''Sivagamiyin Sapatham'' ( ta, சிவகாமியின் சபதம், ', , literally 'The vow of Sivagami') is a Tamil

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

written by

Kalki Kalki ( sa, कल्कि), also called Kalkin or Karki, is the prophesied tenth and final incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is described to appear in order to end the Kali Yuga, one of the four periods in the endless cycle of exist ...

, first serialized in

kalki Kalki ( sa, कल्कि), also called Kalkin or Karki, is the prophesied tenth and final incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is described to appear in order to end the Kali Yuga, one of the four periods in the endless cycle of exist ...

during January 1944 June 1946, and published as a book in 1948. Along with

Ponniyin Selvan ''Ponniyin Selvan'' () is a historical fiction novel by Indian author Kalki Krishnamurthy, written in Tamil. It was first serialized in the weekly editions of ''Kalki'', a Tamil magazine, from 29 October 1950 to 16 May 1954 and later integrat ...

, this is widely regarded as one of the greatest novels ever written in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

. Set in 7th-century south

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

against the backdrop of various historical events and figures, the novel created widespread interest in Tamil history. Honour, love and friendship are important themes that run through the course of the novel. It is also the prequel story of Parthiban Kanavu also written by Kalki.

Plot synopsis

It would be difficult to point out who the real

hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...

of the novel is. Mahendravarman I, the

Pallava The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahana dynasty, with whom they had formerly served as fe ...

emperor, plays an important role in the first half of the story while his son

Narasimhavarman Narasimhavarman I was a emperor of the Pallava dynasty who ruled South India from 630 CE – 668 CE. He shared his father Mahendravarman I's love of art and completed the work started by Mahendravarman in Mamallapuram. During his reign fam ...

comes into his own as the novel progresses. The plot revolves around the historical events of the

Chalukya The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynas ...

king,

Pulakeshin II Pulakeshin II (IAST: Pulakeśin, r. c. 610–642 CE) was the most famous ruler of the Chalukya dynasty of Vatapi (present-day Badami in Karnataka, India). During his reign, the Chalukya kingdom expanded to cover most of the Deccan region in p ...

, laying a siege of

Kanchi Kanchipuram ('; ) also known as ''Conjeevaram,'' is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from Chennaithe capital of Tamil Nadu. Known as the ''City of Thousand Temples'', Kanchipuram is known for its temple ...

, and Narasimhavarman avenging this by attacking

Vatapi Badami, formerly known as Vatapi, is a town and headquarters of a taluk by the same name, in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. It was the regal capital of the Badami Chalukyas from CE 540 to 757. It is famous for its rock cut monuments ...

, the capital of the Chalukyas. The novel is divided into four parts.

Part 1: Paranjothi's Journey

The novel begins with the arrival of

Paranjothi Paranjothi ( ta, பரஞ்சோதி), popularly known as Sirruthondar was an army general of the great Pallava king Narasimavarman I who ruled South India from 630–668 CE. He also led the Pallava army during the invasion of Vatapi in 64 ...

in the city of

to attain tutelage under the Tamil saint

Thirunavukkarasar Appar, also referred to as ( ta, திருநாவுக்கரசர்) or Navukkarasar, was a seventh-century Tamil Śaiva poet-saint. Born in a peasant Śaiva family, raised as an orphan by his sister, he lived about 80 years and is ...

. But he ends up saving the damsel Sivagami and her father Aayannar from a mad elephant by throwing a spear at it, almost by reflex. There is considerable unease in the town since the Chalukya king Pulikesi is on his way to attack Kanchi. That night Paranjothi is arrested by the guards and is kept in a cell since Mahendravarman wants to see and jail the young man who saved the life of his most important artists. But Paranjothi manages to escape from the prison with help from Naganandhi, the

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

monk who accompanied him to Kanchipuram. Naganandhi takes him out of the Kanchi fort through a secret tunnel to meet the master sculptor Aayannar, who stays outside the fort in a small settlement. Paranjothi plans to join the sculptor as a student and believes that should be possible since his uncle, a friend of Aayannar, has provided a letter asking Aayannar to take care of his nephew. Naganandhi, who has promised Aayannar that he would get him the secret behind the dyes used in the Ajanta paintings under Chalukyas, asks Aayannar to send Paranjothi on a trip to the

Vindhya The Vindhya Range (also known as Vindhyachal) () is a complex, discontinuous chain of mountain ridges, hill ranges, highlands and plateau escarpments in west-central India. Technically, the Vindhyas do not form a single mountain range in the ...

s to meet a monk who Naganandhi says, should give Paranjothi the secret formula for the dyes. Accordingly, Paranjothi is sent with a note written by Naganandhi ( which actually contains letter to Pulikesi which Paranjothi thinks it is a letter to the monk in the Ajanta regarding coming quickly to coming to Kanchipuram for invading as the current pallava army is weak and scattered)y. Narasimhavarman continues visiting his lover, Sivagami who has mastered the ancient Indian dance form,

Bharathanatyam Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of ...

. But this growing romance between the prince and the sculptor's daughter does not have the approval of the king. Mahendravarman also orders a livid Narasimhavarman, that he should stay in Kanchi and safeguard it when he goes and takes care of Pulakeshin in the battle field. Meanwhile, en route, Paranjothi meets a soldier, Wajrabahu, who gives him company till the inn where they decide to stay for the night. When Paranjothi is fast asleep, Wajrabahu changes the content of the letter that Paranjothi is carrying. The change made saved both Kancipuram and Paranjothi's life. The next day both part ways. Paranjothi travels to a Buddhist monastery and stays there for the night but he didn't know that in that monastery there were Chalukya spies so the spies sent word to the king and soldiers came to arrest Paranjothi. Paranjothi is captured by the soldiers of the approaching Chalukya army. He is taken to Pulakeshin and presented as a spy. Pulakeshin deciphers the letter that Paranjothi is carrying to mean the young man should be given the secret of the Ajanta dyes. Unable to communicate with Paranjothi (since Pulakeshin does not understand Tamil and Paranjothi does not understand Kannada). Pulikesi asks Wajrabahu to interrogate the surprised Paranjothi. Having confirmed from Wajrabahu that Paranjothi indeed knew nothing, Emperor Pulakeshin the great orders Paranjothi to continue his journey to the Vindhyas accompanied by his soldiers. Wajrabahu informs the scared Paranjothi not to worry and asks the young man to trust him. Paranjothi leaves from Pulakesi's camp with some soldiers accompanying him. At night when the soldiers are asleep Paranjothi escapes with the help of Wajrabahu who takes him to the Pallava camp. Paranjothi believes Wajrabahu is a Pallava spy only to later realize that it is in fact the Pallava King, Mahendravarman himself.

Part 2: The Siege of Kanchi

Seven months pass and Paranjothi is now a trusted and able commander in Mahendravarman's army. With the battle with Pulikesi fast approaching, Paranjothi returns to Kanchi and soon becomes a close friend of Narasimhavarman. The prince also finds him a suitable companion to describe his lost love and longing to meet Sivagami. Satrugnan, the spy chief, in the Pallava army, comes with the news from the emperor asking Narasimhavarman to launch an attack on Durveneedhan, a local chieftain who tries to attack Kanchi in this hour of crisis. Aayannar and Sivagami, after being prodded by Naganandhi leave from their settlement to a Buddhist monastery to get away from the impending war. Naganandhi almost gains Sivagami's trust by promising her that he will make her famous by arranging for her performance in all the important sites of the

Chola The Chola dynasty was a Tamils, Tamil thalassocratic Tamil Dynasties, empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated ...

and Pandya kingdoms. From the Buddhist monastery Sivagami notices Narasimhavarman chasing Durveneedhan's forces and in a sudden twist of events Narasimhavarman rescues Aayannar, Sivagami from an impending flood. Unknowst to them the flood actually results due to the breach of the bank of a lake by Naganandhi. The prince, sculptor and the dancer along with Gundodharan a student of Aayannar (who is actually a spy working for the Pallavas) take refuge in the village, Mandapapattu. The romance between Narasimhavarman further blossoms with Sivagami getting convinced that the prince would eventually marry her even though she is a poor sculptor's daughter. Naganandhi tries to assassinate Narasimhavarman but is locked in a room in a temple by the quick wits of Gundodharan. Naganandhi, however, manages to escape and steal the royal seal of the Pallavas. The emperor Mahendravarman reaches the village and almost begs Sivagami to forget marrying Narasimhavarman something which Sivagami claims is very difficult for her to do. Finally the royal party leaves for Kanchi leaving behind Aayannar and Sivagami. Mahendravarman returns to Kanchi. Nanganandhi is arrested by Mahendravarman in Kanchi. As per the orders of the king, the fort is properly protected and is ready to face the invasion of Pulakeshin's army. The siege of Kanchi by Pulakeshin begins.

Part 3: The Monk's Love

Pulakeshin tries bulldozing his way into the fort only to realise that Mahendravarman has fortified the city almost impregnably. He decides to camp outside the fort as long as it takes since he believes that the stockpile of food would soon run out in the fort forcing the Pallava king to surrender. But the city of Kanchi has stocked well and continues to thrive and Pulakesi realises that his forces are running out of food and the elephants are slowly turning uncontrollable. He calls truce and says he wants to enter Kanchi as the King's friend much to the disbelief and dismay of Narasimhavarman, who does not trust the sincerity of Pulikesi. But Mahendravarman tries to convince and finally makes sure Narasimhavarman is not in town when Pulakeshin enters it, by asking the prince to go to war with the Pandya kings in the south. Pulakeshin enjoys the royal hospitality. Sivagami comes from Mandapapattu and performs in the royal assemblage after being ordered by Mahendravarman. Aayannar and Sivagami stay in Kanchi waiting for the fort gates to reopen. Pulakeshin leaves Kanchi and on the final day Mahendravarman reveals how he managed to outwit him as Wajrabahu. Mahendravarman releases Naganandhi. Not aware of the danger that awaits them, Sivagami and Aayannar leave Kanchi using a secret tunnel only to be caught by Pulakeshin's forces. Naganandhi dressed as the king Pulakeshin rescues Aayannar from the soldiers. Mahendravarman is seriously injured in a battle with Pulakeshin's forces. He is bed ridden and realises his folly of extending a hand of friendship to the Chalukya king. He orders Narasimhavarman to avenge this shame to the Pallava dynasty and rescue Sivagami from the clutches of the Pulikesi. Sivagami is taken along with the other prisoners to Vatapi. Naganandhi confesses his love for Sivagami to a shocked Pulakesi, who promises to take care of Sivagami. Naganandhi leaves to take care of other matters at hand. In Vatapi, Pulikesi raises a victory column claiming his victory against the Pallavas. Sivagami refuses to dance in front of the Persian emissaries in Pulakesi's court. But Pulakesi devises a devious way of making her dance by beating the captured Pallava citizens and stopping only when Sivagami dances. Humiliated Sivagami vows that she would not leave Vatapi until Narasimhavarman burns it down and rescues her. She cites the vow as a reason and refuses to come with Narasimhavarman comes with general Paranjothi when he makes a secret visit to come and rescue her. The play beautifully depicts the eroding moral values during Pallava period in Tamil country.

Part 4: The Shattered Dream

Nine years pass. Mahendravarman has died, never recovering from the injury he sustained from the battle with Pulakeshin's army. Narasimhavarman, now crowned King, is married to the Pandya princess, Vanamadevi and have two children Mahendran and Kundavi. He continues his preparation for attacking Vatapi ,he aligned all kingdoms of south India for the preparation for the battle of Vatapi including Cholas and Vengi Pallavas and even the imperial Pandya army. Meanwhile, the differences between the brothers Naganandhi and Pulikesi increases. Naganandhi believes that he should be ruling the country, something he forsook when he took up the Buddhist way of life. He also hides from Pulakeshin the fact that the Pallava forces are on their way to attack Vatapi. What further adds to Nangandhi's anguish is the non-subjugation of Sivagami. Pulakeshin visits Ajanta to take part in a cultural festival and at that time Narasimhavarman reaches Vatapi. The citizens of the fort offer to surrender. Meanwhile, a battle ensues between the returning Pulakeshin's army and the Pallava forces outside the Vatapi fort. Pulakeshin is killed in this battle but this information is not known to the Pallavas since the body is taken and cremated by Naganandhi. Naganandhi returns to Vatapi as Pulakeshin (through a secret tunnel) and withdraws the surrender offer. The novel climaxes with Naganandhi being allowed to escape by Paranjothi on the grounds that Paranjothi does not want to kill a Buddhist monk. Paranjothi feels disturbed with war and the cost that humans have to pay and announces that he taking the life of a

Saivite Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangin ...

and takes up the name

Siruthondar Paranjothi ( ta, பரஞ்சோதி), popularly known as Sirruthondar was an army general of the great Pallava king Narasimavarman I who ruled South India from 630–668 CE. He also led the Pallava army during the invasion of Vatapi in 6 ...

. Sivagami is united with her aging father. She is initially heart-broken on realising that Narasimhavarman is married to someone else, but later decides to dedicates herself to the God Shiva of Kanchi,

Ekambareswarar Ekambareswarar Temple (Ekambaranathar Temple) is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva, located in the town of Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, India. It is significant to the Hindu sect of Saivism as one of the temples associated with the fi ...

Characters

; Mahendravarman :Kalki portrays him as a connoisseur of arts. He is also someone who was well versed in disguising. Kalki also portrays him as a compassionate king who was easily accessible and who sought and got advice from his courtiers. Though he gets converted from being follower of Jainism to

Shaivism Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangi ...

he remains tolerant of other religions and respects their practices. ;

:Outshone by Mahendravarman in the first half of the book, Narasimhavarman takes a life of his own later on. He is the prince who is mad in love with dancer, Sivagami. His love for Sivagami even makes him promise her that he would even relinquish his throne if there was precondition for marrying her. He is portrayed as an disobedient lover who later cunningly deserts Sivagami and marries the Pandya princess to avoid any problems when he is planning attack on the Chalukyas. ;

:The Chalukya king is portrayed by Kalki as being ruthless and almost barbaric is due to his typical hypocritic nature and paints a false contrast between Mahendravarman and Pulakesi. While the former's courtiers are shown as respecting the king for his wisdom and knowledge the latter's subjects fear his ruthlessness. While the Pallava king consults his ministers and acts on their advice the Chalukya king acts more on his whims. Emperor Pulikesi's love for art and subjects' respect echoes from Kanchi to Vatabi to Ajantha to Narmadha as he was the Lord of South - Daksinapatheswara who became Parameswara after defeating the north Indian king Harshavardana of Kannauj on the banks of Narmadha. ;Naganandhi :The fictional twin brother of Pulakesi would probably qualify as the

villain A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...

of the novel. He dons the role of a Buddhist monk and this provides him the license to move freely between the various kingdoms. He has an eye for the art and is also portrayed as a cunning statesman and spy. On more than one occasion he confesses that his love for Sivagami has more to do with her artistic abilities than her physical self. He uses the visual similarity that he has with Pulakesi to his advantage to save Ayanar. Having spent his childhood and most of his youth in a Buddhist monastery under highly challenging circumstances he possesses a body that is immune to any poison. He dedicates his life to the well-being of the state and his brother. ;Sivagami :The mystical dancer who Mahendravarman claims can portray even those postures and nuances that the creator of Bharathanatyam had not thought of. She is in love with Narasimhavarman. Being alone in the sculptor's settlement she only has a parrot and deer for company. Her fame has spread to distant lands. She is also portrayed as being selfless and generous. She is ready to undergo punishment for the sake of freeing the captured women from the Pallava empire. ;

:The able commander of the Pallava army, Paranjothi is portrayed as being a brave soldier. Then he becomes a Saivite monk called Siruthondar and studies with Thirunaavukkarasar. ;Aayanar :Sivagami's father and master sculptor is portrayed as someone who is fanatically in search of the secret behind the Ajanta dyes. He was so curious to know that secret that he was even ready to risk his life and escape from the Kanchi fort and wanted to talk with Pulakesi to get the information. While the self-centred father wants to know Ajanta painting secrets from Pulikesi the dancer daughter seeks revenge from Pulikesi as she feels separated from her lover prince Narasingavarman by coming to Vatapi but it seems Mahendravarman's conspiracy to send her with Pulakesi as a court dancer in Vatapi to avoid contact with his son. ;Satrugnan, Gundodharan :The spies of the Pallava empire. They are portrayed as being extremely capable and have a very good sense of humour. ;Kamali :Sivagami's best friend and also acts as a big sister and mother, who is also the wife of kannapiran. ;Kannapiran :Charioteer for the king Mahendravarman, and his son Narasimhavarman. ;Kabaligai :Ranjani is the original name of the Kabaligai, she was so much in love with Naganandhi and gave up her beauty and normal life to become a Kabaligai, Kabaligars are the people who practice

Endocannibalism Endocannibalism is a practice of cannibalism in one's own locality or community. Endocannibalism has also been used to describe the consumption of relics in a mortuary context. As a cultural practice Herodotus (3.38) mentions funerary cannibal ...

, The kabaligi killed Kannapiran to facilitate Naganandhi forcefully control Sivagami and flee out of the palace(the place were Sivagami was kept in captivity) through a secret passage in the well at the backyard. Ranjani's love for Naganandhi was so blind , despite knowing Naganandhi's intentions to cheat ,she sacrificed her life by obeying to the commands of Naganandhi.

References

{{Reflist

External links

English translation
by Nandini Vijayaraghavan
English translation
by Pavithra Srinivasan
Kalki's Novel as Tamil Audio Books by Sri Srinivasa
- details on Kalki's novel Ponniyin Selvan, Sivagamiyn Sabatham, Parthiban Kanavu in audiobook Mp3 format
Audio podcast of the original Tamil edition
by Sashi Vaidyanathan Tamil novels 1948 novels Tamil history 20th-century Indian novels Novels set in Tamil Nadu Novels set in India Novels set in the 7th century Indian historical novels Indian historical novels in Tamil Novels first published in serial form Works originally published in Kalki (magazine) 1948 Indian novels