Chapter Twenty
Shining, slender,
swaying hips like serpent coils
rising to the hood of a king cobra.
Wild peacock dancing before the storm
Tiruppavai 11
Why tonight? Visnucitta thought, crossing his legs on the floor at the entrance to Tirumal’s shrine. Every full moon they made obeisance together. Why this one? He touched the cylinder of Sirimai’s palm leaf message, checking it was secure in the folds of his dhoti. Her servant had passed it to him in the dark of the passage leading to the temple gates. His heart beat thick and fast when he heard the ringing of kin-kini bells. He did not look up to catch a glimpse of her face for fear of giving himself away. Sirimai knew him inside out, every intimation, any hint of desire trapped at the corners of his mouth. Her slender feet moved p
