We first encountered Madurantaka Devar, an important character in this tale, at the very beginning of the story in the Kadambur palace. We saw him once more when he made his way to the palace at midnight through the underground passage of the Pazhuvettaraiyar’s mansion. Yet, on those occasions, we did not properly introduce this renowned prince to our readers—the very one who would later ascend the throne of Thanjavur as Parakesari Uttama Chozhar. We wish now to remedy that omission.

Before we speak of Madurantaka himself, it is necessary to remind our readers a little of his lineage. Before Sundara Chozha Chakravarthi, the Chozha kingdom had long been ruled by his great father, Kandaraditya Chozhar. He and his virtuous consort, Chembiyan Maadevi, daughter of the Malavarayar clan, were both paragons of devotion to Lord Shiva. Their lives were wholly absorbed in the renovation and service of Shiva temples.

Kandaraditya cherished the wish to collect and compile the scattered Thevaram hymns found throughout Tamil Nadu. That wish was not fulfilled during his lifetime, though he did manage to gather some of the hymns. He himself composed several hymns in the style of the Thevaram, and among them, the hymn he sang in praise of Chidambaram is still preserved today in the collection known as Thiruvisaippa.

In a hymn he composed, Kandaraditya refers to his illustrious father, Parantaka Chakravarthi, and the golden roof he installed at the temple of Thillai (Chidambaram):

“The valiant king of the north, who conquered the southern lands And Lanka as well, The red-sceptred Chozhan, the king of kings, Chembiyan, adorned in gold, In the jeweled Thillai temple, where ankleted women sing and dance, Our Lord, who wears the crescent moon…” In that hymn, he alludes to the fact that his father conquered both the Pandya country and Eelam. In the final verse of the decad, not only does he mention his own name, but he also refers to the Chola capital of his time, Thanjai.

“Adoring the golden Annamalai of Thillai, He, the lord of the fertile groves, the king of Kozhi, The sovereign of Thanjai, Kandaradithan, whose words are like nectar— Those who master his rare Tamil garland Shall attain eternal fame and supreme bliss in the world beyond!”

Kandaradithar had no faith in expanding the empire through war. Having witnessed the sufferings that wars brought upon mankind, he strove, as much as possible, to avoid conflict and sought only peace. As a result, during his reign, the Chola empire shrank considerably.

In his later years, Kandaradithar married the daughter of the Mazhavarayar. Their son, Madurantakan, was but a small child at the time of Kandaradithar’s passing. Enemies were rising on all sides of the kingdom. At the same time, Kandaradithar’s younger brother, Arinjayan, was grievously wounded in battle and awaited death.

Arinjayan’s son, Sundara Cholan, by then had crossed into manhood, had beaten the drums of victory in many wars, and had earned a name as a great hero. Therefore, Kandaradithar decided that Sundara Cholan alone was worthy of the throne after him, and announced this to the people. To prevent any disputes over the succession, he declared that only the descendants of Sundara Cholan would be heirs to the throne.

He had also told his wife that their son, Madurantakan, should be raised as a devotee of Shiva and engaged in service to the Lord. All these were matters well known to the land in those days. Sembiyan Maadevi fulfilled the promise she had given her husband. From a young age, she instilled in Madurantakan a deep devotion to Shiva and a spirit of renunciation toward worldly life.

Until about the age of twenty, Madurantakan regarded his mother’s word as sacred scripture. He had no interest whatsoever in affairs of state; not even the thought that the Chola throne was his by right arose in his mind. But two years ago, after marrying the daughter of the younger Pazhuvettaraiyar, his heart began to change. The desire that had first appeared as a faint spark was fanned into a flame by the young queen of Pazhuvoor, Nandini. The small ember soon became a raging forest fire. Various... For various reasons, we have seen that many of the minor kings and great officials of Chola Nadu attempted to plot in support of Madurantaka. They were waiting for the moment when Sundara Chola would close his eyes, so they could raise Madurantaka to the throne. But Madurantaka himself did not wish to wait that long. He began to think that Sundara Chola had no right to the throne, and that the Chola Empire should have come to him by right. Moreover, was not Sundara Chola now bedridden with illness, unable to attend to the affairs of the kingdom? Then why should he not immediately ascend the throne of Thanjavur and take up the burden of rule?

Now, it was the responsibility of the Pazhuvettaraiyars to restrain this royal madness that had seized Madurantaka. They did not wish to act in haste and ruin the matter. Both sons of Sundara Chola were heroes among heroes. By their valorous deeds and other noble qualities, they had won a place in the hearts of the people. Two great chieftains—Kodumbalur Velar and Thirukovalur Malayaman—stood in support of Sundara Chola’s sons. Even within the army, a large portion of the soldiers favored the sons of Sundara Chola. Therefore, the Pazhuvettaraiyars resolved to wait patiently as long as the Emperor lived.

In the meantime, they came to know that the Emperor’s mind had changed somewhat. If Sundara Chola himself declared that, after him, the crown should go to Prince Madurantaka, there would be no trouble at all. The only ones who could stand in the way were the Younger Princess and Sembiyan Madevi. The intrigues of the Younger Princess could be overcome by counter-intrigues. But if Sembiyan Madevi, who was revered throughout the Tamil land as a divine being, stood in opposition, it would not be easy to overcome that obstacle. It