That evening, the front entrance of Kadambur Sambuvaraiyar’s palace witnessed a spectacle of wonders never before seen. As far as the eye could see, crowds upon crowds of people pressed together in a dense throng. Men and women, boys and girls, the elderly and the young—every age and kind were present in that gathering.

Old men and women, unable to stand firmly on their own, leaned on their staffs for support. Unmindful of being jostled and pushed by others, they swayed and struggled, driven only by their eagerness to behold the heroic visage of Aditya Karikalan. Children, heedless of being squeezed in the midst of the crowd, pushed and shoved, striving to reach the front. Young women, casting aside their natural shyness, struggled and fought their way forward through the mass of unfamiliar men, determined to catch a glimpse of the prince.

The young men, for their part, paid not the slightest attention to these maidens, not even sparing them a sidelong glance. Their sole concern was to secure a vantage point from which they could clearly see the prince. Many of them had climbed up the trees that lined the palace’s front and sides. Still others tried to scale the outer walls of the palace, only to be pulled down and pushed away by the palace guards.

Young mothers, with green infants perched on their hips, endured many hardships in that crowd, yet remained steadfast. When their children cried, the mothers soothed them, saying, “My dear! Don’t cry! The greatest of all heroes in valiant Tamilakam, the one who slew Veerapandiyan—Aditya Karikala Chozhar—is about to arrive! If you are blessed to see him, one day you too will become a hero like him!” In this manner, lovers spoke to their beloveds, mothers to their children, all speaking of Aditya Karikalan.

Thus, the heroic fame of Aditya Karikalan had spread far and wide throughout the land in those days. Who could remain indifferent to seeing the prince who, at the age of twelve, had entered the battlefield, sword in hand, and felled many foes; who, at the battle of Sevur, had routed the Pandya army, forcing Veerapandiyan to flee into the desert and hide in a rocky cave; who, at nineteen, had shattered the Pandya rescue force, tracked down Veerapandiyan’s hiding place, and returned with his severed head? Who would not yearn to see such a prince?

For the past three or four years, countless rumors had circulated about this heroic prince. Some said that after Aditya Karikalan’s coronation as Crown Prince, a rift had arisen between Sundara Chola the Emperor and his son, and that the Emperor did not wish for Aditya Karikalan to ascend the throne after him. Others claimed that, just as once in the past a Pallava prince had established an independent kingdom in Kanchi and founded the great Pallava dynasty, so too did Aditya Karikalan desire to establish a separate rule in Kanchi. Some said that the Emperor showed more affection and partiality towards his