Ponniyin Selvan: The Crown

The first three parts of the story Ponniyin Selvan are  The First Floods, The Cyclone and The Killer Sword. Now to the 4th part The Crown.

Title: Ponniyin Selvan: The Crown

Author: Kalki R. Krishnamurthy

Main Characters: VallvarayanVandiyathevan, Poonkuzhali, Parthibendran, Adhitha Karikalar, ArulmozhiVarman(Ponniyin Selvan), ParanthakaSundaraChozhar, KundavaiDevi(IlayaPirati), MadhuranthakaDevar, Kandaradithar, Nandini(PazhuvoorRani), ChinnaPazhuvetaraiyar, PeriyaPazhuvetaraiyar, KudanthaiJosiyar, Malayaman, SendhanAmuthan, KandanMaran, Manimekhalai, AzhvarkadiyanNambi(Thirumalai), EasanaBhattar, Vanathi, Aniruddha Bhramarayar and Sambuvaraiyar

Setting/Theme of the story: As Aditha Karikalan does not turn back, Vandiyathevan goes to Sambuvaraiyar's palace to ensure that the prince is safe. The prince and Vandiyathevan enjoy themselves by going out for hunting and boating. Meanwhile, Adithan's best friend Parthibendran,  KandanMaran and Sambuvaraiyar plan to kill the Crown prince. Prince Arulmozhi Varmar is still in Anuradhapuram. This is the end of the fourth part. 

Stay tuned for the last part, Part 5.

Ponniyin Selvan: The Killer Sword

The first two parts of the story Ponniyin Selvan are The First Floods and The Cyclone. Now to the 3rd part The Killer Sword.


Title: Ponniyin Selvan: The Killer Sword


Author: Kalki R. Krishnamurthy


Main Characters: VallvarayanVandiyathevan, Poonkuzhali, Parthibendran, Adhitha Karikalar, ArulmozhiVarman(Ponniyin Selvan), ParanthakaSundaraChozhar, KundavaiDevi(IlayaPirati), MadhuranthakaDevar, Kandaradithar, Nandini(PazhuvoorRani), ChinnaPazhuvetaraiyar, PeriyaPazhuvetaraiyar, KudanthaiJosiyar, Malayaman, SendhanAmuthan, KandanMaran, Manimekhalai, AzhvarkadiyanNambi(Thirumalai), EasanaBhattar, Vanathi and Sambuvaraiyar


Setting/Theme of the story: Vandiyathevan leaves ArulmozhiVarmar with Poonkuzhali and her cousin SendhanAmuthan. SendhanAmuthan brings an information that the PazhayaraiPirati(KundavaiDevi) wants her brother to stay in the Buddhist viharam at Nagapattinam. Vandiyathevan goes back to IlayaPirati to tell her that the prince is safe. Meanwhile, Nandini, the PazhuvoorRani, invites Karikalan to Sambuvaraiyar's palace. So, when Vandiyathevan meets IlayaPirati, she asks him to stop AdithaKarikalan from going to Sambuvaraiyar's palace. Once AdithaKarikalan takes a step forward, he never turns back. When Vandiyathevan tries to stop Karikalan, he was in vain. By the time, KundavaiDevi brings ArulmozhiVarmar to Anuradhapuram. This is the end of Part 3. 


Stay tuned for Part 4.

Ponniyin Selvan: The Cyclone

Image by mlanghans via Flickr

Title: Ponniyin Selvan: The Cyclone

Author: Kalki R. Krishnamurthy

Main Characters: VallvarayanVandiyathevan, Poonkuzhali, Parthibendran, Adhitha Karikalar, ArulmozhiVarman(Ponniyin Selvan), ParanthakaSundaraChozhar, KundavaiDevi(IlayaPirati), MadhuranthakaDevar, Kandaradithar, Nandini(PazhuvoorRani), ChinnaPazhuvetaraiyar, PeriyaPazhuvetaraiyar, KudanthaiJosiyar, Malayaman, SendhanAmuthan, KandanMaran, Manimekhalai, AzhvarkadiyanNambi(Thirumalai), EasanaBhattar and Sambuvaraiyar


Whom I like and why: I like Vallavarayan Vandiyathevan very much. He is a warrior from the royal but impoverished Vana clan. His ancestors had ruled TamilNadu for 300 years. Vandiyathevan serves the Chozha empire now. He is a friend and emissary of the crown prince Adhitha Karikalan. Vandiyathevan is famous for his valour. He brings back Arulmozhivarmar from Eezham to Nagapattinam as instructed by the IlayaPirati.


Whom I dislike and why: I dislike Nandini, the Pazhuvoor rani. As KundavaiDevi says Nandini is a venomous she-devil, an enchantress and a poisonous cobra. She wants to marry Adhitha Karikalan so that she can become the Empress of Chozha kingdom. She asks Adhithan to imprison his father SundaraChozhar and make her the Empress. She tries to separate Vandiyathevan from Adhithan.


Setting/Theme of the story: Vandiyathevan goes across the sea to Eezham with the help of a boat-girl named Poonkuzhali. She also helps him escape many dangers. She once saves him from getting caught in the Pazhuvettaraiyars' hands again. Vandiyathevan finds Prince Arulmozhivarmar in Eezham and hands over the scroll addressed to the prince from KundavaiDevi. At the same time, AzhvarKadiyanNambi delivers a scroll to the Prince from AniruddhaBhramayar of Anbil. After a few days, Parthibendra Pallavan also gives a scroll to Ponniyin Selvan from Adhitha Karikalan. The Prince becomes confused. Kundavai has asked Arulmozhivarman to come to Pazhayarai at once. The Prime Minister has asked Ponniyin Selvan to stay at Eezham for some more time. Prince's brother Karikalan has asked him to come to Kanchi at once. While the Prince is thinking whom he should listen to there is news that the Emperor wants Ponniyin Selvan arrested. Ponniyin Selvan thinks he has to follow his father's orders and goes in the ship of Parthibendran. Meanwhile Vandiyathevan gets caught in the ship of a few Arabs. He pushes the Arabs into the sea. While they are all travelling a cyclone hits and Vandiyathevan's ship catches fire. Ponniyin Selvan jumps into the sea from the other ship in order to save Vandiyathevan. Vandiyathevan is rescued from the burning ship but both the Prince and Vandiyathevan get caught in the cyclone. When Ponniyin Selvan and Vandiyathevan start to loose hope in surviving the cyclone, Poonkuzhali rows to them and saves them in her boat. She takes them back to safety. 


This is the end of part 2. Stay tuned.

How Prince Arulmozhivarman Got The Name 'Ponniyin Selvan'

ParanthakaSundaraChozhar and his family used to cruise on the River Ponni in their Royal boat. One day, when they went on one of the boat rides, Arulmozhivarman fell into the Ponni river and disappeared. Everybody searched everywhere but could not find the young boy. Then suddenly, a young woman came from the middle of the river and held the child, Arulmozhivarman, aloft. Thus, from that time, the child was also called  Ponniyin Selvan, dear to the Ponni River.

Ponniyin Selvan: Part 1: The First Floods

Image via Wikipedia

I am currently reading the English version of Kalki R. Krishnamurthy's Ponniyin Selvan translated by C. V. Karthik Narayanan and published by MACMILLAN India Ltd.

The original was first serialised in Tamizh 1950-54 in the magazine Kalki.

The First Floods is the first part of Ponniyin Selvan series.

Main Characters: VallvarayanVandiyathevan, Parthibendran, Adhitha Karikalar, ArulmozhiVarman(Ponniyin Selvan), ParanthakaSundaraChozhar, KundavaiDevi(IlayaPirati), MadhuranthakaDevar, Kandaradithar, Nandini(PazhuvoorRani), ChinnaPazhuvetaraiyar, PeriyaPazhuvetaraiyar, KudanthaiJosiyar, Malayaman, SendhanAmuthan, KandanMaran, Manimekhalai, AzhvarkadiyanNambi(Thirumalai), EasanaBhattar and Sambuvaraiyar

Story: VallavarayanVandiyathevan of the Vana clan who serves AdithaKarikalan, the crown prince goes to deliver two important scrolls from Adithan. One is addressed to ParanthakaSundaraChozhar who is the ruling emperor and the other is to KundavaiDevi, daughter of the emperor and also called as the IlayaPirati. On his way to SundaraChozhar's palace at Thanjavur, he settles the disputes between AzhvarkadiyanNambi and EasanaBhattar on whether Vishnu or Shiva is supreme. Then Vandhiyathevan gets trapped in PeriyaPazhuvetaraiyar's, the prince of Pazhuvoor, hands. He somehow gives the scroll to SundaraChozhar. The scroll invites SundaraChozhar, Adithan's father, who lives under the influence of the Pazhuvetraiyars' to come and live in the golden palace built by Adithan for his father. Then Vandiyathevan escapes from Thanjavur and goes to meet IlayaPirati in Pazhayarai. He delivers the message safely to KundavaiDevi. KundavaiDevi gives him another message to be taken to prince ArulmozhiVarman in Eezham(Lanka). This is the end of first part.

Parthibendran is a friend of AdithaKarikalan. MadhuranthakaThevar is the son of Kandaradithar. Kandaradithar and SundaraChozhar are brothers. Nandini is PeriyaPazhuvetaraiyar's wife and doesnt like KundavaiDevi, the IlayaPirati because she is SundaraChozhar's daughter and adored more. KundanthaiJosiyar predicts that ArulmozhiVarman will rule all the three worlds as per his horoscope. SendhanAmuthan helps VandiyaThevan during his journey to Pazhayarai. KandanMaran is a friend of VandiyaThevan. Manimekhalai is KandanMaran's sister. Sambuvaraiyar is father of KandanMaran and Manimekhalai.

I like the setting and theme of the story. I like the story and continuing reading other parts of Ponniyin Selvan. Stay tuned for the rest.