Historical thrillers are difficult to handle, the challenge being fiction should be mixed in the right proportion with facts to provide an exciting narration. Kalachakram Narasimha has expertly negotiated the tight rope balancing both. Thanks to the racy narration both in fact blur the reader happily immersed in an atmosphere centuries ago. ‘Panchanarayana Kottam’ takes us through the history behind the five temples dedicated to Narayana.
Time flies back and forth as the narration anchored in the present travels back to the time of the Chalukyas and Cholas when religious differences were at their peak with rulers stoking the fire. Seer Ramanuja played a major role in the birth of the five temples – Nambi Narayanam, Kirti Narayanam, Vira Naryanam, Vijaya Narayanam and Selva Narayanam, Hoysala king Vishnuvardana linking the mega projects. Each is a monument in which is buried a cache of fascinating stories of love, intrigue, betrayal, murder and revenge involving the two queens and their offspring.
That the author has done extensive research is obvious. This helps him to weave the story interspersed with real events, some of them going down as watersheds in the history of this land. Graphic description is a strength of his style. The circumstances in which the young princess is possessed by a spirit is an example. Sri Ramanuja’s trek to retrieve the hidden diamond crown and his visit to the Sultan’s court to reclaim the idol of Sampathkumara bring alive the sage’s sagacity but for which some treasures would have been lost for ever. The book, incidentally, is dedicated to Ramanuja, whose 1,000 birth anniversary is being celebrated.
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A take off from Kalki’s ‘Ponniyin Selvan,’ ‘Sangadara’ by the same author is written from the perspective of Karikalan, the maverick prince, who meets with a mysterious end at the Kadambur Mansion. Was the dead royal given a raw deal by family and writers, the legendary Kalki including? Yes, says Karikalan in his preface. An unsung hero, the dark-hued prince was a brave soldier, much more than the hysterical and dangerous youth he has been portrayed as. “Why have I been depicted as a power-hungry maniac, who wanted to ascend the throne at any cost? I was supposed to have been killed by Ravidasan but he was not awarded capital punishment, why? My patriotism, bravery and acumen that wiped away the humiliation under which the Cholas were smarting, love for my family, etc., have all been conveniently ignored,” says Karikalan.
So the ‘real’ story unravels, leading to the death of the protagonist at the hands of a person, whose wily brain is ticking to destroy any hurdle. The reader’s heart goes out to the star-crossed prince, who is betrayed. It is a mind game, a puzzling verse setting the stage. The pieces of the jig-saw puzzle fall in place as the narration gallops, a few characters falling from pedestals in the process. If Kalki’s magnum opus, being staged in the city for ten days from today, gives the Son of the Cauvery a hero’s status, ‘Sangadara’ that turns the classic on its head bestows on Karikalan the aura of a martyr.
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Both from Vanati Publishers (24342810, 24310769), T. Nagar. Price: Rs. 180 and Rs. 300 respectively.