While Devakratha might have blocked every other temple, he wouldn’t have bothered with the underwater temples. And Kajur had just indicated that he knew the mantra for the other pagodas. I was all up in a tizzy, I stood up and walked around and muttered to myself. A fully formed complete plan popped into my head out of nowhere, it was so crazy that it just might work.
I told my plan to Raja who stood up and said, “Are you crazy? You’ve finally gone over the edge haven’t you? I knew it. This plan is completely over the top, even for you. And I once saw you jump out of an airplane without a parachute.”
“Well, I had a plan that time as well.”
“Don’t do this, Shiva. I mean, come on. Even if you survive the first phase you’re never going to make it in time.”
“I will. I have to. Believe me.”
After some time, he gave in, like I knew he would. I told him of a few things I need.
“It’ll be here in an hour,” he said while taking out his phone and went out into the corridor. As soon as he left, I spoke to an animated Kajur.
“What do you think?”
“Yes, it’s brilliant.”
“Do you know the seven pagodas and a mantra for one of their temples?”
“Ah yes, the seven pagodas. And we arrive at the most beloved legend of Prahalada. His father Hiranyakashipu the Asura hated Lord Vishnu because Lord Vishnu had slayed his brother Hiranyaksha in his Varaha Avatar. Hence his rage when he discovered that his son Prahalada was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. When confronted, Prahalada agreed that he was and in fact asked his father to beg for forgiveness and join him in his devotion.”
“So Hiranyakashipu told his son, there is no Lord Vishnu. When Prahalada disagreed and said that Lord Vishnu was everywhere, the enraged Hiranyakashipu cursed his son and asked to show him where his god was. ‘Is he in this pillar’ he said and kicked it. And there from the pillar emerged the great Lord Vishnu in the form of a half lion. He was neither man nor beast and it was neither night or day and ….”
“Oh just cut the crap. I know that it was Prahalada’s son, Bali who built Mahabalipuram, hence the name. Now do you know the mantra for one of the sunken Pagodas or not?”
“Yes, there is another temple. There is the oldest temple, built by Bali himself, the Narasimha swami temple. It is the oldest, only after that did your kings of old expand the city of Mahabalipuram. And I know the mantra to that temple.”
He told me the mantra that identified the nature and deity of that temple. I committed it to memory. Soon after that, Raja walked in and said. “Everything is ready. They will be waiting for you.” It was showtime.
“OK, let’s go,” Raja said.
“Where?” I asked.
“You know, to face Devakratha.” He said.
“’We’ are not going. I am going.” I was firm on that, this was dangerous enough for me. I did not want to put anyone else in danger.
He kept on insisting and didn’t give me a second’s peace, so I agreed. We both got on the bike, I spotted a patch of sand. I accelerated to it and did a burn out. You know, when you skid your tyres in a semi-circle. If you know how to do it a certain way, then the person behind you will overbalance. Since Raja was on the phone with no support, he went flying.
“I’m sorry. Maybe next time.” I shouted as I raced away.
Chapter 22: Stone Lion Guarding the Shore
The main priest of the Temple, the poojari whose head had been shaved off except for the little pony tail at the back of the head was staring serenely and asked,
“What are you doing, my son?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?” I said.
“It looks like you are wearing some sort of rubber dress” ooh, close. Yes, I was wearing a scuba suit. If this worked, then Kajur’s mantra would transport me to the Narasimha Swami temple in Mahabalipuram. Which is underwater, hence the scuba suit. There were several heavy bags around me, the stuff that I had asked from Raja. He had got it within an hour, as he had promised. It was already night, so there was no one around.
“This is the second time you have been here. Are you aware that all the temples in Tamil Nadu are in blocked for the night?” asked the priest.
I hoisted all of the bags and slung them over my shoulder, they were really heavy.
“Not all,” I said as I fastened the oxygen mask to my face and put my hand on the symbol and said the mantra.
The familiar feeling of being transported was different this time. Mostly because it varies from temple to temple. This time it was really strange, for one, it worked. I was underwater and yet I was not. I could see a scene before me. The temple was perfect I was standing on the back wall of the Garbagriha but there was no water around me. Instead I could smell the sweet smell of autumn flowers and could distinctly feel air on my face. I looked around and saw the perfect and majestic architecture of the temple. It was beyond beautiful. I could hear the temple’s bell chime somewhere and I could feel this beautiful vision slipping away. It was like a scene of the past had unfolded in front of my eyes. But at the very end, I heard a thunderous roar, it sounded muffled and far away but it was unmistakable. It was the roar of a lion, a warning and an encouragement at the same time.
I rose to the surface remembering to breathe out as I ascended. As soon as I broke the surface, I heard voices of astonishment. The language was Tamil, I was fluent. They were saying a few prayers to their gods and wondering how I had appeared here like that. Looks like Raja hadn’t warned them. One of them helped me with the bags and hauled me over into a small fishing boat that could hold five people. They were very wary of me, and did exactly as I requested. I went into a small cabin of the boat with the captain.
He lit a small gas lamp and on the table was a map. It had the coastline of Tamil Nadu. We spoke in hushed voices as he explained the route. The plan was to reach Point Calimere by boat. By road, from Mahabalipuram to Point Calimere would take six hours, by boat it would hardly take three hours. It was already eleven. I would be just in time for the Yagna at 03.00 a.m. The planned route was bit roundabout and I asked why.
“Coastguards swami. Their damn boats are everywhere.” He said in the fisherman’s Tamil common around here.
I disagreed. “Plot the straightest course possible. I will take care of any coastguards. They won’t even see us.”
“Ok, Swami.” He said looking at me fearfully. I had no idea why.
Soon we were off. The little boat was small but powerful and made only a little noise. I stood right at the front on the alert for coastguards. The boat may be silent, but noise is carried to a far distance over water. As we were leaving, I saw a glint on the shore. It was the unmistakable silhouette of a lion. I had a small start before I realized that the tsunami of 2004 had uncovered this magnificient stone lion on the shore. I couldn’t but recall the myths surrounding this ancient city. It was said that this city was so magnificent that it was a cause of jealousy even in Devaloka. Lord Indra couldn’t bear to look down and see that a little city by the seashore was more magnificent than his heavenly abode. He sent rains and floods repeatedly with no regard for loss of life until he sunk the little city. In fact, scientists only recently uncovered the evidence of a tsunami that occurred in the 13 BC and ravaged the entire east coast of India.
The way to Point Calimere held choppy waters, but we managed to get across with little trouble. There was no sign of the coast guards. Meanwhile, I asked the people around if they knew anything about Point Calimere. At first, they wouldn’t talk to me. Only mutter ‘Kadavule’ meaning ‘oh my god’ whenever I asked them a question. But the captain had liquor, and we all shared a drink in that freezing cold. They became friendly after that, they spoke of dark rumours in the Point Calimere. But I could tell that it was sheer nonsense. It had no basis at all, they said that every once in a while the whole forest would wake up in the middle of the night to loud noises. Like there were hundreds of spirits getting together for a party. But it made for good timep
ass. I did not want to ponder on what was in store for me. Devakratha was waiting and we would battle until one of us died. Even with my new found power, he could make short work of me, I was sure. Some time later, I broke away from the group and thought for a while.
I had tried many things to defeat Devakratha. What do you do when thinking in the box and thinking out of the box doesn’t work? You break the box, stomp it to little pieces and build a new box. Change the rules of the game. I thought hard about Devakratha’s magic. His power was strong, coherent and harmonious. His magic was like Beethoven’s symphony. Mine was like a guitar out of tune. I had to change that somehow. It was time this old dog learnt some new tricks. How could I beat his symphony? Then it occurred to me. I had to drop this idea of harmony and everything being correct, on how I translated my magic into a reality. Once I lost this concept of harmony, I could remix. I could be a DJ of magic. A hacker of reality, as it were. It was funny about how a bruiser like me was thinking about the very nature of magic. But unless I tried something new, I was toast.
We made good time and reached a little earlier than planned. I watched as the captain manoeuvred the boat into a small alcove hidden away from plain sight. Then it struck me that these were no fishermen, they must be smugglers. Where did Raja find them? They must have cost a fortune. All in all Alagaraja indeed. They quietly unloaded everything including a small dirt bike. I had requested that to make sure that I didn’t have to walk in the dangerous forest at night. I knew there would be forest trails and it was possible to ride a bike on them. I asked if any of the smugglers would be able to guide me and that I would pay them handsomely, but their refusal was unanimous. The smugglers waved goodbye with nasty smiles like they were happy to get rid of me.
I huddled in the dark. The forest was completely dark. Stars were shining above having no idea that they had inspired an Asura architect to build a temple based on them. I switched on a small torch held it in my mouth and took out a compass and a printout of the map of the forest. I was still not completely in. I had to go a little deeper to reach the dry evergreen forests. I took my bags and dumped the scuba suit with the now empty oxygen tank. The bike was not bad, I was able to get a decent grip in the wet dirty trails as I made my way into the northern part of the forest.
I reached there in one piece. There were huge trees in front of me blocking the way. I stopped for a break to get my bearings. I thanked the stars that this forest did not have an abundance of predators. Finding the temple in this deep dark forest was my biggest problem now. I took out a map that marked out all the shrines and other tourist places. I would have to go deeper into the unexplored areas. I slowly moved the bike a little to the left and found a trail, when my bike’s headlights came up, I saw tyre tracks. By their size, it could only be small trucks. Some trucks had passed this way. They must have been carrying heavy stuff for the tyre tracks to be that deep.
Could it be Devakratha’s men? I changed the bike’s headlight to a dimmer intensity and followed the tracks. Soon after some time the tracks disappeared, I got off my bike and searched for them but couldn’t find them. They must have stopped here and gone on foot. I took out my compass and map and found that I was in the deepest part of the forest. I went on ahead for a while and after a good thirty minutes, I found that I was completely lost. Fear was just about to set in when I saw a flickering light. I went towards it and saw it was just a firefly. Then I saw another one, then another, there were out in great numbers and attracted to my torch light. I slowly and gently pushed them out of the way and they went on about their business. I was still deciding on the direction in which to go. I was undecided. My plan had been to get to the northern part of the forest. I assumed that the yagna would first have to be prepared for and that would involve tremendous build-up of energy. And I would be able to sense it. But I was sensing nothing. Maybe I should double back and go through another part of the forest.
I headed back the way I came and encountered a large number of fireflies. It was a pretty sight. But I had other business. Soon there were so many that they were becoming an annoyance. I turned my head to avoid one and noticed something. The fireflies were all going somewhere, and that was why I was running into them. A gut feeling made me follow them. I followed them for another twenty minutes when I saw it.
There was a clearing ahead of me. It looked recently made. And there was a huge structure in it. It was flat and long and had trees growing all over it. I guessed that it must be green in colour. And it was a square shape, this must be the temple.
I had found it. The temple. If the incidents with Karna, Narimbu and the LSD were unbelievable, this temple was unreal. It was a dark foreboding structure from the outside. It was completely made of stone although it was covered now completely with moss. The fireflies and the flickering fire cast a golden light on the wet stone making it look surreal. In general it was intimidating even though it was only a one-storyed structure. The only thing lacking was a ‘Piss off and go mind your own business’ sign out front.
I took out the small torch again and read the fractal blueprint to find the entrances. There were two. One was on the east, the main entrance, presumably so it can meet the sun. Vaastu. Again, the sign of Mayasura’s work which was still followed today. There was another entrance towards the north-west. I slowly made my way to the back entrance laying low amidst the bushes. The back entrance was grand, guarded, what looked like lions.
Before going in, I double checked everything and went over the plan in my head. The tiredness and haziness was coming on as I tried to recall the mantra to release the yaksa. I needed to stay completely focused on this task. this task was not like a David vs Goliath, but David vs Godzilla. I took out the vial that I had stolen from Raja office earlier. It was the vial containing the amphetamines, opiates and whatever. The last time it had lasted for hours. I took out a small syringe and injected myself with it. As I was injecting, I looked up and saw the stars.
They were arrayed out beautifully tonight. I had never bothered to look up and enjoy the night sky. Their twinkling was reassuring. Somehow in this remote isolated forest, looking up at the sky was peaceful. I enjoyed the night sky while the drugs took effect. I felt like I was being watched over by a parent. I felt safe. It was a new feeling for me. It didn’t last. I knew it was just the calm before the storm.
Chapter 23: Mayendran’s creation
I took my time before entering the temple. There were no guards. I snuck in without anyone noticing. That was a bit difficult with the heavy bags. The inside of the temple was truly awesome. Mindblowing. Despite the fact that the forest had done its best to take back the stone into its domain, the carvings were detailed even in the darkness, and the floor was studded with gems so that when I walked, they glittered eerily in the golden light. It was like stepping into Alibaba’s cave. The darkness was thrown back by the burning torches placed in holders on the huge pillars. The pillars seemed to be made of a single block of stone and perfectly circular with several carvings of beautiful maidens, fish, sea creatures and even what looked like a mermaid. The carvings were so delicate, they looked like paintings. The immense pillars were connected in a single line by a small platform, which could hold a man.
The scenery would change drastically when the torches blew in the wind and cast creepy shadows. I jumped at each one thinking that I had been found out. My nerves were frayed searching for the Garbagriha. I could hear a voice chanting.
That voice struck a chord of anger in me. I slowly crept up into a cavernous hall to see Devakratha. He was wearing ceremonial robes and chanting over the fire. There were a few items next to him and there glinting in the fire light was the piece of Arjuna’a armour. I needed to do something. I wanted to walk up and bash his face with my staff. But that would come later. I would break that perfect nose of his, I promised myself. I looked around and saw that he had bought muscle along. Supernatural muscle. Around fifty Tinshas were looking at him grimly. They were neatly standing in lines. Tinshas ar
e wannabe kings. Sub-asuras. They are incredibly strong and resistant to magic. But they are also dumb. Hence they never attained their kingdom. Now they were bodyguards and mercenaries of the supernatural world. They have low-slung bodies and swarthy complexions. In their shapeless faces that resembled potatoes were beady little dull eyes that scanned the temple looking at the glinting jewels in an appraising way. They so resembled bulldogs that made me think they must be related to them. Some of them even had an underbite. There were also a few men. They seemed to be entranced by Devakratha conducting the yagna. It looked like I had arrived just in time.
I stepped back away from the hall and re-assessed the situation. It had just become worse. The presence of the Tinshas meant that I had to adapt the plan to the situation. I slowly walked away towards the centre of the temple, where the Garbagriha should be. Atleast that was what the map indicated. I could see nothing but a stone wall covered with moss and mushrooms. I thought hard. Mayasura was a master of Maya. He would have done something here to hide the Garbagriha from plain eyesight.
I cursed myself for not thinking about this and asking Kajur in advance. I thought hard about all the stories I had heard about Mayasura and remembered something. In the Mayasabha, of Indraprastha, one just had to think of a room and it would appear. Did Mayasura do that here? I dropped the bag and folded my arms in the Namaste style and thought. “This is stupid, I am here to save the temple and I am barred from its Garbagriha. Please, please could the real Garbagriha please stand up. I mean, I request in the name of Mayasura for the Garbagriha to appear”, and opened my eyes.
The rock melted away before my very eyes and a small chamber became visible. I removed my shoes, and entered. It was stifling, the air was stale, like it had been locked away for a thousand years. I slowly looked around. There were no windows. I used my torchlight on the walls and saw the artwork. It was more beautiful than anything I had ever seen before. The paintings were so realistic that I half expected some sea creature to jump at me. The colours had faded a little giving it a very ancient feel. I turned around and the torch illuminated what could only be Lord Varuna. The sculpture of Lord Varuna was carved from black stone and around eight feet tall. It had gems for eyes. There were several sea creatures of all sorts at his feet. He himself was standing with a benevolent expression on his face with one hand blessing.
The Weapon of the Devas Page 16