Before Vandiyathevan, having endured many hardships and escaped countless dangers, arrives at the city of Pazhayarai, let us invite our readers to accompany us on a visit to that ancient capital.

Let us stand on the southern bank of the Arisil River and gaze upon the city. Ah! Is this merely a city? Does it not gleam like an ornament hanging upon the beautiful forehead of Mother Tamil herself? Does it not shine like a forehead jewel set with green emeralds, red rubies, and blue sapphires?

Rivers, streams, tanks, and fields brim with fresh, sparkling water. In them bloom flowers of every hue. Coconut and punnai trees spread their cool, verdant shade. Amidst all this, here and there, the golden domes of towering mansions and the gilded stupas atop temple gopurams flash in the sunlight.

Oh, what a marvel! Within this great city of Pazhayarai, how many smaller towns nestle? Nandhipura Vinnagaram, Thiruchathimuttam, Pattiiswaram, Arichandrapuram, and their temples—all these are encompassed within Pazhayarai, the capital of the Cholas. In each of the four directions of Pazhayarai stand four Shiva temples: Vadathali, Keezhthali, Metrali, and Then-thali. The Aryapadai quarters, Pudupadai quarters, Manapadai quarters, and Pampapadai quarters—four neighborhoods where the warrior clans dwell—are also found here.

And at the very heart of all this stands the Chola Palace. But is it a single palace? Before the time of Vijayalaya Chola, it was but one mansion. Later, for each prince and princess, new palaces were built adjoining the old Chola palace. To behold this spectacle, a thousand eyes would not suffice; to describe it, the imagination of ten thousand poets would not be enough.

Two hundred years later, the great Sekkizhar would sing: “On streets where chariots thronged, shining with jewels, Glorious among the cities of the world—Pazhayarai.”

If he thus described it, imagine how splendid, how vibrant this city must have been in the days of Sundara Chola! Even so, when we first set foot in this ancient capital, we could not behold it in all its former grandeur and festive splendor.

We were not granted the fortune to witness the city in the days when Sundara Chola Chakravarthi sat enthroned in the Chola palace here, governing his vast empire.

After the Emperor fell ill and moved to the great city of Thanjavur, the stream of petty kings, royal envoys, chief ministers, and commanders who once came here from foreign lands ceased altogether. The throngs of attendants and retinues who customarily accompanied them dwindled as well.

Of the brave warriors who once filled the four military quarters, half now upheld the valor of the Tamils on the battlefields of Eelam. Among the rest, some were stationed on the northern frontiers, while others were in Madurai.

Thus, in the military quarters, one now saw mostly the elderly, women, and children.

The Velakkara soldiers who had lived in Mazhavarpaadi had departed with their families to Thanjai, leaving that part of the city deserted, its houses locked and forlorn.

The ministers, feudatories, and officials who