PONNIYIN SELVAN - Chapter-wise Summary - Book I - Chapters 51 to 57

CHAPTER 51 - MAMALLA PURAM - மாமல்லபுரம்

A charriot was going in the streets of Mamallapuram. There were three men in the charriot.

i) Aditha Karikalan (AK) - Son of the King Sundhara Chola. AK was the Crown Prince.

ii) Malaiyamaan - An old man, Father of Sundhara Chola's second wife Vaanamadhevi.

iii) Parthibendra Pallavan (alias) Parthiban - A close friend of Aditha Karikalan.

Though Parthiban belonged to Pallavas, he joined the Chola empire because Pallavas had lost their glory.

Aditha Karikalan (AK) expressed his anger on PPV and CPV that they had announced his messenger a spy. Parthiban blamed Vandhiyathevan (VT) that he didn't have intelligence but AK wasn't ready to accept it. The oldman asked them to stop the charriot so that he could also speak.

CHAPTER 52 - MARRIAGE OF AN OLD MAN - கிழவன் கலியாணம்

Malaiyamaan told both of them about the secret meeting held at Kadambur palace. He advised AK to call Arul Mozhi Varman (AMV) to come to Mamallapuram and be with him. He further told them that PPV and CPV had a plan to bring Madhuraandhagan to the throne. This news shocked AK and Parthiban because they knew Madhuraandhagan, a cowardice man, was not fit to be a king.

Malaiyaman warned them to be careful with PPV because that old man had recently married a young woman called Nandhini. Upon hearing this, AK became furious. Malaiyaman didn't notice it but Parthiban did.

CHAPTER 53 - MALAIYAMAAN'S FURY - மலையமான் ஆவேசம்

Malaiyamaan further told them the following information.

=> VT was also there in Kadambur palace on the day of the secret meeting.

=> Despite VT's presence there, he wasn't part of the secret plan. He was there because he was a friend of Kandhamaaran (KM).

=> VT was believed to stab Kandhamaaran on his back while escaping from Tanjore palace.

=> Malaiyamaan stopped Kundrathoor Kizhaar while the latter was returning after the secret meeting and imprisoned him. Through the testimony given by him, Malaiyamaan came to know all these details.

AK told Malaiyamaan that he and Parthiban would go to Tanjore palace to rage a war against PPV and CPV to save his father (The King) Sundhara Chola. Malaiyamaan replied AK that though he was a great warrior, PPV and CCV would easily defeat him using their cunningness. So, he advised AK to do the needful for the congregation of the three - AK, AMV and Kundhavai. He told that if Kundhavai was with them they could get advice from her and act accordingly because he believed that Kundhavai was the most intelligent person he had ever known.

Parthiban volunteered to go to Sri Lanka to bring AMV to AK. Malaiyamaan advised them to act wisely and left. Then, Parthiban asked AK why he became so furious when he heard the name of the Pazhuvoor Princess - Nandhini. AK assured him that he would tell the reason that night.

CHAPTER 54 - LA BELLE DAME SANS MERCI - நஞ்சினும் கொடியாள்

That night, Malaiyamaan went out to watch a street play. Only AK and Parthiban were there. They had a casual talk and then it turned towards Nandhini. Parthiban again asked AK why he became angry on hearing Nandhini's name. AK started to tell what had happened in the past. Yeah! A flashback.

CHAPTER 55 - NANDHINI'S LOVER - நந்தினியின் காதலன்

When AK was 12 years of age, he happened to meet a girl who was so beautiful. He came to know that her name was Nandhini, and that her family had visited Sivapattar's house as guests (Remember, Sivapattar was the elder brother of AA). Since Nandhini was as attractive as Kundhavai, Kundhavai was jealous on her. As days passed, AK's liking towards Nandhini grew and eventually it became an unfathomable and inexplicable love. But AK didn't express it to anyone. (Both AK and Nandhini expressed their love to each other. Though it hasn't been mentioned in this chapter directly, it's essential to assume it. It is clearly mentioned in the following chapter.)

Once, AK went to the warfield with his father for a war against the Pandyas. Pandyas were defeated and their King Veerapandiyan escaped and hid in a cave. Sri Lankan army who supported Pandyas in the war retreated to their nation. Chola King sent an army to Sri Lanka to fight them. Kodumbalur Velan (Father of Vaanadhi) led this army. Only after they made sure that their troupes reached Sri Lanka, the rest of the Cholas returned to Chola nation.

When AK returned home, 2 years had passed and the passage of time had even groomed the beauty of Nandhini. But, this time AK's grandmother Sembiyan Madhevi (SM) restricted him to talk to Nandhini like before.

Some time later, Nandhini and her family rerurned to their native - the banks of Vaigai river. AK was so dejected. Then he and Parthiban went to North to capture Kaanji. Meanwhile, they received the news that the Sri Lanka King Mahinda had defeated the Chola army and killed Kodumbalur Velan. Having heard this news, the hiding Veera Pandiyan had also come out to fight against the Cholas again.

AK and Parthiban rushed to Pazhaiyaarai. (Previously, Pazhaiyaarai had been Cholas' capital). Since the king Sundhara Chola's health had started to weaken, AK requested for permission to go to Pandya nation. King Sundhara Chola allowed him, and made Kodumbalur Poodhi Vikram the head of the army. PPV also went with them.

When he was in Pandya nation, AK happened to see Nandhini in their small house inside a garden. Nandhini requested him to assure her not to send his troupes inside the garden during the war, so that her parents would not be disturbed. AK accepted the request.

The war was won by Cholas and Veera Pandiyan hid himself somewhere, as usual. AK traced the footsteps of a single horse and blood stains with them. He followed it. Shockingly, the foot prints led to Nandhini's house. When he peeped into it, Nandhini was feeding water to the badly injured Veera Pandiyan. AK was stunned to the core. He entered into the house.

Nandhini fell to his feet and begged him to spare Veera Pandiyan's life. She added fuel to the fire by saying that Veera Pandiyan was her lover, and they were about to marry. Even if she hadn't told that, there would have been the slightest chance of AK sparing Veera Pandiyan. Jealous overdid patriotism. AK kicked her away and beheaded Veera Pandiyan. While leaving the house, he turned back and looked at Nandhini. She gave a burning look that would steal his sleep away for the rest of his life.

Soldiers arrived and celebrated Veera Pandiyan's death. AK left the place with his soldiers leaving behind one and a half dead bodies.

CHAPTER 56 - THE GYNAECEUM INCIDENT - அந்தப்புரச் சம்பவம்

Flashback ended.
Parthiban seemed so disappointed with what AK had done.

According to Parthiban,
i) Eithet AK should have also killed Nandhini for giving shelter to their enemy.

ii) Or, if he really liked her, he should have taken her with him to his palace.

iii) Or, he should have forgotten her.

Since Parthiban was always out-spoken, he expressed it to AK and asked him what happened later.

Flashback con'd...

Even after AK reached their camp, his mind was in Nandhini's house. He wanted to either apologize for what he had done or express his anger for what she had done. So, he once again went to her house but only to be shocked to see their garden being destroyed. Her parents were weeping. (AK had already known them as Sivapattar's guests. So, he could identify them). They told AK that they had gone to visit their elder daughter. While returning, they had seen a group of men trying to set a woman aflame. Since it was usual at war times, they had hurried away from the place. Only after reaching their house, they had found Nandhini missing.

AK had already had a doubt wheteher they were Nandhini's actual parents. Then, it became clear to him that they were not. He thought that they would have not left her alone, if they were her actual parents. AK scolded them and rerurned to the camp.

Years after it happened, he was officially pronounced as the Crown Prince by the King Sundhara Chola. There was a celebration on the day. The King took AK to the gynaeceum to get blessings from the elder women. PPV was also present there. With PPV, there was Nandhini. AK couldn't believe his own eyes. He had been thinking that Nandhini had been burnt alive by the men mentioned by her parents. He became so happy that he got her love back on a special occasion. Suddenly the King fainted. All the women except Sembiyan Madhevi (SM) and Vaanamadhevi left. The King recovered after some time.

Later, Kundhavai told AK that Nandhini had married PPV. He was shocked and since then he hadn't recovered from the pain.

CHAPTER 57 - THE WITCH - மாயமோகினி

Flashback Cont'd...

Later one day, Nandhini sent a message to AK to meet her at PPV's palace (Of course, PPV was out of station then). AK wanted to ask her so many questions and so he accepted the invitation. Nobody saw any abnormalcy in AK's visit to Nandhini's Latha hall because they thought that the Prince went to get the blessings of Pazhuvur Princess. When he saw Nandhini, AK lost himself. He asked her to elope with him to some other nation. Nandhini laughed and replied him that if he was ready to kill PPV and CPV and imprison his father Sundhara Chola to become the King and make her the queen, she would come with him. AK became angry and turned back to rerurn. She told him that whenever his mind changed, she would be ready for him. AK left the place.

End of Flashback.

AK told Parthiban that he was afraid of Nandhini. He was afraid if she could change his mind. He told him that there wouldn't be any peace of mind for him until either of them was dead. Parthiban volunteered to go to Tanjore and kill her. AK told him that he couldn't tolerate if any harm happened to her. Naturally, Parthiban was confused.

AK asked him to go to Sri Lanka and bring AMV to Malaiyamaan after which they could travel all over the world to capture as many countries as possible.

Malaiyamaan arrived then. He was surprised to see both of them awake. He reminded Parthiban about his trip to Sri Lanka the next day and asked him to go to bed at once.

BOOK I - FRESH FLOOD - ENDS
பாகம் I - புதுவெள்ளம் - முற்றியது