Ponnar and Shankar Part VIII: The Chola Monarch Defeated

• The two Ponnivala brothers find themselves stranded on the top of a high cliff. The Chola king, who had invited them to visit the shrine there, pulled the ladder away after they had climbed up and then disappeared. This was a very mean trick indeed. What will these two young rulers do now?
  

• Just as the twin brothers begin to despair a wandering ascetic appears. They call out to him and he promises to help. His first act is to quickly grow his hair very long and then braid it into two rescue ropes. He throws these up to the heroes who catch them on the fly. Who is this rescuing saint? The two brothers don’t realize it, but this wandering beggar is Lord Vishnu himsef in disguise!
  

• The two brothers each catch one of the hair ropes thrown up to them. They fasten the ends well. The two now have constructed an old-fashion variant of the modern zip line!

• Shankar slides down his rope first. He is so courageous. This younger twin is willing to try anything that tastes of adventure. With a little bit of hesitation, but following his brother’s example, Ponnar slides down the second rope to safety, as well.
  

• The twin brothers thank their benefactor. They angrily explain what the Chola king did, and the wandering magician then suggests that they take revenge. The two brothers are eager to follow this stranger’s advice and they set off at a run to retrace their earlier journey to the cliff from the Chola palace. Shankar is in the lead.
  

• When the two brothers reach the monarch’s fort they find Shambuga still sitting outside. He has been waiting for them to reappear all this time! The young men quickly recount their adventures and ask Shambuga to join them. They are going to attack that vile king for all the evil tricks he has tried to play on them.  
  

• Shambuga grabs Ponnar's sword. He and Shankar run forward. Ponnar stays behind and awaits the result. Soon the two fight their way past the main gate and its guards. Once inside they begin their destructive venture in full form.
  

• Pillars are broken into pieces by Shambuga’s great strength.  
  

• Guards and soldiers are cut down by Shankar’s sword.
  

• A number of clansmen are still in the palace, the same men that Ponnar and Shankar earlier had made into refugees by throwing them out of their village.  
  

• Now these men crushed with the Chola’s own palace walls. That evil monarch no longer has the moral authority to provide protection!
  

• Then it is the king’s turn to die. Shankar finishes him off while Ponnar watches in awe. Such a great and powerful man has fallen under his brother’s own sword!
  

• The whole kingdom will be in turmoil now. Their great ruler, the Chola king, is no more!
  

• And it is not just the king himself that is brought to ruin. His whole palace is destroyed and torn to pieces. When the job is finished the two heroes ride off in glory with their assistant, as ever, running like the wind behind them!
  

• Soon the two heroes arrive back at the Ponnivala palace. They are free men now. Never again will they have to pay tribute to a despot, an immoral super monarch!
  

• But oddly the two heroes do not say much about their big adventure to their sister. They simply greet her politely, saying that their travels have gone well. Perhaps they are afraid of what she might say? O worse, perhaps they worry about what she might see lies ahead for them in the future? Perhaps they just don’t want her to worry about them? We will never know why they kept so much of their adventurous lives secret from her.
  

• We do know that the twin brothers retreat quickly to their gambling room. Are they looking for still more danger, and for still more adventures?
  

• The dice games begin again. They will not have to wait long. Another chapter in their busy lives about to open up before them.
  

[Continue to Part 9==>]

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