We invite our readers to embark with us, for a short while, upon a journey in the boat of imagination, drifting upon the endless flood of time. Let us swiftly traverse centuries at the rate of a hundred years per second, and travel back to an era one thousand and fifty-eight years before today (written in 1950).

In the southern part of Thirumunaippadi, the land that lies between Thondai Nadu and Chola Nadu, two leagues west of the sacred Chidambaram temple, there stretches a vast lake, spreading out like a surging sea. This is the Veeranarayana Lake. It measures a league and a half from south to north, and half a league from east to west. Over the passage of time, its name has been shortened, and in these days it is known as the “Veeranarayanam Lake.”

Whoever beholds the Veeranarayana Lake during the months of Aadi and Avani, when the fresh floods pour in and the waters brim and overflow, cannot help but feel a surge of pride and wonder at the marvelous deeds accomplished by our ancient Tamil forebears. Did our ancestors act only for their own welfare and that of their contemporaries? Did they not also perform great works that would benefit the countless generations yet to come, who would be born and live in this beloved motherland, age after age?

On the eighteenth day of the month of Aadi, as evening approached, a young warrior rode his horse along the banks of the Veeranarayana Lake, which spread out before him like a restless sea. He belonged to the illustrious Vaanar clan, famed in the martial history of Tamilakam. His name was Vallavarayan Vandiyathevan. His horse, weary from a long journey, now walked at a slow, tired pace. Yet the young warrior was unconcerned about his steed’s fatigue; his heart was utterly captivated by the boundless beauty of the Veeranarayana Lake.

On the day of Aadi Perukku, the rivers of Chola Nadu traditionally overflow their banks, their waters touching both shores. The lakes that draw water from these rivers also fill to the brim, their waves lapping at the very crest of their banks. From the river known as Vadakaveri to devotees, and as Kollidam to the common folk, water flowed through the Vadavaru and poured into the Veeranarayana Lake, transforming it into a churning sea. Through the seventy-four sluices of the lake, the water gushed forth, spreading prosperity to the lands all around for many miles. With the waters of this lake... As far as the eye could see, the fields were alive with the bustle of ploughing, planting, and the fragrance of fresh earth. The men who tilled the land and the women who planted the young rice sang sweet songs here and there, their voices ringing with joy. Listening to these melodies, Vandiyathevan did not urge on his weary horse but let it proceed at a gentle pace.

Ever since he had ascended the bund of the great lake, he had been counting the