Ponniyin Selvan by Kalki Krishnamurthy (1899-1954) inspired youngsters of that generation to go on the trails of Vanthiyadevan and Arulmozhivarman. This magnum opus of Kalki brought the fame of Arulmozhivarman, who later was coronated as Rajarajacholan, which this great visionary deserved. Though Ponniyin Selvan was widely celebrated, readers who were so engrossed and travelled back in time didn’t want the story to end. There was a strong feeling of incompleteness. Balakumaran (1946-2018) was one among the millions who got inspired and embarked on the journey to make the readers feel complete with his own magnum opus “Udaiyar”.
Readers can relate that once they get into the world of history fiction by such eminent authors, there’s no going back. Once I finished the trilogy of Kalki Krishnamurthy, I got to know about many other such history-fiction works. But I was just keen to complete the well-known works of Kalki Krishnamurthy, Balakumaran and Shandilyan (1910-1987). They are fondly known as the trinity of history fiction/Tamil literature. I’m yet to read the works of Shandilyan.
Since I read few authoritative works about the Brihadeeshwara temple and being a beginner in learning history, the myths revolving around the great temple and the death of this great ruler was always a curious anecdote to research. I found the answers for some of the myths and mysteries as I read “Udaiyar”.
I read Udaiyar immediately after reading Ponniyin Selvan. It was almost like a sequel but written by different authors. Kalki Krishnamurthy’s work was so organized that each and every chapter was properly titled. It followed a pattern. But in Udaiyar, keeping track of the story was a bit difficult. There were so many characters used and they were dropped then and there. Balakumaran kindled the curiosity but disappointed the readers by dropping the characters like Gunaseelan, Vainavadasan etc. The six huge parts of work had so much of repetition. After reading the ‘Meikeerthi’ of Udaiyar Sri Rajaraja Chola Devar again and again throughout the books, I somehow managed to remember and I can even quote few lines from it without refering the book.
Udaiyar sowed the seed of the biggest ever rumour that Karuvurar Devar was the Guru of Rajaraja Cholan. This is one of the commonly heard stories. Balakumaran gave so much importance to this Siddhar. Rajaraja Chola’s Guru was “Eesana Shiva Pandithar” for which find inscription at the Brihadeeshwara temple itself. Karuvurar and the King were not even contemporary. The ultimate outcome of the myth was Karuvurar had to spit for the Shivalingam to be properly installed at the sanctum. There is some literary evidence that suggests that Karuvurar could be a contemporary to Rajendra Cholan. But never the Rajaguru of the latter also. Sarva Shiva Pandithar is the inscribed name of Rajendra’s Rajaguru. Karuvurar Devar’s portrayal in Udaiyar is so cinematic. He beats his thigh out of confidence saying “Rajarajaa You build the temple, I’ll protect you from anything.” While Rajaraja Chola would be sleeping somewhere in his palace.
All these exaggerations and disconnections are not found in the works of Kalki Krishnamurthy. I agree that every author has their own style of writing and injecting their imaginations. But here it seems artificial.
Balakumaran, like other authoritative scholars, have logically understood and written about the construction of the temple. The myth that is still believed by the masses, is that they planned and built a ramp on one side of the temple and pulled the top stone to that height. Building a ramp on one side means the other end of the ramp would be resting and pushing against the whole structure, which would’ve caused the structure to lean or even collapse. In Udaiyar, we find the simplest logical answer that it was built with the help building a ramp-like structure around the temple, like the cock-screw method used to build the Pyramids in Egypt.
While there is no match for the greatness of Rajaraja Chola, Rajendra Chola is no less than his father. They both were undoubtedly the greatest ever king the world had seen. Rajendra Chola throughout this Udaiyar has been portrayed as a strict, strong and a fierce Prince.
I liked the distinctive portrayal of Senapathi Krishnan Raman, who built the surrounding corridor around the grand temple. His son Arunmozhi was equally given importance. Balakumaran brilliantly drew out their constant thoughts of serving and safeguarding the Chola Kingdom in good detail. This makes us delve into the details about their spying and strategy planning etc. Panjavan Maadevi had her fair share of brilliance expressed. The Pallipadai temple of Panjavan Maadevi is a must visit.
There are few heartwarming moments that make us feel real. Vainavadasan’s death, Udaiyar conversing with Panjavan Maadevi while she fights for her life, the death of Rajaraja Cholan and Panjavan Maadevi etc. The sole credit of the peaceful death of Rajaraja Chola should go to Balakumaran. Our history enthusiasts and few other scholars never allowed this great man to have had a peaceful death. There are so many stories woven around this incident.
This post is just a simple attempt to differentiate the facts from the fictional work. One can’t even imagine criticizing the authors who made the common people learn history but with a big pinch of fiction. Also it is important to understand the fact that readers who know factual history, can easily differentiate the truthful facts and leave behind the fictions as that’s where the creativity of the author comes into play.
Yours East Gaterr
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