The Treasures of the Sun God

By Arun Gupta

Arnab Roy is a brilliant web designer who has been invited to develop the tourism campaign for Odisha, India. To get a feel of the place, Arnab and his wife Anu visit Konark, a quiet beach town in Odisha, known for being home to an ancient piece of architecture called the Temple of the Sun God. Arnab and Anu are enchanted by the grandeur of the sacred place.

In the Sun Temple, Arnab has found his star attraction, the worlds gateway to Odisha. He sets to work straight away, but soon encounters a mystery, discovering strange rocks and ancient coins on a pristine beach near Konark.

What follows is a series of bizarre eventsthe death of a professional diver, the appearance of mysterious footage of underwater caverns, and a gruesome attack on a ministry car. Are these events coincidences or signs of a conspiracy? The Temple of the Sun God holds many secrets, and some of those may lie at the bottom of the sea.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Oct 30, 2012
• ISBN: 9781475956405

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Copyright © 2012 by Arun Gupta.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4759-5641-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4759-5640-5 (ebk)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012919927

iUniverse rev. date: 11/13/2012

This book should be treated as a work of art, although there are some exceptions.

The technologies for mini subs and power subs used in the book exist. The pictures of the mini subs are courtesy International VentureCraft Corp. of Canada.

AND

The temple of the Sun God still stands in all its grandeur in the town of Konark in India, singing the glories of the Eastern Ganga dynasty of thirteenth century AD. The name of the ruler who built this magnificent temple happened to be King Narasimhadeva.

CONTENTS

Preface

Acknowledgement

BOOK 1

SOUTHERN INDIA SEVENTH CENTURY AD

Chapter 1: Descent Of The Ganga

Chapter 2: Journey To Kalinga

BOOK 2

CONVERGING WORLD TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY AD

Chapter 1: Visiting Odisha

Chapter 2: Foreign Interests

Chapter 3: Visiting Konark

Chapter 4: The Roman Connection

Chapter 5: Arnab’s Presentation

Chapter 6: Underwater In Konark

BOOK 3

NARAYAN MOHANTY’S KONARK PART I

Chapter 1: Tapestry Of The Gangas

Chapter 2: King Anangabhima

Chapter 3: The Queen Had A Dream

Chapter 4: Battle Of Banga

Chapter 5: The Prince Was Born

Chapter 6: The Prince Met Ambalika

BOOK 4

DISTURBING EVENTS TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY AD

Chapter 1: Death In Konark

Chapter 2: Arnab And Anu In Mumbai

Chapter 3: The Lonely Hearts

Chapter 4: Pursuing Investigation

BOOK 5

NARAYAN MOHANTY’S KONARK PART II

Chapter 1: Conceiving The Sun Temple

Chapter 2: Prince Narasimha With Ambalika

Chapter 3: The Vaital Temple

Chapter 4: Prince Narasimha In Self-Exile

Chapter 5: The Initiation

Chapter 6: The Prince Returned

Chapter 7: The Coronation

Chapter 8: Planning A War

Chapter 9: War With Banga

BOOK 6

PREPARATION TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY AD

Chapter 1: Retrieving Images

Chapter 2: Toy Submarine

Chapter 3: The Cbi Probe

Chapter 4: The Chinese Connection

Chapter 5: The Bounty Hunters

Chapter 6: Return Of The Prodigal Son

Chapter 7: The Deal

Chapter 8: The Flowers Blossomed

BOOK 7

NARAYAN MOHANTY’S KONARK PART III

Chapter 1: The Proposal

Chapter 2: Building The Chariot

Chapter 3: Emperor Narasimha Married Sitadevi

Chapter 4: Rifts Thwarting The Temple

Chapter 5: Blessed With A Son

Chapter 6: The Jagamohan

Chapter 7: The Adversaries

Chapter 8: The Levitating Sun God

BOOK 8

THE TREASURES OF THE SUN GOD

Chapter 1: Toy Sub In Puri

Chapter 2: The Sri Lankan Connection

Chapter 3: A Romantic Interlude

Chapter 4: The Team In Jaffna

Chapter 5: Madhu And Kunti

Chapter 6: The Chronology Of A Few Days

Chapter 7: The Mystery Beneath The Sea

Chapter 8: The Missing Scuba Gear

Chapter 9: The Vanishing Boat

Chapter 10: The Treasure Hunt

Chapter 11: Arnab’s Vision Of Odisha

Chapter 12: The Wedding

BOOK 9

THE AFTERMATH

Chapter 1: A Historical Interlude

Chapter 2: Altering The Landscape

The book is dedicated to my loving wife Shubhasree and my three wonderful daughters Arundhati, Anuradha and Sharmistha.

PREFACE

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Konark has been my favourite holiday destination since I was eight. I have visited Konark at least a dozen times since then. Every time I visited the place, I was mesmerized by the Sun Temple. Its battered body still stands majestic with delicate sculptures all over and displays grandeur beyond comprehension. Even today I continue to be fascinated by the Sun Temple of Konark. So over the years, I have delved into its geography and history.

In the geography of today—Konark is a small town in a coastal province of India, called Orissa or Odisha. It touches West Bengal in the east, combined Bihar and Jharkhand in the north, Andhra Pradesh in the west and south, and Tamil Nadu to the far south. In the medieval period, the geography was different. A part of Odisha was called Kalinga which had Banga in the east, Anga in the north, Srikakulam in the west and Mamallapuram in the south.

Many notable kings ruled the south of India, beginning in the seventh century AD. They created a heritage of well-defined societies. They conducted trade with faraway lands by sea routes. They used cavalry, animals, and chariots in wars. Their societies were distinguished by stupendous achievements in tolerance of religions, literature, music, dance, architecture and engineering. The kings diligently carved the stories of their reign in stone so that thousands of years later, we can get a vivid picture of life in those eras.

Some of the most significant developments occurred in Kalinga during the rule of the Eastern Ganga dynasty. Between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries AD, the rulers of this dynasty built three remarkable temples in Odisha—the Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar, the Jagannath Temple in Puri and the Sun Temple in Konark. Out of these, the Sun Temple was the largest, tallest, and most elaborate example of temple architecture of medieval India. Today the remains of this temple are a UNESCO National Heritage site.

The Sun Temple’s marvel does not end there. During my research, I learnt that the temple architects did not use any binding material to hold the stone slabs in place; rather they used large iron beams. They used ingenious designs to distribute the load of these heavy beams. There are incredible tales of the temple’s power of deflecting the course of nearby ships on the sea and its levitating Sun idol. There are also plausible theories regarding its architecture and engineering that provide answers to the mysteries that have become its legacy.

This book is a work of fiction. I felt that with an abundance of sea trade in the medieval period, shipwrecks must have been inevitable although the records of such are few and far between. The book connects the shipwrecks of the seventh century AD to the legend of Konark. It also brings to the readers the beauty and legacy of the Sun Temple, life during the rule of the Eastern Ganga and an account of the cultural heritage of Odisha. Is it possible that the ship wrecks created unfathomable riches buried in the ocean, the riches that are the Treasures of the Sun God?

Who knows?

Arun Gupta

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I could not have written the book in isolation. Therefore I shall try to acknowledge the contributions of all that helped me in completing my book. It came in various stages.

I would like to start with acknowledging my family. It appears that my wife Shubhasree and my three daughters Arundhati, Anuradha and Sharmistha had much more conviction that I could write. Without their encouragement I could not have written the book. Further help came along the way from Arundhati who painstakingly proofread the book and from Shubhasree, Anuradha and Sharmistha who continuously refined the ideas. My special thanks to Arundhati for extensively editing the entire book and Anuradha and Sharmistha for editing some parts of the book.

I have visited Puri, Bhubaneswar and Konark many times since my childhood. For this I am thankful to my parents Manindra and Latika. We had a house in Puri. Its name was Uttarayan and it was situated next to a house named Patit Paban Kunja which had a small temple of Lord Jagannath. Both the houses are still there in their old forms. I have wonderful memories of my early days in Puri and of these houses. I also have seen the open space in front of these houses change into residential areas.

When I first visited the Sun Temple, I went with my family. Although we went in the comfort of a car, the scorching heat overwhelmed us during the journey. But when I reached Konark, I was amazed by the beauty of the temple. At that time there were more broken sculpture pieces around the temple and along with it more debris. The debris is now cleared and the broken sculptures have been shifted to museums. But the temple has retained its grandeur even today. It is a tremendous piece of architecture that is worth visiting. It is a creation of unsurpassed beauty and extremely complex technology. It intrigues me even today.

While writing the book I had to do a lot of research. I did it mostly using the power of internet. I have consulted many sites of which Wikipedia has been the most helpful. Although I do not remember all of these sites, I am thankful to all of them. I have used pictures for my book because a picture, as the saying goes, is worth a thousand words. All these pictures were shot by me except for the pictures of the Mini Sub which have been obtained through special permission.

I have used the technological advances like Mini Subs and Power Subs. I feel that the Mini Subs can provide wonderful water sports for any sea resort and the Power Subs can be extensively useful for under water surveillance. I shall be happy if my book helps the sub manufacturers to establish their markets in the coastal cities of India and all over the world. The picture of the Mini Sub has been provided by a leading leisure sub manufacturer—International VentureCraft Corp, BC, Canada.

In the book I have brought in the concept of Tantra which had been in vogue in India since eighth century AD or may be earlier. I have read several books on Tantra which helped me in painting my canvas. Some of the authors, I remember, are Brajamadhav Bhattacharya, Georg Feuerstein and Swami Sivananda. I thank them for sharing a little of their wisdom through their books.

Lastly I would like to thank IUniverse for publishing my work and for their editorial evaluation and guidance. I found them to be very professional.

This is my debut attempt in writing a fiction. The fiction develops around the wonderful and mysterious Sun Temple of Konark. I thank the temple, its creators and the people of Odisha to be my true inspiration of a lifetime.

Arun Gupta

BOOK 1

SOUTHERN INDIA SEVENTH CENTURY AD

BOOK 1: SOUTHERN INDIA—SEVENTH CENTURY AD

CHAPTER 1: DESCENT OF THE GANGA

It was a cold day in Mamallapuram, a city in the south east of India. On this day the great Pallava king, Maharaja Narsimha Varman was going to unveil a colossal tableau depicting the descent of Ganga, the sacred river, to earth. The king had consulted with his priests to find an auspicious moment for this and the priests had chosen the day of Shiva Ratri. It was the annual night of offerings to Lord Shiva, one of the supreme Gods of Hindu trinity, the lord of destruction. Today was the night dedicated to Lord Shiva, the day of observing Shiva Ratri.

The king was known as a Mamalla, the great warrior which gave the city its name. The city overlooked the sea and the port of Mamalai, its most important port. Over the years the king had developed the facilities of the port that helped the city of Mamallapuram to establish trades, mostly by sea, with Romans, Chinese, Far East and other Indian kingdoms. Roman ships frequently sailed from Misr (Egypt) to Mamallapuram and then to Lanka and South-East Asia. Traders from faraway places had come to join the celebrations of Shiva Ratri; one of them was the Roman trader Marcus Coreonus.

Marcus had been trading with the Pallava king for the past fifteen years. He had delivered large boulders of granite which the king used for building temples, palaces and sculptures. The king had observed that erosion on granite was much less pronounced than it was on soap stone which had been used to build temples in the past. The king was in favour of using granite more and more and Marcus was happy to bring those in. Marcus always felt at home in Mamallapuram. There were a few Roman colonies built by Roman traders who had come and decided to stay back. Marcus knew them all. He also knew that that all the people residing in the Roman colonies would join the celebration. Marcus strolled around the beach and came to a stop in front of a giant sculpture.

The covering on the sculpture had been removed in the morning by the king’s order. Facing the port of Mamalai now stood a vast granite rock of about one hundred feet in length and fifty feet in height. The massive rock was sculpted by some of the greatest artisans who transformed it into a tapestry of life around the sacred river, Ganga. As the story goes in Mahabharata, sage Bhagiratha sat in reverent penance to bring Goddess Ganga to the world. Ganga agreed but warned the sage to make arrangements to contain the force of her descent. The sage then prayed to Lord Shiva to bear the force of her fall from heaven. The tapestry on the rock had hundreds of figures of men, women and animals turning in reverence towards the life-giving Ganga. The figures were all life size, natural and looked as if frozen in awe. The artists had ingeniously chiselled a deep cleft almost through the centre of the tableau. A tank placed above the cleft would pour water down the cleft at the end of the ceremony, representing the descent of Ganga.

The whole city was joyously waiting to celebrate Shiva Ratri. This included the visitors from outside. Royal invitations were sent out to the main traders at least a year in advance. On the day of Shiva Ratri, at dusk the king himself with his two wives would present their offerings to lord Shiva. The whole city would gather around and chant hymns with the king. Once the rituals were completed the king would decorate traders and scholars from foreign lands. The king had ordered that the city be illuminated with thousands of lights, at sun fall. The night would be filled with celebrations, dinner and entertainment.

Marcus strolled along the city. Shops with thatched roofs in the shape of small huts along the coast were selling fish, vegetables, fruits and milk. Also on sale were ornaments and small artefacts made of shell. To quench thirst there was abundance of green coconuts. A little inside the city, cloths of various types—rare cotton and fine silk, precious ornaments and jewels were sold from speciality shops which were either built with stone bricks or cut out of stone boulders. These shops were invariably protected by guards. Tsan Yun owned a shop in the heart of the city.

Tsan Yun was a Chinese trader who used to bring exquisite silk, printed cloth and curved elephant tusks from China for the king. He used the Silk Route to India and then travelled down south. After several years of traveling, he decided to settle down in Mamallapuram. Marcus met him on one of his trading trips and the two became close friends. They were both aware of the significance of the Shiva Ratri celebration. They could not afford to miss it if they wanted to continue trading with the king.

Tsan Yun was in his shop when Marcus arrived. Marcus stood outside the doors of the shop when Tsan looked up and saw him. Both smiled warmly at each other. Tsan instructed his young apprentice to take care of the shop and rose to greet his friend. He opened the wooden door at the side entrance to the shop and climbed down to face Marcus and embraced him. In looks the two friends were very different. Marcus in his early forties was six feet tall with an athletic body, a tanned complexion and sharp European features. Tsan in his late forties was frail but healthy and looked distinctively Chinese.

-When did you come? I heard that your ship had arrived and was expecting you for quite some time. How are you?—Tsan asked.

-I am well my friend. I arrived a few days back. I had to settle things on my ship before coming to land.—Marcus answered.

-You know Marcus, I think this time you will receive the honour from the king. All said and done you have played a very important role for this kingdom. You have helped its culture flourish to astonishing levels. Such superb arts and crafts would not have been possible without the type of stones that you brought. History will remember you, Marcus.—Tsan spoke.

-Tsan, after so many trips to India, I have started to believe that I was destined to do this work. I do not know if I will be remembered but surely such art will be treasured and appreciated by the world over the ages.—Marcus replied.

-It is nice to see you, Marcus. Now, tell me how long will you stay here this time?—Tsan asked.

-My journey takes at least two full moons. Then it takes about three full moons to sell all my goods. This time I am here to honour the king’s invitation. So I do not have much to sell here. I plan to leave after the ceremony.—Marcus answered.

-I understand. I sometimes wonder, Marcus. You have been doing this year after year for so many years, now. Don’t you get tired? Wouldn’t you like to settle down?—Tsan asked.

-Yes Tsan, you are right. I have been doing this for the last fifteen years.—Marcus answered.—You also came here as a trader. When did you land here first? How did you settle down?-

-I started coming here twenty years back. But you see, I have settled here for the last fifteen years.—Tsan replied.

-That is a long time to leave home. Don’t you miss your home in China?—Marcus was curious.

-Of course I do. But this is my home now. Sometime back I felt restless and I wanted to settle down. I could not withstand the silk route journey any more. Then it happened, fifteen years ago when I was honoured by the king as the royal trader. I received land to stay, where I built my home. I was offered a maid by the king. I married her. She is my wife of fifteen years. The apprentice you saw in the shop is my son, my child. I have no children in China.—Tsan looked content and peaceful.

Tsan continued.—Marcus, it is already midday. Let us have some lunch at the market. Once the ceremony starts we will not get anything to eat till it ends.—Tsan started walking to the market with Marcus following him. They sat on a stone bench under a palm leaf shade. They ordered rice, yogurt and fish. Dessert was sweet water and fruit pieces of young green coconuts. Slices of the outer skin of the coconut served as spoons.

Marcus was still intrigued.—I still cannot fathom how you located this place. This is not on your silk route, nor are you a sea trader.-

Tsan smiled.—You have been in touch with history, Marcus. A very famous Buddhist monk from my country came to India sixty years ago. His name is Xuan Zang. He used the silk route making his way to see Nalanda, the seat of Buddhist learning. He continued his journey down south and reached Kanchi, the capital of the Pallava kingdom. He gave a very detailed account of this route. I came with a team of Chinese traders and used his book. The Pallava capital had shifted to Mamallapuram when I arrived. But it was not difficult to find the trail.-

-I had always used the same sea route.—Marcus said.—I start from Misr stopping at Arikamedu and Kozhikode before coming here. I have always been surprised to find the demand for stones and shaping tools by the kings. Of course they also like to have fine cotton from Misr, gold ornaments, jewel stones and chariot wheels. Overall the trade has been good and I have learnt it well. But honestly Tsan, I don’t know how much longer I can do it.—Marcus looked tired.

They continued eating their lunch. Tsan smiled at his friend to cheer him up.—Don’t despair. Who knows, the king may offer you many maids, money and land to take care of the rest of your life. You may not have to work again. After all, these rocks were curved with Roman tools and the king must have noticed it.-

Marcus laughed.—I am a man of the sea. The ship is my home. I don’t think I can live on land for the rest of my life.-

The two friends got up. The sun was no longer angry. It was hovering a little over the edge of the sea. A cool breeze blew from the sea to the shore making the heat more bearable. In a few dandas the ceremony would begin. Both Tsan and Marcus started walking towards the ceremonial ground.

Facing the auspicious tableau, mats made of dried coconut leaves had been spread over two areas in hundreds of rows, keeping the mid area reserved for the king and his court. It was cordoned off by barriers made of iron spears buried deep into the sand and tied together by ropes forming a chain. The subjects would be able to see the king but would not be able to come close or touch him. The barricade continued till the front of the tableau.

A large curved stone bench, six foot long, was set up facing the mural for the king and his queens. A table of low height was set between the bench and the mural. It contained flowers, fruits and other offerings, placed on it. Facing the royal bench, on the other side of the table, a plain stone bench was placed to seat the royal priests while they performed the rituals.

As Marcus reached the general worship area, two young men arrived, wearing white shirts and white sheets tied around their waists. Each carried a flute like instrument called Nagaswaram. The instrument was three feet long and one inch in diameter. It was made of a dark wood and had a mouthpiece at one end. Its other end opened into a metallic horn that glimmered like gold. They seated themselves on the two sides of the offering table facing the tableau and each blew into the mouthpiece of his instrument. This was the call for the subjects to gather for worship and to start the procession of the king’s court. In all these years of travelling to Mamallapuram, Marcus had never witnessed a public ceremony so lavish and he was enjoying every bit of it. As he marvelled at the throngs of people who had gathered for the ceremony, Tsan explained the significance of all the different elements that were put in place for the ritual.

The sun was turning from its golden brilliance to a mellow orange as it continued descending slowly from the horizon into the ocean. As the music grew louder, the royal procession made a grand entrance with the king and his queens on elephants, surrounded by an army on horses and led by the royal priests and armed guards on foot. The music faded as the procession halted. The elephants were guided into seated positions to allow the king and his queens to climb down and enter into palanquins. The bearers lifted the palanquins and carried them to the royal bench while the crowd chanted and saluted their venerable king and queens. After the palanquins were placed by the royal bench, the king and his queens got down and faced the crowd and waved.

The king was tall, had dark complexion and a well-toned body. He wore on his head a crown made of gold and studded with gems. His hair was long and curly and fell on his muscular neck and shoulders. He wore a cream silk cloth wrapped around his waist and an orange shawl (uttariya) draped over his shoulders and upper body. His arms and neck were adorned with jewelled gold ornaments. He carried a sceptre with a handle made of exquisitely carved ivory. The queens were young, fair, fragile and beautiful. Their long black locks ran down their backs elaborately decorated with flowers and jewels. They wore red silk saris running from their navels down to their feet, wrapping their waists. Their firm breasts were covered by red cloth made out of soft Misr cotton and tied in the back. Another single piece of transparent silk drape ran around their necks and fell over the breasts. The drape was held in place by a string of pearls clinched around the waist above the navel. The queens were elaborately dressed with gold ornaments and jewellery made of precious stones and pearls.

They proceeded to the front of the royal bench from the left so that the queens were always on the left of the king. They took their seats on the throne, the king first and then the queens facing the mural, with their backs to the subjects. A line of guards stood behind the king and the queens. The royal priests took their seats facing the king and the queens and began the rituals. They chanted hymns which the king and his queens repeated. At the suggestion of the priests they gave their offerings of flowers dipped in sandal wood paste, fruits, milk and cloth to lord Shiva. The priests chanted hymns in praise of lord Shiva thanking Him for bringing Ganga to earth.

The sun sank further into the ocean and the sky seemed to lose its hue. The ceremonial ground started gleaming from the fires that burned brightly in lanterns placed all around. The end of the ritual was marked with the release of water from the reservoir on top of the sculpture. Water rushed through the crevice of the sculpted tableau signifying the heavenly descent of the river Ganga.

The king and the queens turned to face their subjects and took seats on the royal bench in front of them. After the royal family had settled down comfortably, the king spoke.—My subjects, today is a very important day for us. Today we are blessed by Lord Shiva and by the divinity of Goddess Ganga. This is a good omen that spells that we are going to flourish, our country will flourish and you, my subjects, will flourish. We shall never run out of food, shall never be without a roof over our heads and our temples will always be open for our Gods to bless us. The whole world will bow to our strengths and wisdom. My forefathers built beautiful temples in Kanchi and now we are building bigger and more beautiful temples in Mamallapuram. But we must remember one thing. We should never forget our friends who have helped us in our achievements. Today I want to name one person in particular, a Roman businessman without whose help we could not have created such a divine mural. His name is Marcus.—The king paused and then called.—Marcus Coreonus, please come forward.-

Marcus stepped forward and bowed in front of the king. The king stood up and looked at him.—Marcus, you have supported us for fifteen years bringing in special stones and tools that we have used to build our temples, our palaces and our city. In appreciation of your contribution I reward you with land near my palace where you and your family may live happily for as long as you choose. You also may have as many wives or maids and you may select them from my queens’ courts. It is time for you to settle and have peace and happiness.—The queens smiled as the king continued.—In addition, you will receive twelve chests full of jewels, gold ornaments, gold and silver coins and utensils, precious stones, finest Chinese silk and a box full of necklaces made of Gaja Moti, the unusually large pearls. The chests are made of the same stone that you brought for us and these are shaped by the tools you trained us with. The chests have been loaded onto six chariots which are also yours. You may take these wherever you desire. Now tell me is the royal decree to your satisfaction?-

Marcus was delighted.—Your majesty, it is a great pleasure and a great honour. I gracefully accept your gifts. These are beyond my expectations and satisfaction. But I have a royal favour to ask.—Marcus stopped to take his breath.—I am a person of the sea. I do not see myself living here and starting a family. I request your permission to allow my friend Tsan to take care of the land, chariots and maids. I also request your permission to allow his son to choose a wife when he is old enough. I would like to take your other gifts of treasure to my ship, of course, if you permit.-

The king nodded in agreement and smiled.—Marcus, all my gifts have been recorded on a stone tablet and whosoever carries the tablet can collect the gifts. Leave the tablet with your friend and he will have the full authority to use whatever you leave for him.—The king took the tablet from a noble man standing by his side and handed it over to Marcus who was kneeling in front of the king with his hands stretched out. The king spoke again.—Please send your friend and his son with the tablet to my queens’ chambers. They will take care of the rest. May God bestow you with prosperity in your trade and travel.-

Marcus took the tablet in his arms. He then stood up and slowly backed out while bowing to the king. The king waved his hand and then signalled the musicians to begin playing their instruments. The king and the queens walked towards to palanquins. The royal procession proceeded towards the elephants. The king and the queens took their seats on the elephants. The procession retraced amid thunderous hails from the subjects. The celebration was now open to the public—a night of feast, fun, frolic and dancing had just begun.

Marcus walked up to Tsan with the tablet.—Here, Tsan, this tablet is for you to use the land and to find a wife for your son. I shall take the chariots to my ship. Once the chests are loaded onto the ship, the chariots will be sent to your house. I shall begin my journey soon. I bid you farewell for now, my friend. I hope to see you soon.—Marcus placed the tablet in Tsan’s arm. The two friends hugged each other.

Tsan held back his tears.—I shall protect this tablet and your gifts till you come back. Where are you planning to go?—Tsan asked.

-I plan to visit Kalinga. I understand that a new kingdom is coming up there. They may need my services.—Marcus replied.

-Kalinga!—Tsan exclaimed.—Please be careful, Marcus. Look after yourself.—Tsan looked genuinely concerned.

Marcus was walking towards the chariot. He stopped and furrowed his brows.—Of course. But why the concern my friend?—Marcus asked.

Tsan took a deep breath.—According to legend, the coast of Kalinga is dedicated to the Sun God. Ill fate befalls those who do not pay homage to the Sun God.-

Marcus laughed at his friend’s superstition.—I won’t know where to find the Sun God, Tsan. Let us be practical.—Marcus said as he climbed into the chariot.

Tsan waved. A cloud of dust rose from the chariots as they proceeded towards the port. Tsan went back home. He decided to keep the tablet in a safe and secure place. If his friend came back and asked for the king’s decree, Tsan would be able to hand it over to him.

BOOK 1: SOUTHERN INDIA—SEVENTH CENTURY AD

CHAPTER 2: JOURNEY TO KALINGA

Marcus’ ship was anchored in the nearby port, Mamalai. It was a beautiful ship half warhead and half transporter. The visible parts of the ship had lavish woodwork; the captain’s quarter was made of intricately carved marble. The ship was driven by two rows of twenty oars, each eighteen feet long, waiting to chop through the sea. The ship was ninety feet long and had an eighteen foot lateral beam. Two sails made of animal skin were painted in Red and white stripes that could fiercely pushed the ship forward. The wind was blowing in strong sharp gusts, whipping the sails back and forth. Outriggers stabilized the ship and the polished wale protected the hull from the protruding bows of enemy ships. The ship was three decks high with a deep belly that could carry thousand tonnes of weight. The shape of the vessel was wider at the stern and thinner at the bow with an open top deck.

The obscured parts of the ship carried iron tipped anchors secured by ropes. The hull was sheathed with several layers of iron sheets with lead and paint coating to protect the timber, the topside timbers were protected by paint. The ship had several hand operated bucket dredges to cope with the conditions of the sea.

The ship carried a crew of hundred people—sixty oarsmen, thirty manipularis and ten commanders. The crew waited for Marcus’ instructions. His trusted commanders waited on the shore to take him aboard. When Marcus and his chariots reached the shore, the darkness of night was in full effect. The soft glow of the torches that illuminated the ship, made it look like a flower of light floating gently in the middle of the sea. Marcus’ crewmen greeted him and listened to his instructions. Then with the help of locals they carried the chests from the chariots to three wooden boats secured near the shore. Marcus paid each charioteer with a pouch full of coins and told them to return to Tsan’s house.

Marcus climbed into the closest boat and signalled all the boats to row towards the ship. Reaching the ship Marcus and his crewmen climbed into the ship. Marcus ordered the twelve chests to be lifted into the ship and carried to his cabin.

Later as he settled down for a lavish dinner prepared in his honour, Marcus greeted his commanders. He narrated the events of the evening to his men, as they applauded their captain’s accomplishments. Marcus took a sip of wine and commented happily.—I can’t show you the tablet that the king presented to me. I left it with Tsan, my friend of many years. These twelve chests are only a fraction of the rewards.-

Marcus turned to his first mate, Anthony.—Anthony, you and I will have to open the chests and make a record of all the items. We shall distribute some of the coins between ourselves and the crew and whatever remains, we shall keep for our trade. The jewels and ornaments will be sealed away once they have been recorded.

Anthony nodded and laughed.—Marcus, at least you could have brought one wife for each of us. The king would gave you if you asked.—A roar of laughter echoed the dining hall.

Marcus laughed too.—Anthony, the king offered me women and wanted me to settle in Mamallapuram. But, you know, women cannot survive our treacherous journeys. It is better that we have our women when we go back to Alexandria.—Marcus’ tone changed and he became serious.—I want to start the ship early tomorrow morning. I want to go to Kalinga before travelling back to Lanka and then make our final way back. Kalinga’s trading needs should be greater now. New civilizations are rapidly growing in Kalinga and they will continue to flourish. I feel that eventually our trade with Kalinga will be much more profitable than Mamallapuram. Let us all get some rest tonight. This includes the oarsmen too. Hail to our trades and riches.—Marcus said loudly raising his cup of wine and the rest of his men joined in. The dinner ended and the commanders left for their posts. The room was cleaned by the manipularis. Marcus was left alone in his room enjoying the serenity of the starry sky.

The inky sky was adorned by the sliver glow of the moon. He remembered that it was just after Shiva Ratri, therefore the start of the waning moon. Wisps of clouds floated by. They were followed by a gust of wind. Marcus felt blessed with all the good fortune and kept thinking about the beginning of a new venture. But he couldn’t ignore that slight pang of fear that gripped him as he wondered how long his fortune would last. There was Tsang’s warning too. Marcus felt tired. The activities of the day had finally taken toll on him and he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

When Marcus woke up the next day, the glorious rays from the sun were on his face. A cool breeze blew in, still strong but not as formidable as it was the night before. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he first saw simple strips of clouds in a blue sky and then he noticed a dark cloud far in the horizon. His forehead creased with concern. Then he pushed the threat of the dark cloud to the back of his mind. By the time he washed and changed into fresh clothes, he had almost forgotten all about it.

Marcus joined his commanders and crew on the gallery. He ordered to lift the anchors and start their journey and travel North East and to stop wherever civilization was most prominent. He expected to travel a distance of