- Shambuga, the ritual specialist, is assigned to skin the
boar’s carcass and lay its meat out in seven separate portions.
The heroes have prepared a ritual offering using the remains of this
sacrificial beast.
- This kind of offering is an old custom, a ritual performed
just before going to war. And very soon the real fight begins! A
fierce band of hunters launch a surprise attack on the hunting
party. They want revenge. Komban was their wild boar!
- As usual, Shambuga fights bravely and with great skill.
- They are thrown into one great heap.
- But this is not true victory. In another story, the one
about the two kings, we learn that these men die heroically, falling
forward on their own swords. They know they can not return to
Ponnivala with pride. All their support fighters have been lost!
- After seeing that his masters have died, and after
finding that they first gave up their special (Kshatriya or warrior)
chest threads, Shambuga decides it is time for him to die (loyally)
beside them.
- Shambuga does not own a sword, so he breaks a pointed limb
off a sacred suma tree near by.
- Shambuga thrusts the blunt end of the great branch into the
ground.
- Next Shambuga says his final prayers, thinking of his two
masters.
- Then Shambuga falls forward onto his own homemade instrument
of death.
- But the story is not over. Now the heroes’ own sister,
Tangal, comes to this tragic dying ground and resurrects her
brothers using pots filled with special substances, plus a wand and
some secret chants.
- When Tangal’s brothers “awaken” so does Shambuga!
He is given the same treatment they get. Tangal uses her magical
powers on him as well!
- The three men pay their last respects to the lovely Princess
Tangal.
- The three men stay “alive” just long enough for their
loving sister to hear their last words. Then Tangal calls upon the
gods to provide biers to carry them down the mountainside to a
village at its foot.
- Tangal prays for all three men as Lord Yeman, the god of
death, arrives to take their life spirits back to the gods.
- Tangal sits beside Shambuga as she gives the order to carry
the three biers in a formal procession down the steep mountain path
to a little village below.
- Shambuga’s bier is carried down that path right behind that
used for the bodies of the twin kings. Afterall, he had served as
their faithful assistant all his life!
- After reaching the village of Virappur, Tangal sees to it
that her two brothers’ bodies, plus Shambuga’s, are all turned
into stone statues. Together they form a small shrine centre. She
now says her own words of prayer.
- The heroes’ loyal horses are soon added to this sacred
site. Shambuga’s statue stands there in memory of his loyal
service to these twin Ponnivala kings. People worship there to this
day.
[<==Back to Part 5]
- A wild boar has been destroying Ponnivala’s fine crops.
War has been declared against it! Shambuga has called together all
the village fighters and asked them to bring their hunting dogs. He
leads these men to the spot where he will set up their hunting camp.
- Shambuga sets up Ponnivala’s hunting tent, while the other
men collect firewood.
- When the two kings arrive they give Shambuga their horses.
His job is to tether them near the hunting camp.
- Now that all is ready the men gather around their leaders’
tent. The hunting plan is discussed. Shambuga will go into forest
first, as scout. He is to find out where the boar’s lair is.
- Shambuga finds the boar alright! He is huge. The two
speak. Shambuga can understand what he says.
- The boar asks about the horn he is carrying.
- Shambuga explains that he can play his instrument rather
well.
- He then asks the boar if he would like to hear a tune.
- When the boar answers, “yes,” Shambuga starts to play.
The tune he chooses is a children’s lullaby.
- Pretty soon the boar has retreated into his cave and fallen
fast asleep!
- Shambuga starts to creep in closer and closer, watching
carefully for any sign that the boar might wake up now that his
music has stopped.
- When all seems safe Shambuga slides past the boar’s right
side, so as to reach the back of the cave.
- Then he climbs up on Komban’s bent leg and grabs a handful
of hair. He pulls so hard that when the hair suddenly comes out
Shambuga falls backwards!
- Shambuga then creeps back out of the cave. The boar is still
sleeping! Shambuga hears him snoring.
- So Shambuga runs back to the hunting camp with a bunch of
boar hair in his right hand. He wants to prove to his masters that
he has actually located Komban’s secret lair.
- Meanwhile a curse generated by the heroes’ sister’s pet
dog is also flying towards the hunting camp. It alights on top of
the heroes’ special tent and causes the two men inside to fall
ill. This little dog is angry because she has not been invited to
join the hunt!
- The curse makes Shankar very sick. He has to lie down.
- Shankar barely drags himself to a seated position when he
hears Shambuga has returned with news about Komban’s location.
- The two sick men manage to come outside of their tent, just
long enough to hear the results of Shambuga’s scouting expedition.
- Shambuga bows before his two masters and shows them the boar
hairs he has brought back. This is his proof to them that he now
knows where Komban’s lair is.
- Shankar and his brother are eager to start the hunt, but they
are both too sick. So Shankar asks Shambuga to lead the village
men and their dogs in his stead.
- Taking these instructions, Shambuga sets off confidently on
his important mission. This time he will lead the full contigent of
village fighters, and bear the full weight of responsibility for
them.
- Shambuga leads the Ponnivala hunters to the boar’s den.
But this time Komban is very wary and takes great care not to be
tricked.
- Soon, Shambuga’s special expedition ends in disaster. All
of the loyal village men are killed by the strong and very wily
Komban. Alas, only Shambuga survives.
- Shambuga returns to the war camp greatly humbled. He must
report this bad news. He feels terrible. But there is nothing he
can do. All of Ponnivala’s loyal supporters have been lost to the
anger of one great black beast!
[<==Back to Part 4]
- A new problem raises its head. Ponnar, the elder of the
kingdom’s two kings, is forced to swim upstream through a
dangerous, dark tunnel. Lord Vishnu has appeared to help him out He
will lead the way. But even this is not enough. Ponnar needs added
help. So Shambuga is called into service once again.
- The problem is that the enemy is standing on top of the
tunnel’s exit ready to throw a huge rock on Ponnar to kill him!
Shankar, the younger brother comes to know of this danger though his
sister’s dream.
- Shankar’s sister has warned him that their brother is about
to drown in the irrigation sluice due to foul play. So he calls
Shambuga and together they rush to Ponnar’s aid.
- Shankar throws his sword with such accuracy that the wiley
artisan is knocked into the water.
- The artisan dies and Ponnar is saved. But the incident does
not end here. The hunters are still angry and they have
pre-arranged an attack on the two heroes at this very spot.
- Now Shambuga enters the picture once more. His first move is
to intimidate the hunters with a special martial arts-style
somersault
- Then Shambuga leaps in the air and comes down hard on the
first hunter who tries to attack him.
- More special jumps help Shambuga to defeat still more hunters
who belong to this same forest-dwelling attack party.
- Shambuga specializes in a special South Indian fighting style
known as Silambam. This is a very old style of martial art which he
knows well.
- Finally Shambuga polishes off the last hunter using only his
fighting stick. This ends this incident, but there will soon be
another for him to deal with.
- The great boar Komban hears all about this mistreatment of
the forest-dwelling hunters. His mistress Viratangal, the lovely
forest Princess, tells him about their many misdeeds.
- Komban wants to help defend the forests. He develops his own
plan to destroy the farmer’s fine fields, during the night!
- First Komban throws the farmers’ fine sugarcane plants in the air as if they were toys.
- Next Komban destroys the dam used to hold back all the stored water the farmers use to irrigate their crops. These releases are gradual. Releasing all the water at once causes a terrible flood. All the young rice plants are killed!
- Finally Komban goes to the farmers’ lovely flower garden
and uproots all the beautiful plants there. With these many acts
Komban has declared war on Ponnivala!
- Shambuga’s mother brings the special oil lamp that will be
needed.
- She is the one who must fill the lamp with oil and make sure
it is properly lit.
- Then Shambuga calls all the hungry spirits that live in the
pond. He gets them to agree to stay out of the way, by feeding
them. This fresh food gives them the power to fly away!
- Next Shambuga uses a special chant, and also the heroes’
great war spear, to raise the great drum up out of the water.
- Now Shambuga dries the drum off carefully.
- The drum head is then renewed using fresh leather. It must
be ready to sound its best when he plays the terrible call to war
on it. The special “tum tum” beat that invites all local men to
join the fight will now be heard across of Ponnivala!
[<==Back to Part 3]
