

The shock of her son’s death made her faint as well.

Her assistant panicked, but called the doctor on call immediately.

One month later

Sushila was awaiting someone in her room. She heard a knocking at her door. A person wearing saffron robe entered the room. He sat opposite her in a sofa.

“Madam, I have tried to meet you quite a few number of times. But only now I am given the opportunity to meet you.” The man spoke.

“I am aware of that. I know you are a famous astrologer. You have prophesied to prime ministers before me and also to other big leaders. I hear that your prophecies turn out to be 100% true. But I don’t believe in these things. So only I refused to meet you till now.”

“Can I know what changed your mind now?”

“I feel everything has worsened after the unfortunate incident of my son’s death. The nation has also faced many terrorist attacks. Economy has declined sharply. Above all, border infiltrations are on a raise. I feel things are going out of my hand which has made me fear of what the future beholds. Do you have my horoscope?”

“Of course, I have it. I have horoscopes of all famous celebrities.” He took out a book from his briefcase and looked at it for a while. He made some calculations.

“According to your horoscope, it is now an extremely favorable period for you. The nation must be prosperous under your leadership. There is not even a slightest chance of your son being dead. He must have achieved many things in the future. But the incidents happening are just opposite to that. I am unable to comprehend it. Something you did on June 5 has caused your entire life upside down. Where were you between 7 and 9 AM on June 5 and what were you doing?”

Sushila retraced her activities and said “I was at Tanjore Big temple.”

The astrologer’s face registered surprise on hearing what she said. “Madam, you won’t believe what I am about to say. According to your horoscope, you will face decline if you step foot inside that temple. If only you had not gone to that temple, your son would be alive now and India would have become a well-developed nation in your tenure.”

Sushila couldn’t believe her ears. “What is there in that temple to cause me such pain?”

“Madam, it is widely believed that King Rajaraja Chola bragged about how he built such an amazing temple. He thought he was the King of all kings. But he did not realize that even a king is a servant before God. So, it is commonly believed that any leader who enters the temple will face decline.”

Sushila couldn’t control the tears streaming down her eyes. The astrologer took his leave sensing her need to be left alone.

Sushila consoled herself, that’s when a file on her table caught her attention.

It was a file titled “Time machine project”.

* * *

It was Vijay’s first time of visiting the Tanjore big temple. Although he did not believe in God, he fell for the temple’s grandeur.

Vijay noticed something strange. A man around 50 years of age was walking round the temple. He was the same guy who was forceably thrown out of the temple, the day prime minister visited the temple, few days ago. He had streaks of vibudhi on his forehead and was seen clad in a dhoti sans a shirt. He was writing something in his diary seeing the words inscribed on the temple wall. He came to a stop before the statue of King Rajaraja Chola, with folded hands and tears in his eyes, he prayed. “Oh! Mighty Chola Lord! Oh, Great Udayar! King Rajaraja Chola! May history remember your name forever!” He lost himself praying intensely.

Vijay felt surprised that he was the only person noticing the odd behavior of the middle-aged guy.

He couldn’t refrain himself from asking a stranger near him “Who is that guy?” pointing at the middle-aged guy. “Looks like he is mentally challenged.”

The man answered “He is history professor Balan. He has done extensive research on Chola period especially on King Rajaraja Chola. He has some sought of devotion, no, in fact love towards Rajaraja Chola. Daily he comes to the temple. He spends all day analyzing minutely the paintings and words found on the temple walls. He has been doing this for the past 20 years. But still each time he visits, he acts as though he discovered something new.”

Vijay looked in the direction of the king’s statue but did not find Balan there. He searched for Balan here and there, but still no trace of him.

He enquired where Balan would stay. Vijay took an auto to reach Balan’s place and found the door locked. He waited patiently. After half an hour, Balan came home.

He glanced up and down at Vijay who was standing at his doorsteps. “Who are you? What do you want?”

“My name is Vijay. I would like to have a little chat with you.”

“Come, let’s go inside.” Balan opened the door and both came inside his home.

Vijay saw a photograph of Balan in military uniform.

“I was in the military for 10 years. I have been trained to defuse explosive bombs. I took part in the war that happened in Sri Lanka, 24 years ago. After the war got over, I felt life was turning stagnant. So I came to Tanjore and settled here.”

“Are you staying alone? It must be very difficult for you. Don’t you have a family? Wife? Kids?”

“My wife died long back. My only son married a foreign girl and settled down in America.”

“Why do you trouble yourself staying here alone? Can you not go and be with him in America?”

“I abandoned him the very day he went against my words and married a foreigner. Never mind! Let’s talk about why you are here.”

“I am working as scientist in DRDO. I saw you in the temple today. I wanted to talk to you about few things.”

“What does a scientist want to know from a history professor?”

“We require your help for a research we are doing at the moment.”

Balan raised his eyebrows, partly surprised and partly curious.

“Before I start on the research, I want to know why are you so crazily attracted towards the Big temple? Are you a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva?”

“I am indeed a believer of God, but more of an admirer of King Rajaraja Cholan.”

“Why? Has he achieved something that others did not? He just built a beautiful temple just like all other kings do.”

“King Rajaraja Chola was unlike other rulers. He had lofty dreams. His thoughts were magnificent. The things he did were noteworthy. The temple he built was one of its kinds. If God came in front of me and asked what two boons do you want? Do you know what I will ask? First would be, I wish to live in the period of Rajaraja Chola and meet him at least once. Next would be, to participate in the temple opening ceremony of Tanjore temple.”

“I can fulfill your two desires right now.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I am telling the truth. Do you know about time machine?”

“I know, from what I have read in science fiction novels and seen in sci-fi films. It’s my favorite hobby.”

“We have designed a time machine in DRDO. We want to test it by sending a person 1000 years back in time. Particularly we are interested in the period of Chola dynasty especially the time King Rajaraja Cholan lived. If you are interested in this test run, we can make get your help in our research.”

Balan was visibly excited by the very idea. ”Is it? Is it really possible?”

“Absolutely! As per your wish, we could take you to the exact time when the big temple construction was over.”

“I am ready to come with you immediately!”

Balan packed his suitcase with some clothes when he saw a photograph. It was one of him with his son when he was a little kid. Out of the blue, he tried to reach out to his son. But even after trying several times he failed to contact him.

“Sir, it’s getting late. Time for us to go” Vijay hastened.

Balan tried to call his son one last time but never got through. Then he locked the house and both of them left. “If we are to go to Chola period, then we have to dress like them and speak their language. How are you going to arrange that?”

“We need your assistance to sort that out. You are the only person who can mould me to suit the part.”

“Don’t worry. I will take care of it.”

Next day both of them landed in Delhi.

Balan was briefed about time machine and given some related practices, while Vijay was given training on Chola period lifestyle.

Finally it was D-day! Vijay and Balan were given a tiny equipment each, which will come in handy if they wanted to return back to the present time.

Both of them sat inside the time machine.

Vijay operated some buttons on the time machine. Within ten seconds they had vanished from the place.

Now they had travelled 1000 years back in time. Just a few seconds before, when they were inside the time machine, they felt like their body was being torn apart when flashes of light hit them. Then they were surrounded by a scintillating chillness. When they opened their eyes, it was pitch dark. They were standing in front of a small deserted hall.

Vijay asked Balan where were they.

“We must be in the outskirts of Tanjore. It is very dark for us to travel now. Let’s sleep in this hall tonight and travel towards the city in the morning.”

Both of them headed towards the hall not noticing a man hiding in the corner, who was bewildered by their presence.

Chola period

As dawn was approaching, the birds welcomed the rising sun by their sweet songs. Vijay woke up lazily, rubbing his eyes wondering where Balan was. But Balan was quite active at that time of the day having woken up early.

Balan was walking in a narrow path that lead away from the hall. Vijay followed him. They witnessed tall trees caressing the wind with their fresh leaves. They reached a spot where they saw an awesome scene. The resplendence of a big beautiful river was the source of their astonishment.

Vijay “What river is this?”

Balan “This is Kaveri river. I have read about it in many books written by Tamil poets. But what I see now is far more breathtaking than anything I have ever read. Not even the greatest poet can describe it’s beauty in words.”

Vijay “Is this Kaveri river? It has now completely dried up and become like a small lake.”

Both of them bathed in the river and came to the shore. They got dressed and followed a small crowd of people from the river towards the city. They reached the city in a short while.

There were small temples on every street. Predominantly they saw Lord Shiva temples. Temples of Lord Vishnu were scarcely found. Inside the temple, beautiful women dancers were seen dancing and people were seen pleasantly enjoying the show. They couldn’t believe whether it was Tanjore or Lord Indra’s abode i.e. heaven.

Vijay searched for Balan as he got lost in the crowd. He noticed Balan watching a dance, completely mesmerized.

Suddenly he felt that the bag he was carrying on his shoulder was missing. He searched for it nearby but couldn’t find it. He started watching the people close by with hawk like eyes, as someone would have stolen it from him.

He caught sight of a man carrying a bag, ducking into a nearby street. Vijay sprang to his feet and followed the mysterious man. That man was running very fast. As there was a huge crowd, Vijay struggled to keep pace. But he tried his best not to let go off the man from his sight.

The man kept running and had now reached the city outskirts. Vijay realized where they were headed to. He guessed that the man was running to the hall where he had stayed last night. He also came to the conclusion that the man had not accidentally stolen the bag from him rather he had been watching their activities from last night. That man must have some other important agenda in his mind.

Vijay had now reached the hall. But he couldn’t find the man who stole his bag. He searched everywhere for the man and finally overcome by exhaustion he sat near a pillar.

A hand pulled his neck from behind with great force.

“Don’t move!” A stern voice was heard.

Vijay tried to turn back.

“Don’t try to move! If you do so, I will stab you with my knife” warned the voice.

Then only Vijay became aware of the fact that the mystery man was holding a knife to his neck.

“I know you have my bag. I did not know that people of Chola kingdom were thieves.”

“I don’t know whether Chola citizens are thieves but I do know for sure that people from brave Pandya kingdom are not of the practice of stealing others belongings.”

“I don’t care whether you are a Chola or Pandya. I want my bag.”

 “I will return it to you. First, answer my questions. Who are you? You look like a person from another village. Not Chola, Pandya, Pallava or Cheran citizen. I can tell that by the way in which you speak Tamil. It is different. Tell me the truth, from which country are you coming from?” The man enquired Vijay standing in front of him.

The man must be around 70 years. But neither his face nor body showed any signs of aging. His body was fortified like a rock. Had he not have white hairs he could easily pass off as a young man.

“Come on! Tell me where you come from?”

Vijay said “I am from TamilNadu.”

“Are you kidding me? You don’t know who I am. There was a time when even ghosts feared upon hearing my name Ravidasan.”

“Oh! Is your name Ravidasan? I remember your name vaguely. My name is Vijayan. I come from Pandya kingdom. I have come to Tanjore to visit the temple built by the famous king Rajaraja Chola.”

“Son! Do not praise the king so much.”

“But people highly praise his valor.”

“People are like a herd of cattle. Don’t take seriously what they say. Even though he is not a brave man, he is an intelligent fellow. That is why he is able to sustain.”

“In western countries, during times of war importance is given to the use of wit over sword. Anyway, why are you so angry with the king?”

“Son, somehow I seem to like you. So, I will tell you my story. In this story, many royal family members have shed blood. Several people were beheaded. Listen to my tale filled with hatred and cunningness.” Ravidasan started narrating.

“It was 35 years ago, at that time Rajaraja Chola’s father Sundara Chola was reigning. Pandya king Veera Pandya was determined to bring Chola’s rule to an end. A huge war took place between them in Sevur. Chola’s army was led by their prince Aditya Chola. Pandya kingdom’s army was completely destroyed. Veera Pandya along with bodyguards fled from the war and stayed hidden in the nearby forest. But Aditya Chola came hunting for us and beheaded Veera Pandya. I and few other bodyguards escaped from him in order to avenge our king’s death.”

“We are planning to take revenge on Aditya Chola and his dynasty since then. A golden opportunity presented itself at the Kadambur palace recently. He had come for a feast where we killed him. He was then succeeded by Uthama Chola on the throne. Suddenly, he stepped down and Rajaraja Chola took his place as the new king. He then started pouncing at us, having stayed crouching till then. He came hunting for us inside the Chera kingdom where we remained hidden and left no one alive. But somehow I escaped from him once more.”

“After that I have been taking efforts to bring Rajaraja Chola down. But as you see, I am getting older with time. People have also started to like him immensely and always sing his praise. I need help from younger men like you. I don’t know whether you are a warrior but I have an intuition that you are a scheming mind. Will you help me with my efforts to avenge the murderer Rajaraja Chola?” Ravidasan held Vijay’s hands in his.

“Definitely I will help you. I also have a score to settle with him.”

“What do you have to do with him?”

“I have to destroy the temple he is building. I am coming from a family of Veera Vaishnavas. If Rajaraja Chola completed building this temple then the fame of Lord Vishnu will be greatly diminished. So, I am determined to perish this temple to rubbles.”

“The temple construction is almost over. They are even planning to hold temple opening ceremony in a weeks’ time. How can you destroy the temple at this late hour?”

Vijay smiled at him. “I have a weapon with me to aid that, Ravidasan!” and showed him the tiny weapon he had in his bag.

“I have interacted with many western countries arms specialists and learnt lot of techniques from them. I have designed this weapon with their help. We can make this explode at a particular time. This is no ordinary bomb. Not even a single brick from the temple will remain. Nobody within 200 feet radius surrounding the temple will survive this blast.”

Ravidasan was perplexed by what he saw. ”I have never heard anything like this. How can I believe you?”

“Ravidasa! Trust me. Do you think you can get a better aid than me?”

“That’s true. So how are you planning to destroy the king with this?”

“I am planning to make this bomb blast on the day of the temple opening ceremony. The king along with his entire clan will be present for the occasion. His son Rajendran will also be there. All the women in his family and also other petty rulers will be gathered together. Can you imagine a better day to send all of them to heaven? Your aim is to vanquish the king. But if my plan succeeds the entire Chola dynasty will be wiped out.”

Ravidasan’s eyes sparkled with renewed interest. He hugged Vijay and said “what a brilliant plan? If this happens just the way you designed then I will happily breathe my last. But there will be tight security around the temple on that day. There will be soldiers everywhere like they guard the castle. How can you blast the bomb unnoticed by them?”

Vijay had not thought about it till Ravidasan asked. “Nice question.”

“Don’t worry. I have a plan for that. If we plant this bomb under the temple, then people will be clueless about it.”

“But how can you do that?”

“There is a secret pathway under the temple which the king and his minister Bramarayar alone know. I came to know of its existence through my spy in the castle. This pathway starts from the sanctorum of the temple and ends in King’s daughter Princess Chandramalli’s room. So what you have to do is, on the day of the Temple opening ceremony, you have to get inside the private courtyard of the princess, enter the secret pathway, reach the sanctorum and place the bomb.”

“Very good idea! But how will I be able to enter the princess room?”

“Chandramalli is an exquisite beauty. You are also an attractive young man. And you have travelled to many foreign countries. She likes music. Above all she loves things brought from abroad. In fact, she has unique respect for businessmen. Should I say anymore to make her fall for you?” Ravidasan laughed at him mockingly.

Vijay joined him in his laughter.

* * *

Balan was unable to believe the sights he had seen from yesterday night till now. He thought he must be dreaming. But the truth was Chola dynasty was far more civilized than he had ever imagined. He couldn’t accept the fact that he was indeed in the very same kingdom mentioned in books, parchments and temple scriptures.

This would not have possible if he had not encountered Vijay. Suddenly he realized Vijay was missing and searched for him. But Vijay was nowhere to be seen. He thought Vijay must have enthusiastically wandered off to someplace. He waited for Vijay’s return. But as time passed, the chances of Vijay being seen turned slim.

He felt standing in the same place for long is doing him no good and moved away. He asked directions to reach the Big temple and started walking.

After a few steps, the temple tower became visible to him. He stood silently watching the temple. The temple was now fully built but painting of the temple tower was going on. Balan stood hypnotized by the temple’s pristine beauty. He thanked God repeatedly for giving him a chance to visit the newly built temple. He entered the temple and walked round it, taking in every moment with joy.

Suddenly there was a big commotion inside the temple.

“Panchavanmadevi is arriving! Panchavanmadevi is arriving! Everyone please make way!” the soldiers were seen organizing the crowd. The crowd also obliged, eagerly waiting to see their queen, made way for her.

Balan felt rejuvenated. Panchavanmadevi was the wife of Rajaraja Chola. Not only was she his life partner but also his greatest strength as she was a big pillar of support for him. He felt very lucky that he had a chance to visit such a famous queen.

Balan was engrossed in thoughts as he exited the temple. In a short while, the queen also came out of the temple and mounted her horse. As people kept shouting her praise, she rode off in her horse slowly.

Balan wanted to somehow meet the king. But he was confused as to how he could possibly do that. Suddenly he did something which no one would have anticipated. He punched a soldier standing nearby. Immediately other soldiers seized Balan.

A small crowd had gathered around him now. They were whispering excitedly “He must be a spy from Chalukya kingdom. How cunning he must be to try to kill our queen? If he is brave enough, then he should fight our king instead?”

“Oh, Great Queen! There is a message for the king. That message is from God himself.” Balan shouted.

The soldiers put him on a horse and took him to prison.

The present time

The plane that took off from New York was slowly making its way up in the sky. In the next one hour, it would have landed in Chennai. Rishi sat in the plane admiring the beauty of the airplane wings hugging the clouds. It was ten years since he had set foot in his home country, India.

During his stay of ten years in America, he had earned several crores. But he had lost innumerable things. Particularly, he repented for losing his father Balan’s love. He got divorced from his American wife just a week before. He was happy to see that his father had called him when he came out of the court the other day. But when he tried to call him back, he never got through. He made a decision that day itself that he would return back to India and seek refuge in his father’s love.

The plane landed at Chennai airport. Rishi took a taxi to Tanjore. He was surprised to see how much India had developed in the last ten years.

The car came to a halt in front of his father’s house in Tanjore. He was disappointed to see the door locked. When he enquired about his father to the neighbours, they said that the door remained locked for the past one week.

“Usually he spends all his time at the temple. You ask someone there.” Following his neighbour’s words Rishi searched for his father at the temple. But he was not there. He did not get any useful information about his father from the shopkeepers too.

Dejected with the day’s developments he came to a hotel and had food. Sitting near him, on the adjacent table were an American couple. The man was showing his girlfriend what he had recorded of the Tanjore temple in his camcorder.

Rishi was irritated by their loud conversation.

“Oh! Lord Shiva! Please take care of me well as I take leave.” Rishi was shocked to hear the familiar voice.

It was his father’s voice. He searched all around. Then he heard the voice coming from the video in the camcorder. Immediately he requested the American to hand him the camcorder. He saw his father praying in front of the temple along with another stranger. He zoomed in on the stranger. But still did not know who he was. He confirmed with the American that it was recorded last week. He converted the video frame in which his father was present and saved it as a picture in his phone.

Again he went to the shopkeepers surrounding the temple and asked did anybody know the stranger in the photo. But nobody knew who it was.

He was thoroughly frustrated and thought perhaps he should return to Chennai. With a last bit of hope, he enquired a taxi driver nearby, showing him the photo.

“I have seen this guy. I took them to Chennai last week. Is this man your dad? I know the name of the other person too..hmmm..yes! It is Vijay. I dropped them at the airport, they were discussing about going to Delhi.”

Rishi asked the driver to take him to Chennai immediately.

On the way he booked tickets to Delhi in his iPad.

Chola period

Chandramalli’s mind was not interested in doing anything that day. Her dearest friend Vinodhini was singing her favourite Lord Kannan songs. She used to enjoy her friend’s sweet voice, but not today. Vinodhini stopped singing and exited the room when Chandramalli signaled her to leave.

Chandramalli wondered why she was in such a state of mind for the past few days. She did not show interest in the usual food items she liked very much. She did not seem to like her favourite music also. And she was not keen about the objects which businessmen gave her. She felt her mind craved for something new and refreshing. She desperately wanted to have an out of world experience.

She was further miffed by her friends who saw what she was going through and made fun of her. She remembered Vinodhini’s words “Princess, it is time for you to fall in love with a young attractive man. All your problems will then vanish into thin air.”

Love! How will it be to fall in love with someone? She desired to experience that too, but her awful mind could not find a man she liked. If the man was brave enough, he behaved rude. If he was a cultured scholar then he looked cowardly. She did not know what she wanted in her man. That seems to be the problem with her at the moment.

A maid girl entered her room and bowed before her. “There is a businessman waiting to see you. Do I have the princess’s permission to allow him?” she asked.

“I am not in a mood to see anyone. Send him away.”

“I have informed him several times. But the person does not seem to budge. He is determined to hand over the gift in his possession to you.”

They heard a commotion at the entrance. The maid girl left to know what the reason for noise was.

“That businessman looks very arrogant, my lady. He got into a fight with the guards securing the entrance to see you.”

“Ok. Let him in. I will dismiss him soon.”

She got piqued to know more about this adamant businessman. She also wanted to rebuke him for behaving so badly.

The businessman who entered her room was a young man. She was further enraged by his act of staring at her with hands on his hips instead of bowing before her.

“Oh! You businessman! You are committing crime one after the other. If you continue to disrespect me, I will order you to be locked in dungeon instead.”

The young man smiled “My lady! I have not caused disrespect to you in anyway. Can you explain in detail what makes you think like that?”

“Don’t you know it is a crime to stare at the king’s daughter instead of bowing before her?”

“Please forgive me, my lady! I completely forgot about it. I was mesmerized by your beautiful face looking like a rose, lovely eyes looking like black bees, arrow like sharp nose and finally the lips. Oh! I am at loss of words to describe its prettiness. I stood amazed admiring your beauty. Please forgive me!” and he bowed before her.

Chandramalli blushed to a deep red. But still maintained her angry look.

“Do you talk to an unknown lady like this? Is that what your parents taught you as manners?”

“Princess! Do not blame my parents. I wish to ask you a few questions. Is the parrot inside the cage in the corner of the room looking pretty?”

“Yes”

“And so does the flowering plant in front of you, right?”

“Yes”

“Do you see the intricate craftsmanship of the chandelier hanging above you? How lovely it is?”

“Yes. So what?”

“We can say those things are beautiful because they are. If you find fault with me for saying that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen then, then you are also at fault for saying these things are beautiful.”

Chandramalli rolled with laughter. “I can see that you are an expert conversationalist. Who are you? What is the purpose of your visit?”

“My name is Vijayan. From an early age, I have visited many countries with my father. My purpose is to meet you and give you a present.”

“In that case, you are wasting your time. I have every single piece of precious item from western countries. In fact, I became disinterested in them. You can now take your leave from my chambers.”

“Patience, my lady! You will not say like that once you set eyes on what I have with me.” He showed the object to the princess.

He presented her an exquisite one of a kind diamond necklace.

“You went through all this trouble for this piece of jewelry? Even my palace maids used to wear jewels better looking than what you showed me.” She threw the necklace away.

Vijay got infuriated. “Princess! You will repent later for disrespecting me!” He hurriedly left her chambers.

After Vijayan left, Chandramalli felt very bad. She thought why she had behaved so badly to the man who wanted to give her a present. Still that young man, what was his name? Ah! Vijayan! He deserves it. How arrogantly he behaved, that too in front of the princess.

She was again surrounded my loneliness. Her eyes wandered and fixated on the necklace that was on the ground. She picked it and touched it. She failed to see it’s unique beauty the first time, but now she saw it clearly. This must be an ornament from a western country for sure.

She ordered her guards to search for Vijayan and present him before her. In a short while a maid announced the arrival of Vijayan at her chambers. She ordered him to be let through to her room.

As Vijayan walked fast into her room, the princess laughed on seeing him again.

“Judging by the fast pace with which you left the chambers, I thought you would never come back to the palace again.”

“Princess! I have come with an agenda. Return my present to me. I will leave at once.”

“Vijayan! I don’t have it with me. The palace maids must have thrown it somewhere.”

“Please don’t test my patience, my lady! I know you have it. Please give it to me.”

Chandramalli took out the necklace which she kept hidden. “Is this the one you want? Now take it and leave as you wish.”

As Vijay tried to take the necklace from her, she ducked her hand and cheated him.

Vijay caught her hand angrily. “Lady! Don’t play with me. Give me what I asked.”

Chandramalli was shocked to be in such a situation where a young man was near her and holding her hand. Yet she seemed to like the presence of such a handsome man in her close vicinity.

“I wish I can play with you for long.”

Vijayan was encouraged further by her words. He inched closer to the princess and placed his lips very near to her ears and whispered “My games are very dangerous for you, my lady! Now give me what I asked for.”

“I can never return you the necklace. In exchange for that, you can have whatever else you want.”

“Can you give me whatever I ask?”

“Come on! Ask. I will give.”

“I want you. Will you give yourself to me?”

“Sure. You can have me as you please!” murmured Chandramalli in his ears. Vijay pressed his lips gently against hers.

Chandramalli stood enchanted by his kiss. She knew she was about to do something which she had never done before, just what she wanted. Vijay carried her to her bedroom. He placed her on the silk sheets gently like a flower.

Both embarked on their search to discover something new.

They did not realize how many hours had passed since they were lost on their exhilarating encounter.

“This is an entirely new and pleasant occurrence to me. My heart craves for it again and again. Promise me that you will visit me tomorrow too.” Chandramalli spoke from under Vijay’s embrace.

“I will come not only tomorrow, but daily to visit you, my lady! Now it’s time for you to sleep.”

Vijay took out an item and said “Indulge in this wonderful fragrance, my lady! I assure that it will take you to heaven.”

Chandramalli took in the sweet smell and drifted to sleep immediately.

Vijay sprang to action not wasting another moment. He observed the room carefully looking for hidden passage. A big statue of a tiger caught his eye in the room. He moved it away and found an opening on the floor large enough for a person to enter. He took a torchlight with him as he descended the completely dark passageway.

The passage took Vijay along a meandering path. He quickened his pace as he felt the torchlight was diminishing considerably.

The path finally came to an end. He saw a few steps above him to get to the exit. Vijay ascended those steps and hit a black stone. Vijay pushed that stone away with all his might and climbed out of the path.

He came out and saw the moon. A gentle breeze was blowing. He stood in front of Tanjore temple’s Shiva Linga. As it was midnight, the temple wore a deserted look. Suddenly he felt someone tap his shoulders. Shocked by the action, he turned back to see Ravidasan standing there.

* * *

Balan was not worried even the slightest as to being locked up in the Chola prison. To the contrary, he felt very excited. He whiled away time by drawing pictures on the wall.

There was another young man locked up in the cell next to him. He looked handsome. Balan thought he must definitely be a royal blood.

The soldiers had left to take their food. Balan thought of having a conversation with his fellow prison mate and went near the wall.

“Son, what is your name? Looks like you come from a royal family. How did you end up here?”

The young man laughed hysterically. “That was a good question. Even you look like a modest person. How did you end up being in prison? If only truth and justice were prevalent in this wretched empire, why would we end up in jail?”

“Son, don’t talk bad of the supreme king. All things happening to us are due to our fate.”

“I don’t have the tiniest belief in fate. I believe in intellect alone.”

“Young blood boiling in your veins makes you talk that way. Anyway, what is your name, son?”

“I am the prince of Pandya kingdom, Ilanchezhian.”

“Is it? You are the last son of Veera Pandya, right? But I don’t know who your mother is.”

“My mother is Nandini Devi. I was born to them when they married according to Gandharva rituals.”

Balan was astonished to hear this fact. “I did not know that Nandini Devi had a son. Where is your mother now, prince?”

“You are asking so many questions, first tell who are you? Do you come from Pandya kingdom?”

“My name is Balan. For me, all kingdoms are equal. I believe in the philosophy that the whole world is one and all are my family. I have not committed any crime. They have locked me in here by mistake. I hope that the king will listen to my situation and release me soon.”

“Your wishes are going to turn sour, Balan! In Chola regime, you can never expect truth and justice. Only thing that is abundant in this empire is cunningness. Then why would they have kept me in prison for helping their king Rajaraja Chola?”

“How did you help Rajaraja Chola?”

“Yes. To be honest, it was Nedunchezhian who was born to my father’s wife, the royal queen, who was heir to throne. When Rajaraja Chola became the king, he met my mother secretly and promised to make me the king. In return, he asked our people to help Chola army fight against Nedunchezhian. My mother obliged and in the war that was waged we supported the Chola army. Nedunchezhian lost his life in the battle. But after that we realized the cunning scheme of Rajaraja Chola. He broke his promise and held me captive.”

Balan couldn’t respond to his outburst. “I feel very sad to see you in prison at such a young age.”

“Being inside the prison doesn’t bother me. If I wanted to escape, I would have done it long back.”

“How?”

“There is an empty room next to your cell. There is an underground passageway in that.”

“Where does it lead to?”

“It ends below the sanctorum of Lord Shiva in Tanjore temple. We can easily escape using that route. Similarly there is another underground passage that leads to princess Chandramalli’s room which not even she is aware of.” The prince smiled.

In the present time

It has been two days since Rishi came to Delhi. He faced a daunting task of finding two people in such a huge city like Delhi.

He booked a room in a star hotel. Daily at night he used to watch from the top floor of the hotel, a bird’s eye view of Delhi. It was turning out to be his favourite pastime.

He was doing the same thing that night, when he noticed nobody around him. He felt bored and stood up to go to his room.

Then he saw a young woman walking hastily and coming to a stop in front of the parapet wall. She was crying as tears flowed down her cheek.

All of a sudden the lady climbed on the wall. Rishi became aware of what she intended to do next.

“Lady, stop! Don’t take any wrong decision hastily.”

“Don’t come near me. Otherwise I will jump.”

“Listen to me. There is no such problem which cannot be resolved. Get down from that wall.”

“I don’t want your advice.” The woman tiptoed on the end of the wall preparing to take the plunge.

Rishi ran fast and stood on the wall too.

“If you jump, then I will also do the same. The curse of killing me will not leave you at peace.”

“I don’t care.” Said the lady and glanced down at the street.

“If you jump from such a great height then your head will be scattered to pieces. Not even a single bone will remain. I don’t worry about you dying. But I am concerned whether you will have a good death.”

The woman anxiously peered down. She felt her head was spinning slightly.

“You idiot!” scolded the woman and got down from the wall. Rishi too climbed down.

She got hold of Rishi’s collar and burst out crying “Why did you change my mind? What am I going to achieve living this life?”

Rishi let her cry her heart out. After sometime, she seemed to have regained her composure. Both of them sat on a chair.

Both were sitting silently. Rishi sat there simply watching her.

“As usual my story is another love failure. We both were working together in DRDO. We loved each other fondly for two years. But I did not see him for the past one week. He had left me a letter that he had moved to Australia and that I should forget him and move on. I curse him to be dead.”

“Name?”

“Kavya”

“Not your name. His name?”

“Why do you want his name?”

“If I happen to meet him I will ask him why the hell did you leave an angel like damsel called Kavya and go to Australia?”

Kavya rolled with laughter.

“Vijay. His name is Vijay.”

As soon as Rishi heard his name, he was absolutely stunned. He showed the photo in his mobile phone to Kavya.

Kavya’s eyes enlarged in bewilderment as she asked “How did you get his picture?”

Chola period

At the hall in city outskirts, Vijay was seen discussing with Ravidasan the events about to unfold in a hushed tone.

“Vijay, everything will go smoothly as we planned right? Double check your plan to make sure there are no mistakes.”

“Don’t worry, Ravidasa! As we had planned, not even a worm of Chola dynasty can survive tomorrow’s explosion.”

“I was waiting for this particular day all my life. However, you have fulfilled my desire when I was unable to do it myself. I will be extremely happy at the very thought of their destruction. So, how is your Chandramalli?”

“She has turned into my faithful puppy.”

Ravidasan laughed wildly on hearing that.

Vijay stood up to leave. “I have to visit Chandramalli now. According to our plan, I will cause her to faint, plant this bomb in the shrine of Lord Shiva by traversing the hidden passage. I have designed for it to go off at the time of Temple opening ceremony. Then we can sit back and enjoy the fun of seeing this place go down.”

“Ok. Now you proceed to meet her. I will see at the temple tomorrow.”

“No, we cannot meet at the temple like last time. The temple will be heavily guarded at all times. So I will plant the bomb and return back to Chandramalli’s room. We can meet again at this very same place.”

Vijay left Ravidasan in that hall and proceed towards the palace.

He entered her chambers and saw her face dull with sorrow. “My love! You are nowadays not speaking to me that much. I feel your love for me has started waning.”

“Vijayan! We are committing a great sin. A woman of my royal stature must not be involved in pre-marital relationship. I hope today should be the last time we are together.”

“Oh lady! You are showing off your queenly arrogance. If I break the news of our affair with the entire nation, I wonder how you will react.”

“If only what you say happens, then I would not be alive to face such a situation. Sir, I am begging you, please leave me alone. I plead with folded hands, go away from here and do not try to see me again.”

“There is no use of talking to you any further.” Vijay forcefully thrust that strange smelling substance on her face. The princess fainted.

Vijay acknowledged that she was indeed fainted. He made her look like she was sleeping on the bed and entered the secret passage.

He reached the end of the passage, where he set the bomb to explode tomorrow morning. Then he searched for another object in the dark tunnel. He moved a stone away and from inside the hole he took another object.

He made sure everything was in its place and left the tunnel.

He reached Chandramalli’s room again and saw her still sleeping. He hurriedly exited the palace.

* * *

Balan and Ilanchezhian became quite close. They had a habit of having long conversations standing near the wall separating their cells.

“Did you hear the soldiers talking that tomorrow it is the Temple opening ceremony of Shiva temple. We can never catch hold of King Rajaraja Chola again as his feet won’t touch the ground. He will be brimming with pride.”

“Is that happening tomorrow? Can you do me a favor? I wish to see the Temple opening ceremony somehow or the other. Can you help us to escape from this dungeon through the secret passage?”

“You believed the king will definitely set you free one day. What happened now?”

“Why are you reminding me of that now? Please help me son, you will be blessed by God himself.”

“What are you going to do after seeing the Temple opening ceremony?”

“I am going to meet the king himself directly and ask him to serve me justice.”

“As though you are going to get it. Anyway I will help you escape from here as a token of our friendship. But I will not accompany you. I will depart my way to see my friends. You must not open your mouth about me to anyone else.”

“Sure.”

“After the soldiers are gone to take their food, we will make an escape.”

“How will you open the door?”

The sound of keys juggling was heard from the next cell.

“How did you get the keys?”

“My friends have stayed several times in this dungeon. One of them bribed a soldier and made a duplicate of the keys.”

At that night, both of them opened their cell doors and entered the adjacent room. They moved a huge rock with all their strength. The entrance to the secret passage became visible. They went inside the tunnel. The pathway came to an end shortly. Ilanchezhian pushed the stone above him and climbed out first. As Balan was preparing to come out next, he noticed a strange object on the floor. It was the time bomb which Vijay had set.

Balan’s heart was racing. “How did this come here? This does not belong to this era itself. Who would have kept it here?” then he suddenly remembered Vijay. He must be the only one person who could have done it. There was no time left for thinking. He immediately jumped into action.

“Balan! What are you playing with down there? Every extra second we spend here is dangerous. Come out fast.” Ravidasan hurried Balan to come out of the tunnel.

“Prince! Do you have any small knife?”

“why?”

“The stones are slippery. I want to make some streaks over them so that I can get a grip and climb.”

Ilanchezhian threw a small knife down the tunnel.

Balan thanked his military training which came in handy at that crucial time. He saw a red wire and blue wire attached together. With immense trust in the Almighty, he severed that connection. The bomb was successfully defused.

Balan let out a sigh of relief.

“Sir, if you do not want to come outside, then I have no other choice but to depart my own way.”

“I am coming, prince.” Said Balan and climbed out of the tunnel as fast as he could.

* * *

The next day dawned and the entire Tanjore wore a festive look.

In the palace, the supreme king, his wife, Bramarayar and Vanthiyathevar were assembled ready to travel to the temple.

Suddenly the king noticed the absence of Chandramalli and enquired her whereabouts.

Vanama Devi replied “She has not yet come from her chambers. I had even sent maids to fetch her. They returned on seeing her deep in sleep. I thought of going there myself. That is when you enquired about her.”

The king got enraged “What kind of a stupid daughter I have? You need not go Vanama Devi. I will go there myself.”

Vanthiyathevar interfered “My Lord! If you go to her place now, then you can never be on time to visit the temple. You proceed along with others to the temple. I will visit Chandramalli and bring her there.”

The king thought it was a good idea and left for the temple along with others. Vanthiyathevar walked fast to Chandramalli’s palace. The maids informed him that she was still asleep.

When he entered the bedroom she was not there.

He thought whether it would be appropriate to inform her missing to the king now. He deferred telling this to him as he might get worried during the ceremony. He took the responsibility of finding the princess. He was pained at the thought of not being able to participate in the ceremony. But he still saw clearly where his duties were required.

He came out of the palace quickly. He informed a maid to tell the king that the princess was unable to attend the Temple opening ceremony as she was not feeling good. And that he would also be not able to take part in the function as he had to arrange a doctor.

He mounted a horse as soon as the maid left. That time, a soldier came towards him tensely.

“Sir, the Pandya prince and his fellow prison mate have escaped from there.”

“Does the king know about it?”

“Nobody has the courage to inform this matter to him.”

“Good. Don’t tell him about this yet. I will take care of the matter.”

He felt a big web of conspiracy being spun against Chola dynasty. His foremost duty was to destroy the plans and make his enemies bite the dust.

He gathered a small army of 4 to 5 soldiers and proceeded galloping in their horses as fast as they could.

* * *

In the same hall in the city outskirts, Vijay was sitting with Ravidasan. They were able to see the temple tower from the place they were sitting.

Ravidasan was palpitating “when will the bomb explode?” asking every now and then.

Vijay remained cool and composed. “Wait patiently, Ravidasa. In a few minutes you will witness fireworks in the sky.”

But as time passed, the temple remained the same way, tall and majestic. Vijay’s face had become dull by now.

Ravidasan also started to suspect him “Can you explain what is happening? Don’t try to fool me with your lies. You should know that I am pretty bad person.”

Vijay faltered in his words “Some mistake must have happened. By now the temple must have been shattered to pieces.”

They heard the noises of horses galloping. The soldiers along with Vanthiyathevar were seen approaching the hall in which they were sitting.

Vijay took off running immediately. Ravidasan also followed him not knowing what was happening.

The soldiers were close behind them. Ravidasan pushed a soldier off his horse and rode upon it. Vijay also did the same with another soldier. They fled from the place and went as far their horses could take them.

Present time

“Kavya I need your help. I have to find my father. I require your assistance for that.”

Rishi narrated all the incidents from America to Tanjore to Chennai.

“Did you notice any change in Vijay’s behavior lately?”

“No. Nothing of that sort.”

“What was his work in DRDO?”

“He works as a scientist. But the project in which he worked was classified a top secret. Very confidential projects are not revealed to all in DRDO.”

“Do you know anybody working closely with Vijay on the same project?”

“Sorry. I don’t know.”

“Can you help me get into your office and interrogate a few people?”

“It is rather difficult to allow somebody from outside into our office.”

“Don’t you know any other way in which I can come into your office?”

Kavya remained silent thinking of other options. “We have a rule that allows DRDO employees to bring their family members to the office and introduce them to other colleagues once a year. We can try to use that loophole.”

“You will introduce me as your …?”

“What can we say? Can I introduce you as my brother?”

“Brother? No way. Tell them I am your fiancé.”

“What? Fiancé? What are you thinking in your mind, mister?”

“Sorry, Kavya. Don’t get mad at me. It will look odd if you introduce me as your brother. No one would believe that either. I have saved your life once, can’t you lie this one time?”

“It would have been better if you had let me die the other day instead of torturing me like this. Anyway, what choice do I have? I will tell you are my fiancé.”

Next day both of them arrived at her office. Kavya introduced Rishi to every one of her friends.

Kavya’s friend Sneha pinched her and singled out her from the crowd. She whispered excitedly “Who is this smart guy?”

“He is my brother. No! Fiancé.”

“Fiancé? Then Vijay?”

“That fool! He left me and fled away, why do you ask about him?”

“Hmm.. you are quite fast. Till yesterday you were drowning in Vijay’s thoughts. Now suddenly you got a new boyfriend, that too as your fiancé. What else do I have to say?”

“Hey! Now stop this and go do your work. People are always interested in poking their nose in other’s matters.”

Rishi came near Kavya and asked “Who will tell the truth about Vijay here?”

“Don’t ask anybody here. During lunch time all will be in canteen. That time we can enquire about Vijay.”

During lunch break Rishi went around asking questions about Vijay. People who knew him well told that they had not seen Vijay for quite some time. He had no plans of going to Australia too.

Frustrated at the thought of facing a dead end in their interrogation, they sat down ordering meals each.

A Chinese guy sitting in the next table was staring at them intently.

“Are Chinese people working in DRDO?”

“You deduced he is from China seeing his blunt nose, is it? Why? They could be from Meghalaya, Assam or any such place too?”

As they were talking, that man came to their table and sat in the empty chair opposite them.

“Forgive me for acting rude by sitting in your table uninvited. But I came to overhear you asking about Vijay to all those here. Do you mind if I know whether you are related to Vijay?”

“Vijay is Kavya’s boyfriend. I have come from America to India looking for my father. He was last seen with Vijay, after that he went missing.”

“Can you come with me alone? I have answers to your questions.”

Kavya hesitated and placed her hand on Rishi’s hand and squeezed it, signaling him not to go. But Rishi yanked her away and said “It’s Ok Kavya. Don’t worry about me. I will go with this gentleman. You return home safely after your work is over.”

Rishi boarded a care along with the man, waving good bye to Kavya.

“My name is Mike Lee. I come from Arunachal Pradesh. I am working in DRDO for the past ten years.”

“Do you know Vijay?”

“I and Vijay were working in the same project.”

“What project is that? Where is he now?”

“I will tell you everything in detail when we reach my home. Please remain patient.”

The car stopped in front of a huge bungalow. They both got inside.

Mike came to know more about Rishi.

“It is absurd that you think that your father must be with Vijay seeing that video in camcorder.”

“I am his son. I am unable to think rationally here. My intuition says he is with Vijay.”

Mike looked at him deeply.

“You have not told me anything about Vijay yet. I hoped you would help me find my father and came this far with you.”

Mike suddenly took out a gun from his bag and pointed at Rishi. “As you know way too many things than you should ever know, I am doing a great favor by sending you to heaven.”

Mike started firing his gun. Rishi ran as fast as could and hid inside a room.

Mike fired on the door. The bullets came screeching inside the room.

“I will see for how long you can stay inside the same room. I am ready to wait for you patiently.”

Rishi unlocked the door and slightly left it open for Mike to enter inside. He stood behind the door when Mike entered slowly with his gun in hand.

Rishi hit Mike’s head from behind with all his force. Mike crumbled to the floor unconscious. But Rishi shot Mike with his own gun. He died at the same instant.

 He was interrupted by the ringing of Mike’s mobile phone.

Rishi took the call and said “Hello.”

“Mike! What happened to Vijay? No news from him?” he heard a Chinese man talking from the other end.

Rishi did not reply.

“Why are you not talking anything? There is no improvement after we killed Sushila’s son. As you recommended Vijay to be trust-worthy guy I got permission from Chinese intelligence unit head. Has Vijay robbed us of our money? When will we get secrets about time machine? When will the Tanjore temple be destroyed?”

Rishi cut the call and immediately took off from the bungalow.

Chola period

Ravidasan and Vijay were seen riding in their horses having escaped from Chola soldiers. Vijay’s hands were tied and was saddled up on the horse with his stomach down.

They stopped at a small lake for the horses to have water.

“Will you not untie my hands even for drinking water?”

“No, how will I be able to trust you when you cheated me once.”

“I tell you sincerely that I did not cheat you. Somewhere a mistake has happened. Even I find it mysterious, as to why it did not happen as we planned. Please give me one more chance. I will finish the work to your fullest satisfaction.”

“Last time you duped me saying something about weapons, bombs and stuff. This time what other bigger plans do you intend to fool me with?”

Vijay was going through all the facts again and again when he suddenly hit at an idea. “Now I know what had happened clearly. Balan must have done it. He had mentioned that he had skills in defusing bombs in his military career.”

“Who is Balan?”

“I travelled with him to Tanjore. I don’t have time to explain everything right now. We have to immediately find out where he is. If not Chola people will come to know of our plans.”

“We cannot return back to Tanjore. We have to remain hidden from others. The Pandya king will arrive shortly to meet us. We will discuss with him about our next move.”

“Pandya king? Who is it?”

“Ilanchezhian.”

* * *

Ilanchezhian made his escape by coming out of the secret passage. He waved good bye to Balan and proceeded to travel to Madurai.

Balan stayed near the temple itself the whole night. Next day, he witnessed to his heart’s liking the king and how well the Temple opening ceremony was conducted.

Then finding Vijay became his topmost priority at the moment. He walked in the direction of the hall in the city outskirts.

He reached the hall and searched all around the place for Vijay. Instead he was surprised to see another familiar man standing waiting for someone.

It was Ilanchezhian. Balan approached him “Oh prince! Have you not started on your journey to Madurai?”

“No. I awaiting a friend. He has not turned up. Anyway it is nice to see you again.”

“Who is your friend?”

“Ravidasan.”

Balan froze in shock upon hearing that name.

“Ravidasan? Is he still alive? ”

“He has no death. He is the only one left out of the private security guards. And he is also the mastermind behind all our plans.”

“I have to meet him, prince.”

“I think we have to travel to Madurai. He might have directly gone there instead of coming here.”

Both of them left the hall. Balan thought it was not just coincidence that he had come to the hall in search of Vijay and the prince had come to the same place searching for Ravidasan. His intuition was screaming that there must be some connection between Vijay and Ravidasan.

Present day

“I can see that some big level conspiracy is going on, Kavya. And my father has unknowingly fallen into it too.”

Kavya listened worriedly to what Rishi was telling her.

“I don’t know how Vijay got into this. I am also baffled as to who that Chinese man Mike is, Rishi.”

“I am able to guess a few things from the phone call I received in Mike’s home. Chinese intelligence agency is trying to discover some of our nation’s secrets. I think it must be related to time machine. Vijay must be acting on behalf of them. Are there any research going on in DRDO for designing a time machine?”

“Maybe. I am not sure. These kind of projects are kept highly confidential. Now how does your father come into the picture?”

“My dad is an expert in Chola history. I heard the man in talking in the phone enquiring when will Tanjore big temple be destroyed? So my guess is that they would use the time machine to travel to Chola period. For that they would have required my father’s expertise.”

“You told the man was talking something about killing Sushila’s son. Who is Sushila? Why did they kill her son?”

Rishi thought for a while and then it suddenly hit him.” The Indian prime minister Sushila Varma’s son was killed recently in an accident. Except that it was no accident, those merciless guys have made it look like one.”

“Rishi, I am feeling frightened.”

“Kavya, be brave. This is the time for us to act quickly. You enquire whether any time machine project is going on in DRDO. Then we will decide our next course of action.”

“Classified projects like these will be in a different building. People will not be allowed to enter there.”

“But we can enter that building using this badge, right?” Rishi showed her a badge.

“How did you lay hands on this?”

“I took it from Mike, thinking that it may be useful in the future.”

“Then Vijay too must be having something similar to this. We can break open the door of his home and search for it.”

“Ok. Then leave that to me. I will go to Vijay’s home and search for the badge. Tomorrow morning we can meet at DRDO.”

Next day they met at DRDO office as agreed.

“What are you going to do once you enter the building?”

“If I find the time machine, then I am going to travel back to Chola period. I am thinking that Vijay and my dad would have gone to the period when the temple construction was over. So I am also going to go back in time to that year.”

Both of them entered the building without any trouble. They wandered along the corridors and came to a big lab.

Two security guards were seen.

They stopped Rishi and Kavya from entering. “Nobody can get inside this lab without proper authorization.”

Rishi persuaded “Highly classified important work is going on. Two people working on this project have left. We are newly appointed in their place. Next month prime minister is visiting exclusively to see this project. Order from superiors that work must be completed on time. Please see this letter.”

Rishi handed them a letter.

The security guards saluted them and let them enter the lab.

The guards chatted away “Some kind of fancy machine in there. Serious things are happening inside, but we don’t understand anything.”

Rishi and Kavya entered the lab to see a strange looking time machine.

“How do we operate this?” Rishi asked. Kavya scanned the design documents and other files near it.

One hour passed and she was still reading. Rishi lost his patience “Come on Kavya! Be quick. The guards may start to suspect our behavior.”

“5 more minutes please!”

Kavya read that from cover to cover and taught him how to use it.

Rishi was about to step inside the time machine.

“Good bye Kavya! Pray that I must return successfully with my dad.”

Kavya waved at him, with tears in her eyes.

“Hey! Why are you crying? I will talk some sense into Vijay and bring him too along with me.”

“No need to do that. Let him get lost.”

“Then why are you crying?”

Kavya blushed and averted her eyes down. “I am getting separated from my fiancé right? That’s why.”

Rishi laughed and remarked “You have a good sense of humor.”

“This is not funny.”

Rishi’s eyes lit up. He asked excitedly whether what he heard was true.

Kavya simply nodded her head overcome with shyness.

He hugged her and said “I have already been married Kavya.”

“I am fine with it. I don’t mind being your second wife. I will plead to your wife to accept me as your wife.”

“Stupid! Don’t think like that! I got divorced.”

“Wow! Then one problem solved.”

Rishi kissed her forehead and said “Wish me luck Kavya. I believe your love will help me return back to you with success.”

Kavya started crying. “Rishi, in my childhood itself my parents got separated. Vijay also left me after 2 years. My loved ones have all forsaken me at some point of time. I fear the same thing will happen with you too Rishi.”

“My dad has not raised me like that. Definitely I will not cause you disappointment. I will return back victorious and will marry you. Don’t worry.”

He tore himself apart from Kavya and stepped into the time machine. Within few seconds, he disappeared.

Chola period

“How long will it take to reach Madurai?”

“Be patient, Balan. We will reach there by tomorrow morning.”

In the two days of travel, Balan looked completely exhausted with no proper food.

They came to a place where they saw a beautiful garden and a small house at its center.

They decided to take a break there, and stopped their horses.

They knocked on the house assuming some people will be living in it.

The door opened by itself and they entered the house.

An old man was inside deep in meditation.

He seemed oblivious to the entry of Balan and Ilanchezhian inside his house.

“Sir, we are travelling from a faraway land. We will be grateful to get some food to eat.”

The old man opened his eyes and signaled them to go to the next room. They went to that room and began devouring the appam and kozhukattai out of hunger.

They rested for a while in the room and soon fell asleep due to fatigue.

Next day morning Ilanchezhian woke up first. He saw the old man to be sitting in a corner and laughing at them mockingly.

“If you sleep so well then when will you become a king? When will you capture the Pandya throne?”

Ilanchezhian got infuriated by his words. He caught hold of the old man’s neck and threatened “Hey, you old man! who are you? How do you know who I am?”

The old man courageously yanked away Ilanchezhian’s hands. He fell to the ground.

Then the old man started in a calm tone “Forgive me, prince. My name is Dharmasenan. I am a friend of Ravidasan. Two days ago, Ravidasan had come here. He told me that Pandya king will come here and I should bring him with me to Madurai. If I had behaved wrongly, please accept my apologies.”

“I know the way to reach Madurai. I don’t expect your company.”

“Ravidasan also told me news. If you happen to hear that then you will not disrespect me.”

“Your mother Nandini Devi is awaiting your arrival in Madurai.”

On hearing this Ilanchezhian’s eyes softened. He was delighted at the opportunity to meet his mother after a long time. Only very few people knew the secret about his birth. So he came to the conclusion that Dharmasenan can be trusted.

“Sir, please forgive me if I have spoken ill words at you, ignoring your age.”

“There is no time to waste. We have to start immediately.”

Balan who was listening to this conversation awestruck followed them.

* * *

In Madurai, Ravidasan and Vijay were in the king’s palace awaiting for the prince to show up.

“Ravidasan, it is very dark in here. Do you have a lamp?”

Ravidasan was about to light a lamp when they heard footsteps outside.

“Who is it?”

“Ravidasan, it’s me Ilanchezhian. I am unable to see anything, please light a lamp.”

“I will do it at once, prince. It looks like somebody else is with you.”

“He is our friend too.”

As soon as Ravidasan lit the lamp, Vijay saw Balan standing.

“He is our enemy, not friend. He is Balan the man who foiled our plans, who is was talking about. We have to kill him immediately.”

“Ravidasan, who is this man? Warn him not to speak ill of my friend.” The prince shouted.

“Prince, he is also one among us. We both planned together to destroy Tanjore temple. But we never succeeded due to Balan. That is what he is trying to explain.”

Balan was listening to all this silently with a sly smile.

“Balan, why are you not replying? Is it true, what I hear about you?”

“Yes, prince! I don’t like to see the Tanjore temple destroyed. This temple is beyond the scope of Chola Pandya rivalry. This is not just a temple built by Chola, it belongs to all Tamilians. In fact, it belongs to Lord Shiva who is worshipped by both Chola and Pandya. A temple that stands untarnished for years to come. As a tamilian I can never agree to Vijay’s plan of destroying it.”

“Kill him. First we have to see that he is dead. Our first foe is Balan.” Vijay screamed.

Ravidasan took out his sword and pounced forward. Ilanchezhian stepped forward and stopped his attack.

“Let’s have him in our captive for now. We will arrive at a judgment after discussing with my mother.”

“What? Your mother? Who knows where she is right now. Don’t you know that she is at recluse from this world having lost interest in everything?”

“What are you saying, Ravidasan? Did you not mention to the old man that my mother was waiting to see me?

“Which old man are you talking about? I never said anything to anyone.”

Ilanchezhian narrated all about Dharamsenan. Ravidasan replied “That old man is a sorcerer. He has duped you well. Where is he now?”

“He came with us. He left saying he will join us after visiting his daughter in Madurai.”

“Next time you see him, tear him to pieces.”

“No, we have to find him at once. He must be a spy of Chola king.”

“What can we do with these 2 men?” the prince asked pointing to Vijay and Balan.

“I can trust Vijay. This man Balan is our foe. We can tie Balan and put him under Vijay’s supervision while we hunt down that old sorcerer.”

Both of them left, leaving Balan and Vijay alone.

Balan sensed this was the right time to demand answers. He questioned Vijay “Why did you plan to destroy that temple? Do you know how monumental it is?”

“In exchange for 20 million dollars.”

Balan raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

“Chinese intelligence unit promised me 20 million dollars if I destroyed that temple.”

“How do they benefit from destroying Tanjore temple?”

“Our aim was not to destroy the temple originally but to secure this.”

Vijay showed Balan some parchment records and drawings on animal skins.

Balan asked what they were.

“Before I explain what it is, let me ask you something. how is it possible for Indians to design a time machine? Did it not occur to you that a poor nation like India achieved something significant as this when western developed countries are clueless?”

“Yes, I have thought about it several times.”

“The answer to your question lies in these drawings. These are sketches of time machine design. Our ancestors have discovered this long back. It was maintained a treasured secret by Chola kings. Rajaraja Chola hid this under the temple he built. In 1970, during archaeological excavations we found this from the temple. The then prime minister instructed DRDO to design a time machine. As a result of that research we are now back in time.”

“So you are double crossing Indian government and selling our secrets to Chinese people. But I don’t get this. If the Chinese men want the time machine designs then you could have given them the DRDO documents, why take the trouble of coming to Chola period and getting these old records?”

“Their aim is not only to know the time machine secret but also to change history that China invented time machine instead of India.”

“Ok Now it makes sense. If you remove these records from under the temple, then we would not have found it in the archaeological excavations of 1970. So we cannot claim to invent time machine first. Then why did you plan to destroy Tanjore temple?”

“I decided to go back to Chola period using the time machine in DRDO. But my superior officials did not permit me. I decided to get Prime minister’s approval. So, the Chinese men killed prime minister’s son. we sent one of our men posing as an astrologer to confuse her further. Then I followed him and got her approval. Then only I got this idea of making her believe that if the temple is destroyed, her son would have been alive.”

“But your work of finding the old records is over, right? You have the design of time machine with you. Then why do you have to destroy the temple?”

“I have promised that to our prime minister. My work ethics is to keep up what I promised. Moreover, the Chinese also got piqued at the idea of destroying the temple. They feel jealous that such a splendid monument was built by Indians. If I destroyed it, then they promised to pay me 10 million more.”

“Will you do whatever they say for money? Doesn’t your conscience prick you?”

“Yes, I will do anything for money. Do you know why I confessed everything to you? Because you will be dead shortly. Now you can die at peace knowing why I did all this instead of wondering what may be the reason.”

Vijay took a sword in his hand and raised it to kill Balan with one stroke.

But he screamed “Ah!” and well to the ground.

He was stabbed from behind by a small knife.

Balan felt relieved and wondered who might have done that.

He saw Dharmasenan standing.

* * *

Balan and Dharmasenan started their journey towards Tanjore on their horses.

“Oh! Wise man! Will Ravidasan and Ilanchezhian follow us to Tanjore?”

“Not possible. By no they would have been arrested by my men. Ilanchezhian would again be in his old resting place i.e. Tanjore prison. But this time he will have Ravidasan for company instead of you. You have to forgive me for holding in you prison for long without enquiring properly. This lack of attention to details was due to the fact that people were busy with Temple opening ceremony work.”

Balan realized that Dharmasenan must hold a high position in Chola ministry.

“That is ok, Dharmasenan. If I had not been in prison then we would not have been able to sabotage Ravidasan and Vijay’s plans. All things happen for good.”

“I agree. You have done great goodness to Chola empire. The sole reason that the king with his clan are alive and the Tanjore temple still stands is because of the good deed rendered by you at the right time. The entire Chola kingdom is indebted to you. We will praise and cherish you for generations to come.”

“Did you overhear my entire conversation with Vijayan?”

“Yes. I heard from where you both came and why you came here.”

“Then the time machine?”

“I know Vijay came to Chola empire looking for its design records. I also know that you played a significant role in rescuing that from falling into his hands.”

“Then you must be aware of the fact that I come from the future, right?”

“Yes I know that for sure. I listened to each and every word exchanged between you two.”

“The scientific advancement required to build a time machine is not that simple. How did your society manage such a complex task?”

“This is not an invention of human. This is God’s boon. It is widely spoken that during the first Tamil sangam period, it was a boon from Lord Indra who granted it to Agasthiyar acknowledging his severe penance. He later passed it on to a Pandya king. Pandya treasured this with their life. But king Veera Pandya wanted to sell this secret to foreigners particularly to Chinese for a record price. So King Aditya Karikalan killed him in a battle and took to safeguarding the secret. King Rajaraja Cholan decided to bury this under the temple he built. We only have the mathematical principles to build the time machine. We lack expertise in scientific and engineering skills required to build this machine. So, we are of the opinion that future Tamil generation people will get more advanced to be capable of building this someday. Hence we treasure this secret carefully. As you have come from the future, I can strongly say that our hopes have not been destroyed.”

Both of them had by now neared Tanjore.

“I have to introduce you to the king. But if I take you now, people will mistake you. They are of the opinion that you are a prisoner escaped from jail. So I will talk to the king first, explain your stance and then at the right time will take you to him.”

“That’s good Dharmasena! I will be staying at the deserted hall in city outskirts. You can find me there.”

“Fine. You have in your possession something which belongs to the Chola king. Please can you give it to me.”

Balan handed over the drawings of time machine to Dharmasena.

“Sir, can I ask you who you really are? How are you related to the king?” Balan asked out of curiosity.

Dharmasena shed his disguise and showed himself as Vanthiyathevar.

* * *

Balan took leave from Vanthiyathevar and proceeded towards the hall in city outskirts. He felt blessed to have got the introduction of Vanthiyathevar who was Rajaraja Chola’s close friend, his right hand in several battles and also husband to Rajaraja Chola’s elder sister Kundhavai. He was also excited about seeing the king in person in a short while.

He reached the hall soon. He noticed a person lying on the floor unconscious.

Balan was completely out of his wits when he saw who that man was. It was his own son, Rishi!

He immediately fetched water from nearby and poured some in his mouth. He splashed some water on his face too. Rishi slowly opened his eyes.

Rishi got ecstatic seeing his father. “It felt like a daunting task to track you down. I never expected you to meet you this soon.”

“Why did you come here? Why do you have to bother about me after a long time?”

“Dad, it was a big mistake of marrying Linda against your wishes. Last month we got divorced. I did not think of anything else but to meet you in India when I got your phone call last week.”

“Only when children face difficulty do they remember their parents. See the irony.”

Rishi remained silently, his head hung down. “Then what happened to Vijay? The one who came with you?”

“How do you know about Vijay?”

Rishi told his father right from the day he stepped in India till now. Balan also recounted all that had happened here, including Vijay’s death.

“So, this completely conspired by China government. I am angered by the fact that our prime minister has also a part to play in this. When we get back to the present world, I am going to expose her misdeeds before media and tarnish her image.” Rishi’s blood boiled with rage.

“Don’t do anything like that. When you return back to your time, meet the prime minister and talk to her. Then you decide your next course of action.”

“Why are you saying ‘Your time’? Aren’t you not coming back with me?”

“My period is in the Chola age only. I am going to breathe my last residing in this Chola world only from now on.”

“Please dad, come with me. For ten years I have remained without your love and affection. Now only I realized what I had missed. Please come and stay with me for the rest of my life.”

Balan thought for a while. ”Rishi you were born six years after I married your mother. So we raised you as a precious boy. You used to fall sick quite often when you were young. Your mother will face troubles if she stayed awake late at night. So I used to look after you without sleeping for several nights. You used to cry often late in night. I used to console you singing lullabies. But you were not easily pacified. But on listening to stories you stopped crying and will fall asleep. I had told you numerous stories of Chola and Pandya.”

“Why I am saying all this to you is, You and Chola history are like two eyes to me. When you left me for a foreign girl I felt I lost one of eyes. I had spent several days crazily thinking about you. Then I had to immerse myself in the research of King Rajaraja Chola to divert my mind. I visited each and every temple, analyzed every stone scripture to spend my time. There was not even one day when I had not gone to the Tanjore temple. I used to remain in front of king’s statue unmindful of the time passing. By doing all these I was able to get over the backstabbing you did.”

“Father, but now I have come to be with you. Will you not be with me?”

“It is difficult to change our minds as we get older. Even if I stay with you, the bitter experiences I have had with you will resurface every now and then. I feel my destiny is now fulfilled. The reason I was born was to come to the Chola empire and meet the king who made history. So, I will stay here till my last breath and die peacefully one day. You return back to your present world, marry a nice woman and be happy.”

“In fact, I have met someone nice. I wished to marry her in your presence, with your blessings.”

“Within one month of getting divorce, you found a girl? Interesting? Who is she now? Chinese or Russian?”

“No. she is well cultured Tamil girl.”

Rishi showed Kavya’s picture to his dad.

“My daughter in law is looking pretty. Anyway, all the best for you to marry her and lead a family.”

Rishi touched his father’s feet and got his blessings. He waved good bye to his dad and stepped inside the time machine. Slowly he vanished from the place.

Next day as promised Vanthiyathevar took Balan to the king’s palace.

“The king is eager to talk to you. But I suppose he can’t talk much as he is not feeling well.”

“What happened to his health?”

“His health is fine. But he is mentally disturbed. His loving daughter Chandramalli disappeared in the day of the Temple opening ceremony. That has taken a toll on the king.”

“Where is Chandramalli?”

“It is believed that she is in a Buddhist monastery in Nagapattinam. She seems to have taken it as her refuge having lost interest in worldly pleasures.”

They entered the king’s chamber shortly. Balan stood still overcome with emotion as he watched the king sitting in his throne. He rejoiced at the fact that his lifelong wish of meeting the king he admired so much has been fulfilled at last. Even though the king was a few years aged, he had the same striking features and pride fit for a king. But he looked dull weighed down by the worries tormenting him at the moment.

He realized he was not paying respect to the king. Hurriedly he kneeled down and bowed before him with folded hands.

The king himself came and hugged him. “It is my pleasure to meet a great man who saved the entire Chola dynasty.”

Balan noticed the king’s hands were weak from illness. “Oh! My lord! Please don’t trouble yourself. Do not stand up from your throne during this time of sickness. Please rest.”

“My lord! Do not become emotional.”

“She betrayed me on the day of temple opening ceremony. Unfortunate things are happening ever since this temple is constructed. We used to get good rainfall every year, but this year extreme famine. I have information that Chaulukyas are approaching from North to wage a war. The daughter whom I lovingly raised has betrayed me and left me. Till my last breath I am never going to set foot again in the temple.”

“My lord! It is not an unlucky temple as you think. It is a temple which bestows goodness to Chola empire and its citizens. Even though this year you are facing famine, the consequences are not dire. As a result of the temple construction, many businesses have sprung up and so is economy. Even farmers are capable of doing some vocational work and remain happy earning good money. The Chaulukya’s intention of waging war is not to be taken seriously. Our army will give them a fitting reply in the battlefield. So please do not worry as to why you built such a marvelous temple.”

“I was amazed to see huge statues of Buddha when I was in SriLanka. It fueled my desire to build a huge temple for Lord Shiva like that. I wanted to build it with the world’s tallest temple tower and word’s biggest Shiva Linga. But now I see what a great foolish thing I did.”

“Why are you thinking like that, My lord? You have done an extraordinary feat of spreading Lord Shiva’s praise for generations to come by building this temple. Is there anything bigger than this undertaken for the sustainment and prosperity of Saiva sect of religion?”

“I also had the same thoughts when I ventured into this project. But do you know how many people have lost their lives? 8000 people. As the height of the temple tower raises, the death toll is also raising. In order to construct the temple tower we constructed a sand path around it and with the help of elephants moved the stones up. Do you know that thousands of people lost their life when several elephants slipped and fell? Is this what I have achieved? History will remember me as cold hearted murderer who was selfish and greedy about his own vision.”

“Lord, we lose several soldiers in battle each time. Should a king repent for that too? Building a temple is a far more better work than fighting a war. Causalities happening are a sad thing, I agree. But we should not feel bad about in the light of greater scheme of things. This is a temple that remains etched in history as a proof of your caliber. It will remind future Tamil generations to look back at us and be amazed by our capabilities. It will be an example for them to achieve more greater things. You will be forever remembered in history as a person whose fame remains untouched by time.”

The king turned blissful with joy when he heard Balan’s explanation. He hugged his shoulders and said “Oh Dear friend! You have opened my eyes to see the light. You have changed my antagonistic feelings towards Lord Shiva. You are requested to be by my side forever. I wish that like Vanthiyathevar you will remain as my very close friend till my last breath.”

Balan felt that his purpose of being born on earth was fulfilled at that very moment.

* * *

Present day

Rishi and Kavya got married in the Tanjore temple.

“For our honeymoon we should definitely visit Australia.” Quipped Kavya.

“Why? You want to look for your previous lover?”

“No! it’s been long since I forgot about him. I have always wished to go to Australia since I was a little girl.”

“Ok. We will go there. But before that, we have to make a short trip to Delhi.”

“Delhi? Why?”

“To meet prime minister, Sushila Varma.”

* * *

Prime minister Sushila Varma was having a discussion with intelligence officer.

Then her assistant informed her that “Madam, a man named Rishi is waiting to meet you.”

“Please turn him down. Tell him I am busy with something else.”

“He says he wants to speak to you about Vijay.”

As soon as she heard the name Vijay, she realized she must immediately meet him. She asked her assistant to send him to her room.

As soon as Rishi entered her room she bombarded him “What did you do to Vijay?”

“I will tell you later. But you have to tell me now why did you order Vijay to set bomb and destroy Tanjore temple?”

Sushila lost her composure on hearing his accusation “what are you blabbering?”

Rishi explained everything to her about Vijay’s plan. “Now what are you going to do? What you have committed is a serious act of treason.”

“What I have done is not treason. Many national leaders have lost their life after visiting that temple. For example, in 1954, Varadharaja Mudhaliar. In 1974, Inder Singh. In 1994, Morgan. They have died because they set foot in the temple. That is the curse of that temple.”

“The reason for their death is due to foreign conspiracy. I have evidence to substantiate it.” Said Rishi and handed her a file.

Sushila got shocked on going through the contents of that file.

“You have contributed to a group that wanted to destroy our country’s significant monument. Our ancestors have sacrificed a great deal to see the temple built. In fact, many people have lost their lives while it was being constructed. But they embraced death happily with the feeling that they have achieved something noteworthy. It is a horrendous crime that you, being this nation’s prime minister have planned to destroy such a great temple. You decide what are you going to do to attain salvation for the wretched act you performed?

Rishi did not wait her answer and left her room.

He reached home when Kavya asked “Did you see the news? Prime minister Sushila Varma has resigned.”

It was the breaking news of the day.

“Prime minister Sushila Varma has resigned in short notice. Nobody knows her whereabouts right now. Home minister Vishal Kumar has taken her place as prime minister. Just two weeks ago, she won by a majority in the recently conducted elections. The situation remains unclear as to what made her change her mind rapidly.” The TV anchor went on.

Kavya watched amused as to why Rishi was wearing a smug look on hearing this piece of news.

* * *

A few days later

The atmosphere surrounding the Tanjore temple was electrified with excitement. Police men were deployed in large numbers on account of Chief minister’s visit.

Nobody seemed to recognize the lady who was walking around the temple. No one knew it was Sushila Varma, as she had tonsured her head and was wearing glasses to disguise her identity.

She saw with great astonishment each and every pillar in the temple. She rubbed her hands on each stone, saw with great amusement each painting. Finally she came to King Rajaraja Chola’s statue and stared at it intently without a blink of the eye.

“Hey lady! Go out of the temple. The chief minister is about to arrive shortly.” the policeman chased her from the spot.

Sushila did not listen to him and kept on gazing at the statue.

“Hey lady! Did you not listen to what I said? Are you going out by yourself or shall I push you out?” he rebuked.

Sushila stood still.

A few policemen took her and threw her out of the temple.

“Be gentle with her. Looks like the old lady might die.”

At that time the Chief minister entered the temple with his entourage.

Sushila was seen on the ground near the street murmuring the following words

“Oh! You just a minion before my great king Rajaraja Chola!”

The End

Inspirations

Udayar – Balakumaran

Timeline – Hollywood Movie

Ponniyin Selvan – Kalki