In the secret council chamber of the Thanjavur palace, Emperor Parantaka Sundara Chozha sat enthroned upon the Dharma Singhasana. The most prominent among the women of the palace were seated on either side of him. The ministers, commanders, and royal princes of Chozha Nadu stood before the emperor in attitudes of respectful reverence. Among the women, the senior empress Sembiyan Maadevi, the queen Vanamaadevi, the younger princess Kundavai, and the Kodumbalur princess Vanathi were present. Poonguzhali, hesitant to mingle with the others, stood a little apart.

Among the men, the elder Pazhuvettaraiyar and the younger Pazhuvettaraiyar, the chief minister Aniruddha, the commander-in-chief Periya Velar, the lord of Miladu Malaiyaman, Prince Arulmozhi Varman, the reborn Madurantaka Devar, and Parthibendran Pallavan were all present, with Parthibendran standing a little behind the chief minister.

The emperor cast his gaze over those assembled in the hall and asked, “Have all those who were summoned arrived? I do not see the lord of Kadambur.”

“The son of the Samburayar has just returned. Both father and son will be here shortly,” replied Parthibendran.

“Oh! Kandhamaaran has returned? What news does he bring? Has he captured those who fled?” inquired Sundara Chozhar.

“No, my lord! He could not capture them. But he claims to have slain Vandiyathevan. Another madman has not been caught; it seems he escaped,” said Parthibendran.

At this, the elder Pazhuvettaraiyar let out a grunt. The others expected him to speak, but he said nothing.

The emperor said, “I do not know what further consequences may arise from the mistakes I have made! Chief minister! You know well the thoughts in my heart. I have summoned here those most dear to me and to my lineage. The reason for this gathering, and my intentions, you must explain to them. You can express it more clearly than I can, can you not?”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” said the Prime Minister, and then, turning to address the assembly, he spoke:

“You are all aware of the many reasons that have wounded the Emperor’s heart. Our king was recently forced to lose his eldest son, a warrior among warriors, comparable to Abhimanyu and Aravan. The cause of the prince’s death remains shrouded in mystery. For three years, our king has not seen that valiant son. Though Karikalan sent message after message, urging his father to come and stay at the golden palace he had built in Kanchi, the Emperor did not go. You all know the reason for this. Here, in this great city of Thanjavur, the Emperor has remained under the protection of Chinna Pazhuvetarayar. Many rumors have spread throughout the land and its cities. In such circumstances, if the Emperor were to leave Thanjavur, might not some suspect that he had lost faith in the Pazhuvetarayar brothers? The Emperor did not wish to give room for such thoughts.

Now, I will openly speak of something our king hesitates to say himself. For this, I beg the forgiveness of the noble chieftains of royal blood gathered here. For some time, our king has suffered from a bodily illness that has robbed his legs of strength. This has caused him much distress of spirit. But even more than this, there is a mental anguish that has wounded his heart. You, who have long been the steadfast pillars of the Chola dynasty, who have forged bonds with this royal house through generations, who have been the diamond columns supporting this great Chola Empire—among you, divisions and enmity have arisen. This has wounded our Emperor’s heart and worsened his illness.

Under the leadership of Rajaditya, who now rests upon the elephant in the warrior’s heaven, you all fought as one on the battlefield of Takkolam. There, because Rajaditya met an unexpected heroic death, the Chola army was defeated. Yet, by your valor, determination, and unity, you turned that defeat into victory. You reclaimed the lost Thondai and Ganga territories. On the battlefield of Sevur, you repelled the Pandyas, conquered the Pandya country, and brought it under our direct rule. In Lanka, you overthrew Mahinda and raised the Tiger Banner high. All these great and noble deeds were achieved because you stood united, considering the welfare of the Chola Empire as your own.

But that harmony has changed in recent years. For some reason, divisions have arisen among you. You have split into two factions. Our Emperor has labored much to heal this rift. He knows that the root of your division is the question of who shall inherit the throne after him. None of you have spoken of this directly to the Emperor. Yet— Our incomparable Emperor, with his unmatched wisdom, divined and understood the matter. He wished to discuss the question of royal succession openly with all of you, to resolve it amicably through mutual understanding. He had intended to go to Kanchi only after settling this issue. He had decided that the Chola Empire should rightfully belong to the son of the holy Siva-gnana Kandaradithar. He believed that even Aditya Karikalan could be brought to agree to this. For that very purpose, he had sent word, asking Karikalan to come here. But in the midst of these plans, an unexpected and tragic event occurred. When the Emperor heard that Karikalan was coming to the palace of the Kadambur lord, his heart was filled with joy. He hoped that through this, the discord among you would be dissolved. He thought that if Karikalan married the daughter of Sambuvarayar, you would all once again be united in spirit, and the matter of royal succession could be resolved with ease. I too thought the same. Many among you must have thought likewise. Even our lord of Thirukovalur did not object to Aditya Karikalan going to Kadambur for this very reason. But all our hopes have been dashed. In the palace of Kadambur, Prince Karikalan met with an untimely death…”

“Are we going to find out how that happened, or not? It would be proper for you to speak further only after