Story Of Ponniyin Selvan In English
Esam Rosado
Ponniyin Selvan is regarded as one of the greatest novels of Tamil literature.[1] Publication of the series in "Kalki" magazine increased the publication's circulation to 75,000 subscriptions which was a significant number in post-independence India and a reflection of the work's popularity.[2] The book continued to be admired in the modern era, developing a cult following and fanbase among people of all generations. Ponniyin Selvan has garnered critical acclaim for its tightly woven plot, vivid narration, witty dialogue, and portrayal of the intrigues and power struggle of the Chola empire in the 10th-century.
The story revolves around Vandiyathevan, a charming, brave and courageous young man who sets out across the Chola land to deliver a message from the Crown Prince, Aditya Karikalan, to Emperor Sundara Chola and Princess Kundavai. The story shuttles between Vandiyathevan's travels in Chola country and the young Prince Arulmozhivarman's (later known as Raja Raja Chola) travels in Sri Lanka. The narrative details attempts by his sister Kundavai to bring back Arulmozhivarman to establish political peace in a land seemingly beset with unrest and civil war plotted by vassals and petty chieftains.The story begins as the emperor Sundara Chola is ill and bedridden. His son Aditya Karikalan is the general of the Northern Command and lives in Kanchi. The younger son Arulmozhivarman is in Sri Lanka on a military campaign. Their sister Kundavai lives in the Chola royal household at Pazhayarai.The story advances when rumours abound that there is a conspiracy against Sundara Chola and his sons.
Vallavarayan Vandiyathevan, Crown Prince Aditha Karikalan's messenger, is sent by him to investigate the conspiracy and deliver the news to Sundara Chola and his sister Kundavai. Vandiyathevan reaches Veeranarayanapuram where he meets a vaishvite spy, Azhwarkaddiyan Nambi.There he sees Periya Pazhuvettarayar,the country's treasurer along with his wife Nandhini in a closed palanquin who are on their way to Kadambur. After seeing the palanquin, Nambi asks if Vandiyathevan can deliver a message to Ilaya Rani ( Nandhini ) if he meets her in Kadambur. Vandiyathevan reaches Kadambur and meets his friend Kandhamaaran ( Kadambur prince ). He is invited to see the devaralan aatam where he meets many other petty chieftains. At the night, he eavesdroops on a secret meeting at the palace. In the meeting, the chieftains take an oath to make Prince Maduranthaka Thevar, Gandaradithya Chola's son as the next king. While he listens to all of these, he finds Nambi too, trying to listen to their plan. The next day, Vandiyathevan leaves for Thanjavur to reveal the conspiracy to Sundara Chola. On the way he finds Nambi and asks his true motive for visiting Kadambur and what relationship he has with Pazhuvoor Ilaya Rani. To this Nambi reveals that Nandhini was his foster sister and disappeared under mysterious circumstances. After they cross the Kollidam river, Vandiyathevan leaves for Tanjai while Nambi gets a chance to eavesdrop on pandiya spies talking about destroying the Chola kingdom.On the way to Tanjai, Vandiyathevan sees Ilaya Rani's palanquin and goes near it vowing to meet Maduranthakan but is disappointed seeing the actual Nandhini in the palanquin. Nandhini gives Pazhuvoor a signet ring to Vandiyathevan and asks him to use that to access the Tanjavur fort.Vandiyathevan reaches Tanjai and meets a flower-selling youth, Sendhan Amudhan who helps him.The next morning, Vandiyathevan enters the fort using the signet ring outsmarting the fort commander, Chinna Pazhuvettarayar. Vandiyathevan meets emperor Sundar Chola and reveals about the conspiracy against him and his sons.Chinna Pazhuvettarayar suspects him and arrests him but Vandiyathevan escapes smartly and climbs a ladder that leads him to Ilaya Rani's latha mandapam. He meets Nandhini and delivers his message from Azhwarkaddiyan and tells her about his venture. The ladder Vandiyathevan climbed to reach latha mandapam was actually meant for Ravidasa, who is referred to as Mandhiravadi. After talking with Nandhini, Vandiyathevan finds an entrance to a secret passage and tries to escape through it.Periya Pazhuvettarayar reaches Tanjai and meets his brother who reveals his suspicion about Nandhini. Vandiyathevan sees Maduranthakan coming through passage with Kandhamaaran and is welcomed by Periya Pazhuvettarayar and Nandhini.Finally, after exploring the passage he finds the exit to it. There Vandiyathevan finds Kandhamaaran stabbed and saves him but Kandhamaaran thinks Vandiyathevan tried to kill him and turns against him. Learning that Vandiyathevan escaped, Chinna Pazhuvettarayar sends his soldiers to capture him. With the help of Sendhan, Vandiyathevan escapes but Sendhan is captured instead of him.Vandiyathevan reaches Pazhayaarai where Ilaya Pirati Kundavai Devi lives. With Nambi's help Vandiyathevan meets Kundavai and delivers Karikalan's message to her.Kundavai asks Vandiyathevan to bring Arulmozhi Varman, aka Ponniyin Selvan, back from Lanka along with a doctor's son, Pinnagapani, to bring medicines for Sundara Chola. Aditha Karikalan, his grandfather, Thirukovalor Malayaman and friend, Parthibendra Pallavan discuss the country's problems and decide that Parthibendra should go to Lanka to bring Arulmozhi. At night, Parthibendra insists Karikalan reveal his past. In his youth, Aditha Karikalan and Nandhini love each other, they were sure that they will get married and live a happy life, but whole royal family was against their love and plot to separate them. So when Karikalan went to war Nandini was expelled from the kingdom by Karikalan's family as she is an orphan so they don't want her to be Aditha Karikalan's wife who is going to be the king, but Karikalan is unaware of his family's plan. He started to search her everywhere when he returned. Aditha Karikalan and Nandini cannot forget each other even when they are miles apart. Later she becomes vengeful and vows to destroy the Chola dynasty after Aditha Karikalan killed Veerapandiyan unaware of that Veerapandiyan is Nandini's father. She marries Periya Pazhuvettarayar who lusts for Nandini in order to seek revenge but she has no relationship with him.
Vandiyathevan reaches Kodikarai and meets Poonguzhali, lighthouse keeper Thygaravidagar's daughter. He tries to seek Poonguzhali's help but she refuses. Pinnagapani starts to dislike Vandiyathevan and tries to get him caught by Chinna Pazhuvettarayar's soldiers. Poonguzhali helps him to escape. Finally, he convinces her and reaches Lanka to meet Ponniyin Selvan. Ilaya Pirati Kundavai Devi reaches Tanjavur and meets her father Sundara Cholar who is ill and is depressed. To seek the reason behind it, Kundavai talks with her father and learns that in his youth, Sundara Cholar went to Lanka and falls in love with a deaf-mute woman named Mandakini. After some days, Chola ships arrived there and took him to Tanjai and he promised her that he will return but fails. He says that he saw her again multiple times and thinks that she vowed to torture his family. He had said his prime minister, Aniruddha Brahmarayar to bring Mandakini back to him but Brahmarayar lies that she died. From then he is disturbed and falls ill. Ilaya Rani Nandhini helps Kandhamaaran heal. Sendhan Amudhan caught by the soldiers is put in jail. Learning that he is Vandiyathevan's friend, Kundavai asks Chinna Pazhuvettarayar to release him. Nandhini who is known for her beauty, uses Kandhamaaran and asks him to invite Karikalan to Kadambur. Kandhamaaran agrees. Periya Pazhuvettarayar asks Nandhini about the signet ring with Vandiyathevan and she acts as if she did that as a part of their plan. In Lanka, Kodambalur Periya vellar Boothi Vikrama Kesari arrests Vandiyathevan but is saved by Nambi. They together go in search of Ponniyin Selvan. They meet Parthibendra along with some soldiers. They realise that the soldiers are Pandiya Aabathudavigal who are vowing to kill Ponniyin Selvan. They find Ponniyin Selvan is an elephant rider for foreigners. Ponniyin Selvan welcomes Vandiyathevan with a fight.They reach Anuradhapuram for a festival. On the way, they see a tall Buddha statue with some clues that invite Ponniyin Selvan to an underground Buddhist monastery where he is offered the Lankan crown but he refuses it. When they return, they are attacked by Aabathudavigal but are saved by Mandakini. They come back to Anuradhapuram and rest.
Ponniyin Selvan reveals that Mandakini was the one who saved him while he was drowning in Ponni river. This is the reason why he attains that name. Ponniyin Selvan also tells that Mandakini had saved him multiple times in Lanka too. While they talk about her, Mandakini comes there and takes them somewhere to show some drawings about her life.Next day, Kodambalur vellar meets Ponniyin Selvan and advices him to stay in Lanka itself. Parthibendra asks him to come to Kanchi. Vandiyathevan tells him to come along with him to Pazhayarai. Kodambalur vellar also reveals that a Chola ship has come to arrest Ponniyin Selvan with Chakravarthi's orders. He tells that he learned it from Poonguzhali. Poonguzhali who has feelings for Ponniyin selvan reveals about what she saw and heard. Eventhough everyone says Ponniyin Selvan to not go to Tanjavur, he goes with Poonguzhali to the Chola ships only to find that the Chola soldiers were killed by Arabians. Vandiyathevan boards a ship thinking that it is a chola ships but finds Aabathudavigal there. Ponniyin selvan goes to save Vandiyathevan in Parthibendra's ship. Due to the cyclone, Ponniyin Selvan and Vandiyathevan drown in the sea. Poonguzhali saves them.
Periya Pazhuvettarayar learns about Ponniyin Selvan's drowning. He reaches Kodikarai along with Nandhini and lines up his soldiers along the coast to find Ponniyin Selvan if he comes there. Nandhini uses the opportunity and asked Parthibendra to bring Karikalan to Kadambur. Ponniyin Selvan falls ill with a poisonous fever. They consider going to Kodikarai but Pazhuvettarayar's soldiers guard the coast. Poonguzhali leaves them in her own shelter in the forest and goes to investigate learning about Aabathudavigal's relationship with her brother's wife, Rakkamma. She finds Sendhan Amudhan who follows her. Mandhiravadi Ravidasa follows her to find Ponniyin Selvan but fails, getting caught inside a mud pond. He is saved but Vandiyathevan and Poonguzhali fool Ravidasa and escape. Poonguzhali learns that Sendhan bought news from Kundavai who wants Ponniyin Selvan to arrive at Nagapattinam. They take him there after Vandiyathevan leaves for Pazhayarai. On the way, he stops at an iron smelter to give his horse some iron protection for its legs. There he finds a sword with the fish emblem of the Pandiya. After he sleeps there for soawhile, he learns that the Pazhuvettarayar family crossed him by telling him about Ponniyin Selvan's drowning and are on their way to Tanjavur. On the way to Pazhayarai, he finds Devaralan who takes him to Nandhini. He reaches Pazhayarai. To enter the fort he claims that he is an astrologer to Maduranthakan and fools him. Maduranthakan is stopped by his mother who tells him to leave all his will to become the Chola emperor but he does not pay heed to her request. Vandiyathevan meets Kundavai and reveals everything to her. Brahmarayar and Kundavai send Vandiyathevan to warn Karikalan about Nandhini and protect him.Vanathi who is worried about Ponniyin Selvan, learns about his presence in Nagapattinam and ventures there. On the way, she is interrupted by Shaivites who force her to reveal Ponniyin Selvan's whereabouts. She refuses and they attack her. She falls unconscious and gets up to find herself in Kundavai's lap. Kundavai tells her that all of it was a dream but it was just a plan made by her to test Vanathi.When Vanathi is attacked even Vandiyathevan sees it. He goes to save her but on the way meets Maduranthakan. He reaches a pallipadai where Aabathudavigal were gathered to crown a young boy as a Pandiya prince. Vandiyathevan is found but Nandhini stops them from killing him. Kundavai and Vanathi reach Aanaimangalam and meet Ponniyin Selvan and discuss their next step.
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