Lakshmi

Chapter 8 The Revelation

The sun would rise in another half an hour. Birds had started to welcome its arrival.

Our  kitten now, have moved out of Karuppiah's room, and made herself climbed up on  the roof top of the Perumal temple. Its keen eyes were ready to watch all the events inside of the fort, and document the events of today. It saw disturbances in the room of Karuppiah. Was Karuppiah opening the mud pot? Would the young girl  reach the temple on time?

Karuppiah, now, got up, and welcomed the day. He was expecting the temple bells jingling. They did. But on this morning, he could not see the girl. He recalled the day. Tuesday. Inauspicious to any celebration, so the Perumal temple priests had designed. To him all days were of from the Ayyanar. What was then both auspicious and inauspicious?

The sun was on further rise. Karuppiah quickly organized himself. Set him to the work on the stable. He patted the horses. Made them to walk around on the lushy grassy ground freely. While both of the horses  had started  to play with one another, necking, and licking one another faces, he found that time the opportunity to clean the stable. He cleaned it. Organized new hay beds. And he was making the feed buckets and water buckets ready. 

He then smelled the jasmine flowers. And heard the jingling sound of glass bangles, which his sister would be making often by shaking her young hands to attract him to secure his attention, at times when he would be busy in a reading. Having pushed aside those memories, he now turned. He was astounded to see the girl at the entrance of the temple standing and jingling her bangles. She was once again in her silken peacock petticoat. She had braided her hair neatly. Karuppiah saw her now pulling the braided hair in front of her chest. He saw the braided hair was full of jasmine bunches, and well adorned. He saw she was looking at him. 

Once again the temple bell was ringing. He could hear mantras chanted. Perhaps a special prayer at the temple.

Now Karuppiah saw the girl deeply. It appeared she was expecting the priest to join her now to going home. She saw Karuppiah now, once again   tilting bit of her face. He saw the girl twisting the end of her half saree often,with her head bowing down. A small smile appeared on her corner lips. She bit her lips. 

In a few minutes, she had leaned herself on the entry pillar of the temple,  observing Karuppiah, as a jasmine plant embrace a bundle of faggot sticks, with her feeling arms. Karuppiah could observe  all of her body languages, viewing from  the stable. Buddhist monks had taught him the way of men and women.It appeared she had an  interest in him. In return came out his small laughter combined with a reciprocal smile. He smiled at her intensely.

 Love, Buddhist monks had told him, had a powerful energy. It would appear among the young ones at an appropriate time. What attracts each other, no body could be able to deduce. It could be their voice, or a smile, or their appearance, or the way of their walking, or the flowers that  they wear. They mesmerize  each other.  No one, from the earth, can find the root of Love, the monks had taught him.

Karuppiah now saw the horses looking at him. They started to move towards him. He went to them. Moment he arrived at them, both the horses began to  brush and nuzzle his hands and body with their mouths,  as indicators of affection. The girl was watching these affectionate acts in wonder, with her wide eyes, smiling with a keen attention towards him. It appeared that she had wished to go near the horses, and feel them.

Currently the priest came out from the temple. He offered the gifts or prasadam to the girl;  the gifts were from the god, as flowers and as holy ash, the girl recognized. She received them in reverence. She saw the flowers adorn her head, and holy ash had  applied on her forehead in  a symbol of half moon. The priest began to walk in front, with the girl now following. After few steps, the girl turned sideways to give a quick glance at Karuppiah 

and smiled. How did she know him? Did her grandfather had told her about him? Could be possible. 

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The sense of duty pricked him. He wanted to explore the pot on the loft, before he went to the barracks dining place, specifically before any soldier would knock at his door.

He arranged his cots in such a way and retrieved  the pot from the loft. A small mud lid was covering the pot. Squatting on the floor, he opened the lid. He found seeds of washermen in abundance inside the pot, with three large needles. He knew that the seeds contain brown liquids, and the needles were nibs to write on linen cloths. He understood that his grandfather drew the maps from these liquids. He was also aware that the washermen use the liquid to mark on the cloths to identify which cloths belong to whom.

Karuppiah removed one seeds after another in a careful manner, lest any broken seeds would spill off their liquids and damage the other seeds. While removing the seeds, he saw a linen cloth at the bottom of the pot.  He carefully took it. Opened it. He found a lengthy writings of his grandfather in Brahmi old Tamil. He knew Brahmi old Tamil from the Buddhist monks. Hence it was not a difficulty for him to reading the letter. He saw the face of his grandfather appearing on the linen cloth, as a whirlmist, as a quick spinning fog.

Karuppiah scanned the letter first by his ability of fast reading. Then he slowly read the letter in silence. The letter was written as follows.

"   ! My dear grandson. Things happening around me were telling me that forces would not allow me to live. I may be poisoned by any means. Evils were constructed inside the fort. But believe and trust the noble king. A true friend of mine.

! My education and  skills which I leant from the monks linked me with a passion with the king. Understand that number of  treasure chests had been stored inside the underground cave  attached with the Perumal temple, from the times of Pallava kings. Our king improved the treasure to meet the needs of the people of the territory. 

! The king only has the key to the treasure. He alone could open the cave room. The king alone knows where the secret door had been hidden attached to the wall in the temple. The cave room has adequate ventilation, through perhaps with concealed brass meshes attached to the tiger skin granite wall on the east side of the Perumal temple. But the cave is lit. The king had informed me that the crevice on the rock,  you find on the east side of the temple, indicated with  a symbol of a five headed snake, carry air into the cave through the ventilators.

! The king knew that neither a rat nor a bat could spoil those treasure. There lies plenty of gold,and diamonds. Once the king took me inside and showed all them to me. He trusted me as not only as a friend, but as a man of learning, of knowledge of Tamil, specifically the Brahmi libi script, more importantly I had no lust over accumulating wealth nor in power. Lust is dangerous and it could kill you any moment. Lust of yours or lust of others. The world kings from ancient days were after lust, and lust is poison, than a simple desire perhaps you may encounter with an adult girl.

! So resist lust. Be keen on the work that Ayyanar and goddess Lakshmi had been offering you time to time. Be truthful in your work. Watch over on the slippery paths. Love people. Never discriminate woman. 

! One another important thing. The king and me coined around a story of a five headed snake living inside the crevice, to threaten people from entering into it. In actual sense the crevice leads you into a larger ventilator to the treasure cave. 

! To conclude, know that the earth is the greatest god, because it is in the great universe and is  part of it. From the earth, humanity, plants, trees and host of animals emerge. And to the earth they all return. Old generations die. New generations emerge. Yet all generations work to sustain the selfless love. Hence make the Love your priority. 

! I am aware the king might ask you to take over my work in the horse stable. Also, he might commission you with some more responsibilities. Trust the girl of the priest, who will approach you soon.  She would guide you. I know you are intelligent and honest. Take care. My blessings"

The letter was a bundled cloth of instructions. 

Having read it, he replaced the cloth intact inside the pot. Then he organized the washermen seeds carefully in the pot,  with the writing needles, and closed the llid. Then he replaced the pot on the loft. While doing,  he ensured  two seeds and one needle, for his use,  for incase he had to write any thing to any one. He recalled the brass box and the small bundle the monks gave him to despatch it to the Siddha medicine man at Madarasapatnam through the British soldiers. They  had reappeared in  his mind.

He heard the sound of few persons walking towards his room. He saw the escort and another soldier reaching him. His morning meals was in the hands of the soldier in a cloth bundle. The escort preferred to sit on his rope cot, and instructed the soldier to wait for him at the horse stable. After the soldier had left, the escort smiled at Karuppiah, and requested Karuppiah to have the meal. 

The escort began his conversation with Karuppiah. He said that he was one of the body guards and a personal spy of the king. He was requested by the king to speak to Karuppiah. He told that the grandfather of Karuppiah was poisoned to death at this room, on the wee hours of a night.  Attempts were being made at Sivagangai and at Ramanathapuram to poison the king also. Opponents had wanted to grab the huge wealth concealed at the Ramanathapuram and Sivagangai treasuries, as well from the temples, besides the power of ruling the great Ramanathapuram territory.

He further added that the opponents knew that the Thirumayam fort temples, specifically the Perumal temple, had a concealed treasure. In the process of enquiry, they did  threaten the grandfather to get the key to the door of the concealed door inside of the Perumal temple. In the threatening event, they poured poison into the mouth of the grandfather, believing the grandfather would refuse the poison. But he added, that the bold old man took the poison himself and died.

The escort also said that he had dedicated himself, as the bodyguard, to die with the king.  He informed Karuppiah that the king would visit the fort on the coming full moon days, when there was a festivity to Perumal deity and his consort Lakshmi goddess. King would also be accompanied with the deputy captain of the Sivaganga army, by name Sasivarnam. The escort then encouraged Karuppiah of no fear over any evil, as goddess Lakshmi protects all.

Karuppiah was told to wait for the escort on the early evening. Early evening arrived.

Now the escort and Karuppiah began their tour in the south and east gate areas of the fort. Karuppiah was wondering at the skillful construction of the fort in its 12 Rosatee half circles, with great high walls. 

This time, the escort summoned the soldier to bring the two horses of the kings. Both Ron, and Seeta. The horses were now standing before the escort, and Karuppiah. The escort asked Karuppiah whether Karuppiah knew horse riding efficiently. Karuppiah politely replied his knowledge of riding the horses. 

Karuppiah did not reveal the knowledge of his skills of horse riding, that he learned  it from the monks of Ganga country, through the recommendations of the Thulaiyanoor hills' monks several years ago, while he was secretly in the Buddhist school.

The escort mounted himself on Ron, while Karuppiah was speaking to Seeta. Karuppiah listened to the wigwag of the tail of Seeta. He patted Seeta, and then mounted. Now both horses were on the south gate area, having a small stroll, and dawdle.  South gate area had few soldiers, and a large park. They saw the weavers  community, in large numbers, who would make linen dhotis and silk sarees and fabrics. It appeared they were busy in their works as families with abundance of children. However all of the community of these weavers were forbidden to come to the Perumal temple, and as well to the north side gate area.

After wishing the community of the weavers, a great wellness and best life,  the escort directed Ron towards the area where the priest families live, behind the Shiva temple. Seeta followed Ron gently and they were now at the first few houses of the priests, who were  serving at the Shiva temple. The escort made the Shiva temple priests assembled under a tree and enquired of their safety and the temple related life.But as far as Karuppiah was concerned, his eyes were searching for the face of the young girl who smiled at him, in the environment of jasmine fragrance.

Having finished the chatting with the families of the priests of the Shiva temple, the riders then directed their horses to the house area of the priests of the Perumal temple. Karuppiah's heart began with an exciting thuds to seeing the girl, if possible. Karuppiah was, infact, in a gloriously jubilant mood. He was happy that he could accompanying the bodyguard of the king. He felt himself  as very important. The horse riders reached the shadow  under a well spread leafed almond tree of the south India. They dismounted, and sat under the tree. They felt a cool air. They saw the few  families of priests of the Perumal temple began to assemble near the riders. 

The escort began a conversation with the families of priests. Karuppiah's eyes got locked at the face of his girl, sitting with her father and mother. He could see her in a close proximity. His eyes stayed on her face for a quarter of a second. From the corner of his eyes, he could see a reciprocal subtle smile from the girl in a blush with  a fast breath, turning her face in reddish tinge. 

The escort enquired their wellness, and told that the king would be participating at the full moon ceremony at the Perumal temple, and perhaps would stay in the fort for few more days after the festivity. While they were in dialogue, none of them noticed two things. One a silent non-verbal communication getting exchanged between Karuppiah and the girl, and the other was the munching of the  almonds seeds by the kitten, who was now attaching herself to a top branch of the tree, invisible. 

The evening sun began to tease the people in assembly with increasing heat. Having understood the heat, the father of the young  girl called her to bring two brass jars of buttermilk to the guests, and waters to the others. He called his daughter:" Lakshmi". 

Lakshmi quickly ran into her house, and brought glasses of water to the people in assembly. After serving them, she went back into the house, and brought buttermilk in two brass jugs for the escort and Karuppiah to drink.

By that time, both the escort and Karuppiah took farewell from them, and mounted upon the horses, Karuppiah's eyes rechecked at Lakshmi. She was standing at the portico of her house with her hands waving slightly, smiling at him. He also saw she was  tasting at  his left over buttermilk drops drinking from his brass jug.

On their way back the escort began to  recall besides his dialogues with the families of the priests of the Perumal temple, the non verbal communication that were exchanged between Karuppiah and the brahmin priest family girl Lakshmi. A smile appeared on his lips. He said to himself,' Love is mysterious'. He started to laugh aloud. Hearing his laughter, both Ron and Seeta wigwaggled their tails, jerked their bodies, and began a fresh walking towards their stable. Karuppiah could not understand the reasons behind the laughter of the escort.