Nine Book Three: The Rise of the Kalingan by Shobha Nihalani

Author:Shobha Nihalani [Nihalani, Shobha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789385890284
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2015-12-22T22:00:00+00:00

20

Tipu

I regretted the moment we were pushed out of our shelter and shoved into the horse cart. Vassa was useless in such matters. All he wanted to do was argue. But that would have gotten us nowhere. We had to do as we were bid; after all, this was a cruel king’s land. And we dared not oppose the royal guards.

As the horse cart sped through the city, I was amazed by the beauty of Pataliputra. The city shimmered in the warm sunlight. The planning was complex and it was incredibly clean. Even the alleys were paved with stones. The houses were neatly constructed in rows. The shops were located in a different part of the city. The market was bustling with tradesmen and visitors selling their wares. The city was cleverly divided into sections and each one was coloured differently. The guards too had different coloured uniforms. There was much laughter in the eating district. The rows of carts selling fruits looked enticing. I almost fainted from hunger. It seemed like a long journey to the palace grounds. My legs were stiff and my hands ached from gripping the walls of the cart, else I would have fallen out.

Finally, we reached the palace and it was even more opulent than I could have ever imagined—it looked like it was built by the hands of angels. The food hall was splendid and run with an efficiency I had not seen ever before. The servers didn’t waste time. They brought out buckets of foods and ladled it out to the rows and rows of hungry palace workers and visitors.

As we ate, Vassa told me about his encounter with the drunkards at the tavern last night. He whispered that Ashoka was a barbaric murderer and thrived on torturing people. But because he was blessed by the great Buddha, he had prospered.

When we were led to the visiting chambers of the senior minister Radhagupta, I was sure I had entered a court in heaven, rather than a palace built on earth. The drapes that fell from the windows were made of woven silk. The huge hall was painted by the most creative artists and the floor was as white as the clouds in the sky but as solid as the tree trunks that grew in our backyards. The marble floor must have taken years to polish; I could practically see my face reflected on the surface.

My jaw dropped when the minister entered the chambers; he was robed in the most unusual fabric, intricately designed and spun with gold. Vassa nudged me and, realizing my mistake, I bowed low from the waist.

Despite the opulence, Vassa seemed uninterested in the surroundings; his attention was focused on the minister. He had barely noticed the most unusual gems encrusted on the furniture and fittings in the chamber. There were delicate pieces of pottery and unusual sculptures all around us. These were objects of great value, obviously transported from overseas. This was only one chamber, I could barely imagine what the rest of the palace looked like.

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