Chapter 5

The two friends came out of the harem. From inside, a female voice shouted, "Kanthamara! Kanthamara!" "Mom is calling me, wait here! I will come here," said Kanthamaran and went inside. Vandhiyathevan heard the women's voices asking questions one after the other and Kanthamaran stumbling back. Then came the sound of the women laughing and laughing.

The thought that they were joking and laughing about him made Vandhiyathevan feel ashamed and angry. When Kanthamaran came out, he held Vandhiyathevan's hand and said, "Come! Let's go around our palace and come!"

Kanthamaran showed Vandhiyathevan the moon-courts, dance and song halls, stores, marble halls, domed towers, stupa kalasams and horse stables of Kadampoor palace.

In between, Vandhiyathevan said, "Kanthamara! When you stopped me at the entrance of the harem and went in again, there was laughter and merriment in the harem. Are they so happy to see your friend?"

"They're all glad to see you. Mother and others like you. But they didn't laugh at you..."

"Then why did they laugh?"

"Pazhuvertaraiyar is there, isn't there? After all this age, he is marrying a new young woman. He had brought her here in a covered palanquin. But instead of sending her to the harem, he has locked her up in his inn! A nurse peeped through the window and described her beauty. That's the laughter! They are arguing whether she is a Sinhalese girl, a Kalinga girl or a Chera woman! You know that Pazhuvertaraiyar's ancestors came to Tamilnadu from Chera Nadu?"

"I've heard why, you've told me once before. Let it be, Kanthamara! How long has it been since Pazhuvertaraiyar married this mysterious beautiful woman?"

"In less than two years; He had never left her alone ever since they were married. Wherever he goes, he takes his concubine in a palanquin. There is some ridicule going on all over the country about this. Vandhiyatheva! Wouldn't it be a little embarrassing for everyone if they were tempted by women like this?"

"The reason is nothing, shall I tell you the real reason, Kanthamara? Women are always a bit jealous. Dont think I speak ill of the women of your house! Women's world is like this! The women of your family are dark and beautiful. Pazhuvertaraiyar's concubine is as golden as red. So they don't like her! That's why they're making up some other story..."

"Oh! How strange this is! How do you know about her complexion? Have you seen her? Where and how did you see it? If only Pazhuvertaraiyar knows this, your life is not yours..."

"Kanthamara! Im not afraid of all this, you know. And I didn't do anything favorable. When Pazhuvertaraiyar's entourage went along the road in Veeranarayanapuram, I stood aside along with the crowd and watched. The elephant, the horse, the palanquin and the parivattam are all honours sent by you. Is that true?"

"Yes, we did, so what?...?"

"So what? Nothing. I compared the reception you gave to Pazhuvertaraiyar and the reception you gave me, nothing else...!"

Kanthamaran smiled slightly and said, "We paid him the respect due to the divine lawmaker. We have given you the welcome that a pure warrior deserves! Once upon a time, by the grace of Lord Muruga, if you become a son-in-law in this house, we will welcome the bridegroom with due respect!" Then he said, "What else did you come to say? By then the conversation had changed. Yes, you said that Pazhuvertaraiyar's concubine is a good red complexion, how did you know that?"

"Pazhuvertaraiyar was coming on the big black matthagajam of Kadampoor palace like Yama Dharma on a buffalo! All my thoughts were with him. Once upon a time, when I was imagining that I should become like him, a palanquin came next. While I was wondering who might come in the covered palanquin, a hand slightly lifted the curtain of the palanquin from within. A face was visible through the curtain. His hands and face were golden! That's it, that's all I saw! From what you just said, I guess that woman is Pazhuvertaraiyar's concubine.

"Vandhiyatheva! You're lucky. It is said that no male child had ever seen that Pazhuvur Ilayarani even with his eyes. Didnt you look at her hand and her face for a moment? As far as I can see, do you have any idea in which country she could be a Sundari born in?" asked Kanthamaran.

"I didn't think about it at the time. In retrospect, she was probably a Kashmiri girl; Or it may have been a queen from Javaka, Kadara, Yavana, Misiram and other countries beyond the seas. Maybe she was an Arab woman. In that country, women wear masks from birth till death!"

At that moment, the sound of instruments began to be heard somewhere nearby. Salli, bear, drum, flute and udukku sounded together.

"What slogan is this?" asked Vandhiyathevan.

"There is going to be a hoot! This is the starting slogan! Do you want to see Kuravai Koottu? Or do you eat early and sleep peacefully?"

At that time Vandhiyathevan remembered what Azhvarkadiyan had mentioned about Kuravai Koothu. "I've never seen a squirrel; A must see." When the friends had gone a few steps further and turned a bend, they came into view of the Kuravaikkoothu platform. The congregation began to gather in front of the dais.

The stage was erected in a spacious white courtyard surrounded by the palace wall and the walls of the fortresses. The stage was decorated with pictures of chickens, peacocks and swans. The stage was decorated with red rice fried silver fries, yellow millet rice, multicolored flowers, kunri beads, etc. Torches burned along with the lamplights, trying to drive away the darkness. But the smoke of the torches mingled with the fragrant akhil smoke, spreading like a mist, dimming the light of the lamps. In front of and on the sides of the stage the musicians sat furiously playing their instruments. The fragrance of flowers, the fragrance of Akhil and the sound of music all combined to make Vandhiyathevan dizzy.

When all the important guests had arrived, nine women came on to the stage. They were dressed tightly according to the dance, adorned with ornaments attached to their bodies, anklets on their legs and adorned with Kanni, Kadambam, Kandhal, Kurinji and Sevvalari flowers suitable to Lord Muruga. They stood on the platform, holding each other together by a long garland of flowers. Some were holding beautiful green parrots made of sandalwood wood and painted with ease.

After saluting the congregation, they began to sing and dance. They sang songs in praise of Lord Muruga. They sang the heroic deeds of Muruga. They sang the praises of Vetrivel who killed the demons Surapadman, Gajamugan and other demons and dried up the sea water. When many celestial maidens were about to marry Lord Muruga, they sang the praises of Sivakumaran who came to Tamilnadu on earth and married the daughter of Malaikuravar who was guarding Thinaipunam in the forest. They celebrated the kindness of Velavan. This song and dance, accompanied by the sound of drums and flutes, drove the onlookers into a frenzy.

"Away with hunger, sickness and hatred

The congratulations ended with the congratulations. The women went off the stage.

Later, a man and a woman named 'Thevaralan' and 'Devaratti' came on the stage to dance Velanattam. They were dressed in blood-colored clothes. They wore garlands of red red flowers. They were smearing red vermilion on their foreheads. Their mouths were red and bloody from chewing betel nut. His eyes were as red as a gourd.

At first, the game started calmly. They danced individually and holding hands. As time passed, the game became more frenzied. On one side of the stage, the servant took it in her hand. Thevaralan tried to snatch it from her hand; Devaratti forbade it. Finally, Thevaralan jumped up the stage and snatched the spear from Devaratti's hand. Devaratti got down from the stage with an expression of fear at the work.

Then, Thevaralan stood alone on the stage and danced frantically with a spear in his hand. Suran and other demons fell to pieces. The severed head of Sura sprouted again and again. As it sprouted, Velan's fury grew. Sparks flew from his eye. In the end, Surapadman fell dead. Thevaralan also dropped his handiwork.

Now all the other instruments have stopped. Only the sound of Udukku was heard. The priest stood near the platform and banged furiously. Every atom in Thevaralan's body trembled. "The church has come," they whispered to each other in the congregation.

After a while, the priest got angry and said to Thevaralan, "Vela! Muruga! Devasenapati! Kanda! Surasamhara! You should give blessings to your devotees!" he prayed.

"Listen to me! I'll tell you! Whatever you want, ask!" exclaimed the visitor.

"Is it going to rain? Will it flood? Will the country prosper? Will the thought come true?" asked the priest.

"It's going to rain! The flood will swell! The country will prosper! The thought will come true! But you didn't do puja to my mother! Durga asks for sacrifice. Bhadrakali asks for sacrifice; Chandikeswari asks for sacrifice after killing Mahidasuran..." The saint screamed as he swayed violently.

"What sacrifice do you want?" asked the priest.

"Will you give it to me if I ask?" he asked.

"We will give; We will definitely give! The priest said.

"She asks for the blood of the royal clan; She is asking for the blood of the Thousand Kings!" the madman shouted in a horrible voice.

Pazhuvertaraiyar, Sambuvaraiyar, Mazhavaraiyar and other dignitaries who were sitting in front of the stage looked at each other's faces. Their red, frenzied eyes spoke cryptically.

Sambuvaraiyar looked at the priest and nodded his head.

The priest stopped beating. Thevaralan fell on the stage like a bottomless tree. Devaratti ran and picked him up.

The congregation dispersed in silence; Somewhere outside, in the distance, I heard the howling of foxes.

Vandhiyathevan, who had been agitated by what he had seen and heard for so long, looked in the direction of the howling of the jackals. There, on the outer wall of the mansion, was a head. It was Azhvarkadiyan's head! For a moment Vandhiyathevan felt a terrible feeling. It was as if Azhvarkadiyan's head had been cut off and placed on that wall. When I closed my eyelids and opened them, I didn't see the head there! He was ashamed that he had fallen into such a vain paranoia. He was troubled by all sorts of other emotions which he had never experienced before.