Lakshmi

Chapter 17 The Cave

Lakshmi saw Krishna Achari at the portico. She saw him talking with the escorts of Ahilandam. The moment Krishna Achari had sensed the arrival of Lakshmi, he turned towards Lakshmi. He also saw Karuppiah nearing Lakshmi. It appeared that they were ready to go back to the fort. 

Karuppiah spoke to Krishna Achari, telling," Krishna, Lakshmi and me feel to go back to the fort. The moon has appeared. It is already filling the whole of earth. You take care of Saroja, my mother and Sarasu. Send them tomorrow morning safely to Lakshmipuram. May you and your family be blessed by the lord Perumal".  

Not expecting his reply,  Karuppiah continued."Lakshmi and me would be back to your house in a few days. We plan our visit to Lakshmipuram, with Sundari and children. Now we will walk up to the fort. Seeta would lead us. She would be delighted to walk with us in the moon light". Having said this he turned towards Lakshmi and saw her face. She winked her one eye. Was it an approval of his plan, or something else? Karuppiah saw the face of Seeta. It was oscillating its tails, listening him

Krishna Achari was delighted  always at the company of Karuppiah. In Karuppiah, he saw Tamil. More of beautiful poems. Now the poem had married with another poem. He smiled at Lakshmi. Then he spoke.

" Karuppiah. You are my best friend from the day I met you at Lakshmipuram. Your grandfather had spoken best of you. I have lot to work with you. Go safe. Come back any time. Send a word  through the guards of the gates"

While Krishna Achari was speaking, Saroja, Deivanai and Sarasu came out. And they watched the departure of Lakshmi with Karuppiah. Sarasu felt a vacuum, yet she was in delight in Lakshmi. She felt her closeness with Lakshmi increasing. Deivanai and Saroja hugged Karuppiah. Saroja kissed Lakshmi. 

Krishna Achari started to wait for the arrival of Ahilandam back to his house. He also waited for the lord Perumal visiting his street. Sundari and children were busy in making eatables to distribute to the crowd that would assemble around the visiting  lord. Sarasu and Deivanai entered the kitchen to help Sundari.

Up above the meshed roof, under the shade of a newly growing up bunyan plant from  a crack in between roof tiles, was half- sleeping our invisible kitten. It thanked the birds for their humble work of laying their s**t on  the crack, and thanked the rain for its drizzles that allowed a  bunyan seed grow. It now smelled the sweet aroma of eatables getting prepared by Sundari.

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When Karuppiah and Lakshmi entered through  the east gate, they saw inside the fort, near the Shiva temple, the bronze statue of lord Perumal with goddess Lakshmi   was mounted upon the newly painted red colored  eagle car. They saw the statue was well adorned with flowers of marigold and jasmine interspersed with lotus flowers. The golden jewels that were on the necks and breasts of the Perumal and Lakshmi gods were glittering in the moon light, also in the lights of the fire torches. They saw green yellow red silk shawls draped efficiently over the statue. Memerisingly enticing. Musky fragrance of flowers sneaked through their nostrils. They saw the arrival of the Shiva temple priests towards the statue.

Then they saw Devi approaching them. Devi invited the couple home. And told them that the lord Perumal would begin departing for the  visit to the streets of Thirumayam only when the moon would go upsky, after the king would pay reverences to the lord. Karuppiah glanced at the moon, at its thirty degrees from the horizon. Another two more hours of  gap were there, for the gods to set on the procession. They followed Devi. Seeta followed them, and was happy. Because it knew it would get nice food from Devi's hands. Perhaps Devi would send another bundle of food to Ron, Seeta thought. The thinking of Ron incited a happiness in Seeta. She wigwagged her tails, tilting her  eyes to see Lakshmi in all her beauty.

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Lakshmi kissed  Devi for her best food. And she knew her father was with the priests of the Shiva temple. She felt it was the right time to share many things with Karuppiah the whole night;  after the lord leaves the fort, and perhaps after sending farewell to both Kattayya and Sasivarnam, who were about to begin their travel to Tanjore in the wee hours.

 She then pleasingly grabbed the hands of Karuppiah and led him to a  stroll from her house to the horse stable, in that full moon light. Seeta was carrying food to Ron. Devi's food bag was hanging on the neck of Seeta. Lakshmi  and Karuppiah now heard the music from Nadhaswarams and thavil drums in a systematic rhythmic tunes. Lord Perumal would start  his visit to Thirumayam village, soon.

Lakshmi knew the lord would pass into first the market area, then would  stop a bit at the Ayyanar temple, then go around the big pond, passing through the families of merchants, artists like Krishna Achari, then into the streets of goldsmiths, masons, blacksmiths, and streets where farmers live, and visit all other workers at the village, to finally go around the fort,and reach the east gate at the early sun rise.

Children of the village of Thirumayam were preparing themselves to accompany the lord Perumal with his wife Lakshmi as they knew varieties of eatables would be available to  all of them while they accompany the procession of the lord, as almost all families were preparing to gift eatables to the children.

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" I learned few recipes from Sundari acca this day" shared Lakshmi with Karuppiah.

" Great, so you have decided to make me fat", retorted Karuppiah.

" Will it not be good, if my Kala stays healthy and energetic?" 

" I am yours Lakshmi. You are everything to me. You know what our ancient poet Thiruvalluvar told of the true love between a couple?", saying this, Karuppiah deeply looked into the eyes of Lakshmi. 

Karuppiah added, " Valluvar says the life of a husband and wife with out love is compared to   a desert with no water". 

"So, you want water as per Valluvar", retorted Lakshmi poking his left elbow with right hand fingers. Karuppiah laughed incessantly. 

Karuppiah's eyes got locked with the eyes of Lakshmi. " Lakshmi!", Karuppiah added by holding her hands in his, " I am thinking of a figurative speech. Do you know the king cobra? It is a gigantic one, but yet it becomes a small worm under the spell of the snake charmer. Your charm puts me in spell". Karuppiah guffawed. His laughter echoed in the horse ground.

The couple now  heard the voices of Kattayya and Sasivarnam approaching. The couple organized their dresses neatly, got out of the hay bed, and came out of the stable. Ron and Seeta looked at their immediate restlessness.

" Lakshmi and Karuppiah. We both  leave in an hour. We decided to cross the waters facing the west gate, while the crocodiles were retreating", said Kattayya. " Now both of you proceed up to the east gate. We would slowly walk ahead of you. We worship the lord with the king. And then we leave. We are now taking with us Ron and Seeta as our helpers. You untie them and conduct them slowly up to the east gate. If you want, Lakshmi can ride on Ron, upto the east gate", added Kattayya. Lakshmi smiled at Kattayya. 

After Kattayya and Sasivarnam had left, Lakshmi in front of Karuppiah changed into the horse riding Jodhpur dress. Karuppiah as a person of modesty declined himself towards any advancement at Lakshmi. He therefore sent his eyes out of the window to look beyond. Understanding Kala, Lakshmi after finishing her dressing, she pulled in Karuppiah  between her extended hands,  and passionately bearhugged him planting  warm kisses on his expecting lips, probing his mouth slightly.

They heard Ron's browsing notices on Seeta. Karuppiah helped Lakshmi to mount upon Ron, using the upper room staircases. Lakshmi made herself comfortable on the horse. In a few minutes the oleander flowers saw the couple in their extreme delight. Karuppiah ensured  Lakshmi to  sit comfortably.  He made her directing  Ron towards the east gate. Karuppiah held the reins of Ron in his hand, and started walking. Seeta was following Ron. The paces of the hooves were so slow, showing no effort of any hurry. Lakshmi had begun the art of riding horses. It appeared that the king was already in the worship service at the east gate. The full moon was in its glory now.

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The priests of both the temples of Perumal and Shiva were busy completing decorations on the statue. Attendants of fire torches were busy to ensure the lights provide best illuminations until the end of the procession of lord Perumal. Musicians were rhythmically playing Nadhaswaram and drums loudly. Persons trained in blowing buffalo horns were on  their high pitch. Every where the fragrance emanating from marigold, sandal, burning camphor, and jasmine was attracting people inside and outside the fort. East gate guards were announcing to the passerby that the lord would begin his yatra in to the streets of Thirumayam village in a short while. The king was now arriving at the place where the eagle car was kept.

At the same time of the arrival of the king,  both Kattayya and Sasivarnam also arrived. The king observed every movements around him in satisfaction. He was delighted at the environment being provided by the moon and by the chilly breeze. 

Karuppiah was explaining the legend associated with the full moon festival to his wife Lakshmi. He said, " Once upon a time, one among the Pandya kings  had no child. The king therefore requested his priests to perform a puja. While the puja was in its glory, suddenly from out of the holy flame came out a tiny girl child. She walked majestically towards the king and sat on his lap. He named her Lakshmi".

"Lakshmi the girl of the holy flame loved Perumal. Perumal took away Lakshmi to his heaven with out the knowledge of the Pandya king. He married her. He provided her a king bed covered in lotus flowers, and requested the elephants to guard her. Since then Lakshmi is with elephants and lotuses. Interesting story is not it?", asked Karuppiah.

Lakshmi jovially retorted. " So the Perumal gave his wife a bed of lotus. What  are you planning to give my bed today? Marigold? Jasmine?", saying these Lakshmi was in her high laughter. " Wait and see" replied Karuppiah sarcastically.

Lakshmi saw now the king with Kattayya and Sasivarnam in the posture of a reverential worship. The priest was jingling the bells and was organising the holy flame to offer it to the king first. Soon Lakshmi and Karuppiah saw the lord was beginning his visit outside of the fort, and they both saw the smiling face of the king only. Kattayya came towards them, and received the horses. Ron turned his head towards Lakshmi and wigwagged its tail. Seeta nuzzled at the hands of Karuppiah. Kattayya was then leading the horses towards the south gate. They saw Sasivarnam mounting on Seeta

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After the gods left for their visiting people, the king preferred  to sit under a tree in the garden belonging the fort. He in fact was sitting on a large stone. Lakshmi and Karuppiah sat before the king on the grassy ground. They waited for the king. The king's eyes wandered around to ensure safety and secrecy. He was pleased, through expression of a quiet smile.

The kitten was now hiding behind the tree; it sharpened its ears, so that it would not miss out any part of the utterances of the king. 

The king smiled and said to the couple.

" My dear daughter Lakshmi, and my dear son in law Karuppiah. I call your names so affectionately, because you are more important than my son and daughter. They are called to rule. But you are called to provide them resources. I do not consider Ramanathapuram and Sivaganga as two separate territories. To me they are one. Hence as couple you both manage its revenue administration". 

He continued," My concern is that you should be able to protect ths resources, especially the gold and diamond chests at the Perumal temple, and in other treasuries. But I want you to discover caves in many of our temples, and retrieve the chests  for the needs of the kingdom. I want schools to be started at each Ayyanar temples in our territories. I want small hospitals one near at each of the schools".

He coughed a little. Like small kids do, and he took away few pieces of coconut pulps from out of  his waist pocket. He gave few pieces to the couple and further began his talk. Lakshmi was in chuckles when she found the king was with coconut pulps, now being retrieved from his waist pocket.

The king smiled and said," Lakshmi. Lord Perumal had made coconuts, a tree with immense blessings like our Palmyra. They give us food, huts to live and medicine for our health. The juice from the palmyra tree takes away all ailments from the women's body. Coconut pulp is food, uncooked, yet delicious ever".

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"Listen!", the king said in a feeble voice. " The key to the treasure cave was at the back of the goddess Lakshmi.  For which we have to enter into the sanctum samctorium, and go around the statue. Once you see on the goddess' bare  waist, you would notice a black coloured dot, like a mole,  as you see a woman with a mole tattoo on her back hands. If you would gently touch that black tattoo, you would feel the back of a needle; it would be much larger than that of the needle that  our women use to stitch cloths at our homes. Using your right hand index finger, along with your right hand thumb, you can retrieve it. It's length is appropriate to the depth of the hole".

The king was still in his hush hush voice. " Once you retrieve the needle, you search for a tiny hole on the granite wall, covered by a transparent honey wax, and insert the needle into the hole, pressing with your two index fingers in an entwined way,  deeply and firmly, and you would see the door emerge out of the wall. If you go inside, you would  see two reflecting cube rooms one on the right side and one on the left side, reflecting as that of  mirrors. The polished granites would appear so. You can find doors in each of the cube, very easily by placing firmly your hands on the reflecting cubes. There inside are the chests".

" My advices, spend at least fifteen days at the wee hours, the time when the  sleep is capable to embrace any one, and use that  time to count the value of the things inside of the chests. Lord Perumal had made an unseeable tiny gaps  on each of the cubes for bringing air in, and ventilate the heat outside. Those gaps  are natural. You can lit fire torches inside and the illumination would enable you a brightness for you"

" Once you finish the work, come out  and shut the doors on the cube faces, and finally the door at the back of the statue. Then slowly by your fingers retrieve the needle and put it back at its original place. I have requested the priest to hand over the key bunch of the temple wherever needed from now on to Karuppiah, until I make arrangements for making a duplicate ones."

The king continued, " I am feeling these days something bothers me. I am yet to find it. Perhaps it must be the call from the goddess of death. I am aware that there is no life after death, as some of the i***t priests use those terms to make money from the innocent. I am born for a noble cause, so every one. Death is part of the life, like birth and growth. A plant is born;  it grows, and then it dies. All the walls of this fort would die one day. The ground wants always a  flat ground. Not a building on them. You see, we erect building by defying gravity, using lime and jaggery upon the stones. We try to make the earth to stand with technics. But the buildings would stand for few centuries. Not more than that. Then they would fall on the ground as ruins".

The king drew few lines on the ground, and asked Karuppiah and Lakshmi to watch it keenly. The kitten laughed incessantly but her screeching voice was not heard outside.