Near the city of Thanjai, on the very day when a tree fell behind the palanquin in which Mandakini was carried, at the very hour when a boat was swept ashore by the wind on the banks of the heroic Narayana Lake, the events that unfolded in Nagapattinam were recounted in the previous chapters, as readers will recall.

That entire night, Nagapattinam and its surrounding regions were plunged into utter chaos and confusion. People were in such dire straits that it was impossible for them to help one another; survival itself was a blessing. Yet, the Buddhist monks wandered the streets of Nagapattinam, rendering aid to the people as much as they could.

On that same night, the Acharya Bikshu and Ponniyin Selvan remained awake for a long time within the Chola palace at Anaimangalam, conversing together. They spoke with concern about the hardships and losses that must have befallen the people living along the seashore, as the fierce storm had caused the sea to surge.

The prince summoned the palace steward and inquired about the quantity of grain stored in the royal granaries, and the amount of wealth in the treasury. It was found that the granaries were well-stocked with grain. It was also revealed that twelve copper pots filled with gold coins, sent by Sembiyan Madevi for the renovation and black stone work of the Neelayadakshi Amman temple at Thirunagai, were in safe keeping.

“Guru Deva! You have all the means necessary to perform acts of compassion befitting the will of the Buddha. Use all the grain in the palace granaries to feed the poor. Distribute all the gold coins in the copper pots to those who have lost their homes!” said the prince, Ponniyin Selvan.

“How is that just? The grain, perhaps, may be used. But can the money your great grandmother, Sembiyan Madevi, sent for the temple’s renovation be spent on something else? Will not that venerable lady be grieved?” asked the Acharya Bikshu.

“Acharya! I will appease my great grandmother myself. For now, I will spend this wealth to wipe away the suffering of the poor and destitute. In the future, I shall see to it that my grandmother’s heart is filled with joy and pride by making this Chola—” “I will build a hundred Shiva temples across the land. I will raise towering gopurams. Even if the sea rises in fury, I will erect stupas so tall that not even the waves can submerge them. In the great city of Thanjai, I will build a temple so vast, with a gopuram that touches the sky, that people will call it the Dakshina Meru!

Sir! Do not grieve if today the Chudamani Vihara has been swallowed and reduced to dust. Nearby, I will raise a new Chudamani Vihara of stone, so mighty that even a deluge cannot shake it!” The prince spoke, his voice trembling with fervor.

“Ponniyin Selva! It fills me with great joy to hear you speak of the future with such enthusiasm,”