In the direction Aditya Karikalan had pointed, there stood a mandapam on the riverbank. It was a pavilion built of stonework. Some righteous soul must have constructed it long ago for travelers to rest in, sheltering them from sun and rain. That mandapam had endured many years of scorching heat and pounding rain, now bearing the marks of age and decay. At the corners of the mandapam, there were sculpted figures carved in stone. What those figures represented, the elder Malayaman could not tell.

“Did you see, Grandfather?” asked Aditya Karikalan.

“My child! You mean that mandapam, don’t you? I see nothing else there. The pavilion stands empty; I see no one inside,” he replied.

“Grandfather! Only now do I truly realize that you have grown old. Your eyesight has grown dim with age. Look there! A great royal eagle! How enormous it is! How wide its wingspan! What cruelty! What cruelty! It has caught a tiny dove in its talons; can’t you see? The eagle’s sharp claws have torn the dove, and its blood is spilling—don’t you see? Oh, what a marvel! Now look at that other dove, Grandfather! It is circling near that fearsome eagle! How it pleads with the eagle! The dove caught in the eagle’s claws must be its mate! It is begging for its beloved’s life! Grandfather! Is that dove pleading, or is it preparing to fight the eagle? From the way it beats its wings, it seems ready for battle. By the gods! What courage that female dove has! She is going to fight the monstrous fiend to save her lover’s life! Grandfather! Do you think the eagle’s heart will be moved? Never! Never! Not once will it show mercy! It has grown fat and strong by killing and devouring countless doves like these! Wicked eagle! Here, I shall put an end to you!”

So saying, Aditya Karikalan picked up a clod of earth lying nearby and hurled it at the mandapam. The clod struck one corner of the pavilion and fell to the ground.

“Monster! May you get what you deserve!” cried Aditya Karikalan, and then laughed thunderously, the sound echoing like rolling thunder. The elder already harbored some doubts about his grandson’s independent spirit. Now, those doubts grew even stronger.

“Grandfather! Why are you staring at me like that? Go and take a look near the mandapam,” said Karikalan.

As he was told, Malayaman walked closer to the mandapam and examined the spot where Karikalan’s stone had fallen. There, a sculpture was revealed. In that sculpture, a royal eagle was depicted clutching a dove in its talons, as if pecking at it and lifting it up, while another dove seemed poised to leap at the eagle—so lifelike was the artistry.

Malayaman returned and said, “Child! It’s true that I’ve grown old! My eyesight is not as sharp as it once was. Only after going near and looking closely did I realize what fine sculpture it is!”

“Fine sculpture? Call it a marvel,