Born into wealth and raised amidst luxury was the young princess, Kundavai Devi. In beauty, she rivaled Rathi; in wisdom, the goddess of arts; in fortune, the goddess of prosperity herself. From Sundara Chola Chakravarthi down to the common folk of Chola Nadu, all revered her. In the palace, many waited eagerly for the chance to fulfill even the smallest of her wishes. Lesser kings longed for the honor of having a princess from their own line serve as Kundavai Devi’s handmaiden. Across the land of Bharata, princes destined for imperial thrones undertook penance, yearning for the fortune of holding Kundavai’s hand in marriage.

Yet, this princess, blessed with every conceivable fortune, was now submerged in a boundless ocean of sorrow. All the warnings she had sent to Aditya Karikalan had been in vain. She had dispatched an urgent message, begging him not to go to the palace of Sambuvarayar. Her beloved elder brother, who always held her word in the highest regard, had brushed aside her plea and set out for Kadambur Palace. There, in mysterious circumstances, he had met an untimely death. Kundavai had always believed that Nandini was a sister to herself, to Karikalan, and to Arulmozhi. She also knew that, for some reason, Nandini harbored a deep-seated grudge against Karikalan. If it was indeed by Nandini’s hand that Karikalan met his end, there could be no greater disgrace or shame for the Chola dynasty. After Karikalan’s death, the fate of Nandini remained unknown.

The loss of her beloved brother brought Kundavai immeasurable grief. Even two days after his soul had departed, she melted in sorrow, recalling the heroic radiance that had always shone upon his noble face. Ah! What dreams that great warrior had cherished! He had spoken of conquering lands up to the Himalayas, like Karikala Peruvallathan, and planting the tiger banner atop its peaks. Such a man’s glorious body had, in the span of half a nazhigai, been reduced to ashes. He had merged with the very soil of Chola Nadu. Yet, from that mingled earth, in the days to come, thousands upon thousands of valiant heroes would arise. They would set forth from Chola Nadu in all directions, crossing seas to distant lands. They would wage mighty wars and expand the borders of the Chola Empire. Wherever they went, they would raise towering temples with sky-piercing gopurams, proclaiming the greatness of Chola Nadu. They will stand tall and majestic, as proclaimed to the world. They will spread the glory of Tamil, its arts, and the Saiva and Vaishnava faiths. The hymns of the three great Tevaram saints and the songs of the Alwars will resound in lands beyond the seas. The victorious cry of “Vetri Vel! Veera Vel!” will echo everywhere…

These are not mere dreams. They are things that can truly come to pass. If all that the elders, astrologers, and experienced mothers have said about the auspicious hour of Arulmozhi Varman’s birth is true, then all the visions Karikalan dreamed of