It had been a month from the day of battle...
The mallikarjuna temple at pattadakal had been renovated and a Vijaya sthambam (victory pillar) had been built to sound the victory of good over the evil...
It was an auspicious day marked for the crowning ceremony of the emperor as he had annexed the most powerful dynasties to his great kingdom...
Pooja and rituals had been continuously performed to ensure the auspiciousness for the emperor and Empress...
Shravan was tired of doing ceremonial rituals and his eyes were looking at the entrance of the temple every now and then in expectation of Suman...
His face turned gloomy as his expectation was not gratified...
His face turned out to a wide grin to look around the temple...
She's brilliantly awesome...my Suman...!!!!
Pride overloaded within him as the
Temple was renovated under Suman's advice and the vijaya sthambam was built in front of the temple at entrance to show the pride of great chalukian dynasty...
The temple was carved with battlefield characters and romantic sculptures too....The best engineers around the country had built the temple with marvelous techniques
His tiredness grew larger as he didn't see Suman for past two days... They both were infact busy in their realm and had very less chance to meet in private ...
Many other kings of the adjacent dynasties were invited with due respect to attend the ceremony...
People were rejoicing their victory as they wish... permission had been granted to people to visit the emperor and Empress's crowning ceremony...
Everyone in the kingdom felt asif they them selves getting the pride.... They gathered in front of the temple adorned with the best clothes and jewels..
Everyone's eyes were fixed at the Royal path where their Empress's chariot would arrive...
Sooner... The entrance area was crowded with people for a moment and Shravan could hear the 'long live' wishes...
She has come!!!
His tiredness flew away and his face adorned with a beautiful grin instantly...
He peeped to relish her face...
Suman got down from the chariot that was decorated with precious gems and wild flowers...
She stepped on the carpet that had been paved with flowers...
She was wearing a red angavastra that was embedded with tiny pearls...the pallu was designed with gold and silk...
Unlike the other women, she wore little jewelry...big jumkas and a long designed neck jewelry ...
....and literally , she was shining like a star and who needs her to wear all the sparkling jewelry...
Her each step towards the alter stood up for her pride and bravery as an Empress...
Shravan stood up and he walked towards suman...
He held her hands and brought her to throne...
When they walked together,it was a splendid view to the onlookers... people shouted in admiration.. They wished them to live long...
Amidst everyone's happiness, Shravan made Suman to sit on the emerald embedded throne beside him...
Guruji chanted mantras...vela proceeded the soldiers with pride which splendidly showcased their prowess....
Trumpets and conches blared.Cymbals and chants followed...The ceremony got underway..
Amidst the subhamangala ambiance, guruji took the pride to honour the emperor..He held the glowing crown which possessed all the mighty bravery deeds of Shravan at his hands with much respect.Out of excitement his physique sweated and goosebumped....
He placed the Royal crown on shravan's head with a gleeful smile, chanting mantras.....he gave the sword to him to symbolise his responsibility towards his country...
Excitement of people reached the heaven with blissful shouts....
While everyone were happy with the happenings , shravan stood up and took the crown from his head...
Everyone around were shocked to see him...
" Shravan... you are supposed to wear the crown till the ceremony gets over..."
Ranjit spoke to his ears....
Shravan didn't respond...he was staring at Suman...
" Papa...what you are doing... listen...wear the crown..."
Bhanu shook shravan....
Shravan smiled at her...
"Guruji...forgive me if I am doing wrong...but, I feel it is right... let me do what I wish..."
He stated clearly to guruji...
Guruji nodded....
" Shravan....I know you... your decision won't be at wrong side...my blessings are with you..do what your heart says....you are The Emperor..."
Guruji patronized shravan with a smile...
Mutters and murmurs spread over the crowd...
Shravan stepped towards Suman...
Suman continued to look him quizzically...
In a wink, shravan placed the crown at suman's head...
The crowd, including guruji , Ranjit and Bhanu were awestruck...
Literally Shravan crowned Suman to be The Empress....!!!!
" Long live the Empress...!"
" Long live her pride and bravery...!"
The very next moment the crowd broke out into joyous shouts...
Suman wasn't expecting the moment and she stood froze...
Starring into her eyes, Shravan winked....
"Suman .... you're looking like a pretty goddess now..."
He whispered softly...
Suman came out of shock with his words...
It was a time perid when the princesses were confined only to the anthapura... The crown , meant a huge revolution and that clearly narrated how much Shravan loved suman...
Realizing the fact, a lone tear ran down her cheeks...
Shravan shrunk his brows looking her tears...
"Suman... what's this..!?"
He squeezed her palms gently...his hands went to wipe her tears...
"Your majesty...!!!please smile for this poor ordinary man who yearns to see his Lady love's happiness...!"
He said theatrically and everyone around them broke out to laughter....
"Shravan....!!!"
Suman squinted her eyes at him...
He held her hands and stood in front of the people....
" You all know what really the Empress mean to me..and my victories are none without her...I owe my pride and all victories to her...she is the part of me and now onwards , she equally has the right in politics too...I wish you accept the same and looking forward your cooperation..."
Undoubtedly the people loved his decision as they love their empress as he do...
Cheerful shouts hit the sky and it was a memorable moment in their life indeed...
All of a sudden, Suman fainted on shravan's shoulders...
Terror striken shravan held her in his arms and an Ayurvathi (medical practioner) approached them quickly...
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It was the dusky evening after the fourth prahar (a unit of time in olden days)...
The whole moon shone like a diamond... it's milky white illumination painted the princess fort not less than a heaven made by Mayan, the devine architect...
Time wouldn't enough to admire the beauty of the nature...
Ignoring everything, Neela sped parallel to river Thungabatra... She almost raced with the wind, like flying...
Shravan patted her gently and whispered softly to stop...
Neela stopped and they both observed the surrounding...
The river flowed quite beside him...A Nightingale sung from the groves. The drone of crickets sounded musical to his ears...Each blade of grass glistened diamond edged...Far away, Gauriparvat loomed, half in mist, half dissolved in the sky....
Neela neighed... perhaps, she had lost her patience with her master's state...
" Ishhhhhh....."
He alarmed Neela to be quite...
Neela nodded her head and looked him expectantly asif she's ready to act on order...
" Neela....we have to be careful...no one should notice us...better, we will walk from here...but, be careful with your steps...pin drop silence...okay....!"
He spoke to her ears...
Neela winked and began to walk silently...
He was the great Emperor of the vast dynasty... Even then, he was restricted from meeting the Empress,his wife...
During the crowning ceremony, Suman fainted and she was taken to the Ayurvathi...since the day, shravan wasn't allowed to meet her... infact he was worried about her health and no one bathered about him...
Then, Suman had been staying at princess fort where obviously men's entry was restricted...
Shravan started to miss her very badly...He missed her warm breath on him...He missed her fragrance...her inquiring eyes...her gleeful smile...her proximity.....
He wanted her everything at once and hence, he was at the Royal path to the princess fort....
His heart thumped hard as he was getting closer to the princess fort...He was nervous asif he was barging in the fort for the very first time...
At his reachable distance, the watch towers of the fort were starring at him like vultures...
Shravan hid himself and moved forward with the shadows...
He looked at the massive wooden door that was carved with romantic sculptures...he smiled at the door and touched it...To his surprise, the doors creaked open without much ado...
Shravan stepped in and noticed the wooden latches kept unlocked....
He threw his eyes around and found no guards at the entrance...
Damn...!!! Why the entrance is left unguarded...!! It's rediculous...!!!what if , someone enters the fort and harms Suman!!?!?!
Shravan paced silently and no one spotted him through the corridor...He reached suman's personal chamber...
Her breath in the air made him emotional...He just wanted to hug her tight and he wouldn't mind the consequences of disobeying the Royal orders...
He stood behind the huge pillar that was built with gold...
He couldn't wait any more and peeped inside the chamber...
" Suman....tell me one thing.... don't you miss Shravan...?"
Krithika asked Suman, adorning the beautiful wild flowers at her braided hair...
Suman was sitting on the chair,facing the window....
Shravan couldn't see her face and he was yearning to engulf her beautiful face...
" Krithika....if guruji wouldn't have restricted Shravan, he would have held suman in his arms every single minute..."
Poorni teased Suman...
" Why you are teasing her...uuuuhhh....poor shravan...I couldn't even imagine his face..."
Krithika mocked again...
" For godsake...will you both shut up...!???!!"
Suman shouted out of embarrass....
Krithika and poorni broke into bouts of laughter....
Krithika anointed Jasmine scent over the muslin clothes...!!!!
Poorni added aromatic oils to the bronze lamps...
" Krithika....do you remember the day when Shravan came to meet Suman...?"
Poorni induced krithika to tease Suman again...
Krithika's face turned poor...she acted theatrically...
" So sad... Suman you should have seen his face...I could literally see how he wanted to be with you... on that day too I had made this chamber to be aromatic....now....now...."
She teased Suman...
Suman couldn't hold her anymore and she covered her face with her palms...
She ran to the wall and plunged into the curtains to hide her sindhoor red face...
Krithika and poorni ran behind her and they started to tickle her...
" No....no...leave me I said..."
Suman laughed out of tickling sensation...
" Suman...you are looking gorgeous today...let me act like your shravan..."
Krithika cleared her throat...she raised her chin and walked like Shravan...she stood beside Suman...
" Suman...look at me my dear...you are my breath...I was left lifeless without seeing you...may I have your lips to get my life...?"
She acted and poorni interrupted her...
" Hey... krithika... Shravan wouldn't be patient this much I guess...he would embrace Suman like a creeper....he wont recite poems like you did... he will come and kiss Suman without any further talks...am I right Suman...?!"
She expectantly looked at blushing suman..
" May be...you are right poorni..."
Hearing the voice, poorni and krithika jumped behind Suman...
Shravan was standing in front of them with his ever charming grin...
They both hesitantly grasped Suman for the rescue...
" Shravan...they were just playing with me... that's it"
Suman finally mouthed the words...
" I see..."
Shravan crisscrossed the chamber asif he was thinking seriously...
" So.... the Empress's wish is your rescue...I am letting you go...now...leave the chamber..."
Krithika stepped away and she turned at shravan...
" By the way shravan..why did you come here...? You're not allowed to visit Suman after all...if I call guruji , you know what would happen..?
She clucked mischievously...
" Huhhh..."
Shravan stuttered...
" I came to check the security...look at the doors..the latches were unlocked and I couldn't spot even a single soldier around the fort..I am worried about the Empress's safety
. that's why I came to check with the soldiers.."
He managed cleverly....
" Is it so?!...let me see..."
Saying so, krithika peeped through the window and laughed at Shravan...
" Shravan....look here... everything is perfect...including the guards..."
Shravan was surprised to see the soldiers guarding the fort in a perfect way...
He smiled sheepishly...
" We knew that you will be coming...who could stop the honey bee flocking to the flower...!"
Krithika mocked him and winked at Suman...
" Ikkkum...."
Shravan deliberately cleared his throat and that was exactly a word for them to' get out'
Laughing, they both went out...
Shravan turned at Suman...
Suman stared at the resplendent prince... Her breath caught in her throat and she lowered her gaze in blushing...
Her eyes flew to shravan's face again and she saw him looking ardently at her, his gaze searing her body and her soul.
Shravan stepped close to Suman and cupped her cheeks...His eyes ran through her face...
Her face was as flawless as a lotus with a thousand petals...Decked in resplendent silk, her body anointed with sandal paste, a sparkling diamond set in her nose pin, armlets and necklaces added lustre to her beauty... Her teeth were like Jasmine buds;her lips red as cherries...
" Are you going to stare at me like this...?"
She moved with a grace of a swan floating on the surface of a pool...
Shravan paced fast and stood at front of her...
" Suman....are my eyes deceiving me? Or , truly you're more beautiful than before..?"
She shut her eyes in despair...and, leaned on him...
He embraced her with much love...that was the moment he had waited so far.
He pressed his lips on her hairline firmly...
" I missed you a lot... infact, I was wondering why I wasn't allowed to see you...how are you feeling now...I was worried a lot..."
" Ishhhhhh.... Shravan...let me feel your love and warmth..."
She interrupted him and tightened her grip...
He fondly stroked her back, realizing her need...
A smile crept on his lips...
" Suman....are you going to hug me like this for entire night?"
She looked up and pinched his nose..she walked away and sat at the window ledge....
All of a sudden, a heavy silence fell over the chamber...
Shravan sat beside her....
" Suman...is everything okay...?"
He looked into her eyes...
She took his hands and brought it to her abdomen....
Her eyes were shining and she nodded her head cheerfully...
Shravan sat froze... His body shook and his eyes moisten....
" Suman...."
His voice chocked....
" You have literally crowned your baby...!!!"
Suman said, wiping his tear... Her tone was layered with a bit of tease.... may be jealous...?!?!
Shravan took her in his arms...He kissed at her nose...
" No matter what... Even if I grew older... Even at my death....my love for you won't fade away...I will love you forever and you are the Empress of my heart..."
Then, shravan proved his love for her, using not words but the finesse of the Rupastra, one whoes beauty is his weapon...
This will continue in their life and he would continue to kill her with his love...
Let's wish them to be happy forever!!!!
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Even this time guruji approached the princess fort...but not with the emergency message like the first episode... He was laughing and rode happily with Ranjit and Vela...
" I knew shravan can't wait to see Suman...as I knew, he had barged in the princess fort...have you ever heard that an emperor tries to barge in the fort to visit his own wife..?"
He began to tease Shravan and he continued to laugh...
" But...why didn't you allow shravan to visit Suman..?"
Ranjit asked...
" Ranjit... it's a ritual of the great chozha dynasty...we will separate the couple for sometime after getting the princess's pregnancy news... that's to encourage their bond..."
" Oh...."
Ranjit nodded...
"Poor shravan...he was mentally exhausted..."
Vela added...
" No doubt that Shravan will take care of my daughter like his eye... Honestly, my daughter is so lucky to have shravan in her life...I do remember the day when we saw wounded shravan for very first time in this same forest..... At that time I didn't know God's plan..I even misunderstood shravan...but, they are truly made for each other..."
For no reason, guruji' s eyes got wet...
" Guruji... shravan had disobeyed the Royal order...are you going to punish him...?"
Vela asked in doubt...
" Absolutely he will be punished...he had to take care of my daughter like his eye...He will be imprisoned in her heart for lifetime..."
Winking victorious, Guruji bursted out to laughter...
Vela and Ranjit joined him....
Their laugh echoed through the forest...
The moon and stars smiled at them asif their happiness shouldn't be evileyed ...
_________________END_________________
And.... that's the end of this story...happy ending like every arul's story...
I have drafted this epilogue and hesitated to publish as I felt so much lonely...I will miss this shraman very badly... literally, I couldn't believe that this story has come to an end...
Personally, I love this version of shraman very much...I couldn't bring more as I am packed with work and have tried my best to bring it up in a right way... Tell me whether I have done it at least to the half...
And... history behind this book is....
The pattadakal mallikarjuna temple ( ref- picture)...you can see the victory pillar and it had been built by the chalukian princess and she had been crowned there...Even now,if you visit Karnataka, you can enjoy the magnitude of the temple and the victory pillar... people in and around Karnataka, if you ever visited the temple, share your experiences...
And.... I take this as an opportune moment to thank everyone who walked with me in this journey...
Thank you dudes....
Your comments and votes encouraged me to go forward...
Silent readers....!!!!
This is the last episode of this book and I wish to meet you...plz imprint your presence...give a high-five as a comment... thanks in advance...
Do have a happy read...vote and comment....
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😉On pipeline....
Lots of love
Arulpirai...