Girivraja

6 months ago

proteeti

@sambhavami

Girivraja, the capital of Vasumati Magadh, presented a truly breathtaking cityscape. The majestic emerald ranges of Vipula, Vaihara, Varaha, Vrishabha and Chaityaka watched over the bhadrasana of its ambitious Emperor. The golden river Shon flew by alluringly, dancing past the city, depositing itself finally into the divine Ganga. Mother Nature too had not been close-fisted when she had decorated this kingdom with an abundance of flowering fields, towering forests and bountiful fields. Whatever (not much) was lacking, had been supplemented by the citizens who had flocked to the cities ornamenting their cities with unprecedented art, shilpa-sthapatya, that rendered Magadhi cities a visual marvel.

At night, the city glittered with thousands of flickering lamps, bustling with the hustle of its prosperous citizens. Rows of flaming torches adorned the fearsome fifteen-foot walls, striking fear in the hearts of its enemies. Visitors and businessmen alike flocked to the capital in search for wealth that had not yet been completely locked down in the chains of organised society.

It was said that the lands of the Shoora-Kaurava were ruled by the Brahman, Panchala by Kshatriyas and Vasumati by the Vaishyas. Representatives of the royal offices however vehemently denied this statement, which they deemed an insult to the lineage of the Vasava-Raja Jarasandha. Businessmen however enjoyed an unprecedented level of patronage from the same offices which reeked of greased palms.

Despite being ruled by a King that boasted of his relation to the Kurus, the Matsyas, Vatsas and Chedis, over time, Keekkata Vasumati, and by extension Girivraja, had become a centre for dissent against the advancing Brahman schools of thought.

The Emperor himself was a devout supporter of the old religion, and yet he fanned these flames of defiance in his own political interest. This also drew pundits of all disciplines to this so-called 'land of sinners', much to the chagrin of the northern universities and other congregatory centres of knowledge. The royal coffers heartily supported the Vedic purohits, and yet financed the early proponents of the up-and-coming Jain and Bodhi philosophies.

Girivraja had always been a heavily guarded city, and yet of late the security in and around the city had been increased ten-fold. The emperor’s only son-in-law had been murdered in Mathura, and the offender had escaped from right underneath the noses of Magadh's own troops. The furious emperor had consequently issued warnings to the entire army, leaving all government officials on edge.

The city was now accessible only through ten guarded entry points scattered across the imposing stone wall, beyond the newly reinforced moat that was replete with vicious aquatic creatures that were imported from Magadh's seaside neighbours. Outside all these gates stood thousands of people, men and women, elders and children, all those who had braved the difficult and uninviting terrain surrounding this little paradise, in search of a better life, all lined up from dawn until dusk in the hopes of being admitted to the heartland of this mighty kingdom.

In one such queue, stood a tall, slender, young man of about eighteen, leaning slightly on a herding stick held under his right arm. Near his feet sat a petite, veiled woman, clutching a small cloth bundle, which the man had carried, probably hung over the stick, at some other time. Their clothes and body were caked in dust and grime, a testament to the long journey they had undertaken. Several similar couples crowded the line behind them. They had all been crawling in this line since the daybreak that day. Hunger and thirst marked their young faces as the cries of several cranky babies rang in their ears.

"Next!" Called the clerk at the entry booth, making the couple jump in surprise. Having stood stuck in nearly one place for an hour or so, they hadn't even noticed that they had reached the front of the line.

The man hurried forward, and bowed to the clerk with a big grin on his face.

The officer was however hardly impressed. He let out a disdainful groan as he called out, "Name?!"

"She is Radha. I am Krishna, sir."

The pudgy officer's eyes shot up, as he shook his head slightly, refocusing his eyes. For the first time since that morning, he took a proper look at the person standing before him. The boy was tall, dark and bore a charming disposition despite the grime of the road marring his face. A few dark, curly locks stuck out from his loosening turban.

"Krishna?" The officer said, clearing his throat, "That Krishna, for whom the Emperor is conducting a manhunt across and beyond his blessed empire?"

"One and the same, Sir," The man said seriously, "What happened you see, after I killed my Uncle Kamsa, I went back home, picked up my girlfriend here, and ran straight to Magadh. You see, I think the Emperor will search the entire world, but not his own backyard. Good plan, right? Hence..." The man bowed dramatically once more, and stood at attention.

The officer started at him for a few seconds. Then, he burst into a fit of laughter.

He laughed and laughed, holding his belly. He had to leave his seat for a few moments when he laughed holding his knees. The boy also laughed and nodded along good-naturedly along with the officer.

Just as the officer took his seat once more, with the last bout of his laughter dying down, the woman raised her veil. Immediately, the officer's laughter fell silent as he stared at her face. Even though her golden-complexion was marred by dust, and her unibrowed eyes glistened red from the lack of sleep, her beauty still was enough to render the spectators speechless.

"His name is Damodar, Sir," She spoke in a soft, musical tone, "And he is a bit of a jokester. I apologise for him. I am Radha, his wife."

"Um, yeah," The officer fought to regain his composure as he forcefully peeled his eyes off of the hypnotic woman, "So, what work can you do?"

"Anything, Sir," the man replied, "Although, I am particularly gifted with animals. I used to herd all the cows back in our village."

"We already have many cowherds.” The man said, “But then, with the Emperor's growing livestock, one can really never have too many herders and porters! But, mind it, you may have to hop around a bit, before we can find anything permanent for you to do. Wait, is that a flute I see, on your waist?"

"Yes, Sir." The man said cheerfully, "At the risk of sounding vain, I am not such a bad player."

The officer nodded encouragingly, "Yeah, the local orchestra's missing a flautist. You should come by for auditions. Here, hold on to these parchments, they are your temporary credentials. By next week's end we'll have you and your woman's official identity tablets made, so you can come collect them. You will be eventually given a house near the fields, but until we can sort that, you have to rent a place at the local lodger's. Here, Ramu will take you there. Ramu! Yeah, next!"

A sharp-featured boy of about nine sprung up from behind the desk, and with a bright smile, he leapt forward, leading the couple inwards through the giant arched doorway. The boy happily skipped a few steps ahead, as the couple dawdled cautiously behind him.

In a few steps, the woman sharply slapped the man's arm, making him jump. "Why did you have to blab?"

"God, can you hit!" Krishna exclaimed indignantly, as he dramatically massaged his arm, "I can read people. I just made a joke of it, so that he wouldn't ask actual inconvenient questions!"

"You're lucky it worked out." She replied crossly.

Even as they argued, Ramu, the boy, piped up reedily, as he pointed at an unassuming stone house, "We're here! Hey, Lakhan, new heads for you to shave!"

"What!" Radha yelped.

"Local slang, dehi!" The boy laughed, "He charges an arm and a leg for late arrivals like yourselves!" He pulled Krishna down by the arm, "Listen you seem like pretty interesting people, and you look nice, so I will say this. Lakhan? He has room for sure, but he will say he doesn't. So don't give up, and haggle!"

"Good man," Krishna laughed even as the paunchy owner of the lodge waddled in. "How many?"

"Just two," Krishna nodded.

"No room."

"Come on, Sir." Krishna pleaded, "Where would we go so late at night? We'll adjust in any corner you may have. We can even adjust and spend the night in the barn if that’s all you have."

"Please, Sir." Radha joined, "We are just two."

The owner looked them up and down. He had the same hypnotic look in his eye, as the officer and his soldiers as he stared at Radha's pleading face. At last, he nodded weakly, "Fine, one copper per person per night."

Krishna nodded as he quickly scrambled out two coins from his waistband and handed it to the man. He snatched them from Krishna’s hands as he held them close to his eye. Only once he was satisfied with their quality, he pointed in opposite directions, "Food will not be given here. Man, woman, separate room. Go before I change my mind!" Radha and Krishna both nodded and hurried before the man had a chance to do as he said.

"What about food?" Krishna asked once they were out of the earshot of the owner.

Radha smiled slightly, "Let's just consider tonight's a fast offered as prayer in anticipation of our new life."

The lodge only had two mid-sized rooms that faced each other. Neither of the rooms came with a door. Krishna felt a tug on his dhoti, and turned to find the little boy still tagging along.

"You," He shook his head sympathetically, "You forgot to haggle. Going rate is only one copper for two people! Any way, you go! You have to fight for every inch here anyhow!" He winked, "I will escort her. Get her settled in and all, right?"

Radha and Krishna both fought back laughter, as they both nodded.

The boy led Radha into the women's room, and found her a place by the doorframe. "In case of fire, it's easier to run from here." He said seriously. Radha however smiled brightly, and produced a bronze coin from underneath her veil. She held it discretely before the boy's eyes, but refused to let go once the boy touched it.

"We will get a nice, big house, right? With a pretty view?" She whispered.

"I will look into it." Ramu said importantly.

"Okay, Sir." Radha smiled and handed the coin over, and the boy went bounding away.

Krishna meanwhile had also secured a place right next to the door, and had already lied down, with his head laden on his arm, his eyes positioned just out of the doorframe, peering into the other room, contentedly watching the little drama play out.

Smart! He mouthed to Radha, who had also laid down in a similar fashion.

"Dude!" Said a man lying beside him, "You'll get kicked in the head in the middle of the night if you sleep like that!"

Krishna turned to him with a smile, "If so, I will forgive my offender in the name of love, brother!"

That night, despite their tiredness, Radha and Krishna both barely slept, spending the hours instead sending silent giggles across the rooms and hushed conversations carried on in signs.