|| ArjunaPriyā: Flames On The Waves || ✔️

|| Ashtadasha: The Pandya Kingdom ||

With such hope and belief within his heart, though his unsaid words bothered his peace at times, Arjuna resolutely continued his pilgrimage. He reached the Southern part of the Bharatavarsha during the fifth year of his exile on foot. Though a lot of Brahmanas had accompanied him to the Himalayas, to the Eastern Bharatavarsha, to Vanga and Kalinga, they all bid him farewell when he crossed Kalinga and stepped onto the land of the Pandyas. Other than a few tourists who had gone their own way in the Kingdom, he was all alone as he traversed through the lanes of Manalura, the capital of the Pandyas.

He was not unfamiliar with the surroundings of the Pandya Kingdom or the Dakshina Bhumi in general. He had already led a conquest of the Southern land along with his brother Vrikodara when they were living in Hastinapura before they went to Varanavata. Though he had conquered Manalura in battle back then, he found an ally in King Chitravahana who had preferred to befriend him instead of nursing any animosity against him.

King Dhritarashtra was still the overlord of Manalura it seemed as Arjuna could see the flag of Kuru along with the flag of Pandya flying on the top of the royal palace. The guards who were standing before the main gates had noticed him and invited him inside, considering him as a Rishi who sought royal hospitality. The son of Pandu accepted their request as he wanted to meet the King once and followed the guards inside the gates.

He noticed a huge vigraha of Mahadeva carved out of white marble near the entrance, with several men and women gathered around to worship. They were probably the workers and the servants in the royal palace. He immediately paused in his steps and joined his palms to offer his obeisances to the Three-Eyed Lord. As he prayed with devotion, a distraught voice interrupted him and diverted his attention.

"Hey PinakaPani, all the subjects of Pandya Rajya have a single wish! We want our future to be secured! But when will you fulfil it?" A middle-aged woman knelt down wearily. "Who will take up the responsibility of Manalura after Maharaja Chitravahana and his daughter? The Pandya lineage will end with Kumari Chaitravahini. After that, the subjects will be orphans! What will happen to the Kingdom? Will the Pandyas' existence be wiped out?"

Arjuna wondered what was going on with the inheritance of Pandya that everyone was talking openly. It wasn't the first time he was hearing whispers about this matter since he entered Manalura. It reminded him of the times when Hastinapura's inheritance was in speculation and how people wanted his brother as their ruler while his cousins were fully against it from the start. The entire Kuru had broken into open discussions about the inheritance and e future, which was a sign that the political situation of the country was messed up.

"We're hoping that our princess gets married and gives birth to an heir. But unless you perform some miracle, that won't happen, Prabhu!" The woman sighed and continued, "Which prince will sacrifice his rights on his child? Who will agree to give his wife's lineage to their child? It all seems far-fetched."

The guards led Arjuna into one of the guest rooms where everything was arranged as per the preferences of a saint. They told him that they would inform their King soon about his arrival and left from there. But the son of Pritha was lost in thought about what he had happened to hear outside.

Manalura had numerous allies including illustrious nations like Hastinapura and Vidarbha, and plenty of moral support as well, but still such a problem persisted. Were princes of Bharatavarsha self-centred? Or didn't they want Pandya to flourish?

He went towards the window of the chamber and absent-mindedly stared at the adjacent corridors. His mind was busy in analyzing the issue which was not just political but social. Manalura needed a son-in-law who would give more importance to the princess of Manalura than himself in the marriage.

As he stood there thoughtfully, a young woman around twenty five springs walked into the corridors where his eyes were stuck, draped in royal silk clothes. A small golden crown sat on her head, revealing her status and her identity. The princess of the Pandyas, Chaitravahini Chitrangada. She had a reddish-brown skin complexion, and she was tall and proud in appearance.

When he was travelling through the Pandya Kingdom, he had heard the story about the lineage of Maharaja Chitravahana and the boon of a single child that his ancestor had received from Lord Shiva. Chaitravahini was the single child of her generation and that was the cause of worry for everyone.

As he gazed at the princess who was interacting with the workers around the palace with an affectionate smile, he was reminded of Krishnaa's queenly aura and kindness. The princes and princesses who considered their Kshatriya identity as their duty were rare when compared to the ones who claimed it as their privilege. The fame of Princess Chitrangada who dedicated her life to her kingdom was far-spread. Perhaps no prince could accept that his wife gave more importance to her kingdom than his.

As he watched the beautiful daughter of Chitravahana, an inexplicable surge of tenderness flooded his heart. For some unknown reason, he felt as if Shiva himself had led him to the royal palace of Manalura, signalling that he was the solution to the problem that his boon had generated. He could take the hand of Chitrangada in marriage and beget an heir for the lineage of the Pandyas. As he was free from his own royal duties, he could give his complete care for the Pandyas and the Pandya princess for the time-being.

He would also attain the love of a family through this marriage, a feeling that had become a past memory for him. If King Chitravahana and Princess Chitrangada consented to his proposal, everything would go well for both himself and Manalura.

_____

Note:

Chitrangada was from the Pandya dynasty and the source for this is the Kumbakonam Edition (Southern Recession) of the Mahabharata.
BORI CE does not mention the name of the Kingdom/dynasty. Only the city name is mentioned and it is called Manalura. Not Manipura. And this Manalura is located in the present day Tamil Nadu.

The conquest of the South (and East) by Arjuna and Bhima is mentioned in the KMG version of the Mahabharata. I'm surely building fictional threads here, but not without basis, so just wanted to clarify. Let me know your thoughts on this chapter!