The suggestion that Bhaskara’s greatest devotion was to Chanda visibly irked Lochana. The Devi knew what Lochana wanted to say — that her son’s obsession with his holy wife was leading the rest of his life to ruin. Bhaskara would not sleep with his royal wife nor any of his concubines, thus Lochana had been denied grandchildren. The old Devi wished her son had never laid eyes upon their Akashvani.
‘It is not for us to question our Lord, who has shown me what must be done, and you, Devi Lochana, have a most sacred part to play.’
Chanda had not seen Lochana’s role in forthcoming events during her vision, but the old Devi didn’t know that and was bound to comply with her Akashvani’s word. Besides herself, Lochana was the only living soul Chanda could entrust with the mission, even if it meant risking a curse upon the woman who had taught her everything she knew and given birth to the man that she loved more than life eternal.
Chanda stated that her reason for staying with the temple was to die alongside her husband, the Lord Shiva — which was true. It was also likely that the invaders would be seeking to covet the Akashvani of Somnath, to exploit, defile or murder her. It was imperative that when they did find her that she was an oracle no longer, and that’s where Bhaskara’s fate and her own entwined.
She had once loved Lochana as a mother, but their relationship had soured over the years as Chanda resented being the first Devadasi to be denied an earthly lover, all due to Lochana’s fear that Chanda would lose her powers. Chanda had never aspired to be the Akashvani, and although she had accepted and respected the will of her Lord, in her heart she knew she had not accepted her duty graciously, and her Lord knew it too. Perhaps Lochana was right and Chanda’s lust had brought the wrath of the gods upon Somnath.
Once Chanda had aspired to join her Lord Shiva in his realm of Kailash to dwell in the sunny worlds of the gods upon her death. But now she suspected, even willed, that her jiva — soul-body — would walk the path of the moon and ancestors. She would gladly brave the pain and punishment of Lord Yama and his hells, if she could be reborn in Bhur — the earth realm — with Bhaskara, to share another life where they were free to be man and wife. Their religious training had taught them that whatever or whomever a person calls to mind at the time of their departure from this world, they would attain it or find them in the next life. Think of the gods — you will join them in their heavenly realms. Think of family or lovers and be returned to their company in the next life. Think of riches and you will return to Bhur to acquire them. Think evil thoughts, and your stay in Lord Yama’s halls of hell will be an extended one.
Together, Bhaskara and she could will their entanglement back into being; her Lord, in his great mercy, had shown her the way.
‘Go now, and do as I have instructed.’ Devi Chanda sat upon her holy throne, to await the next omen.
‘You cannot ask this of me.’ Lochana was in despair.
‘It is not I who has asked,’ Chanda said coolly. ‘Reach our Lord’s temple complex, Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga in Ujjain, and you shall be absolved of any burden.’
‘And if I don’t reach the city of deliverance?’ the old Devi appealed. ‘What then?’
‘You must, Lochana . . . as you said, Lord Shiva will protect and guide you. Do what must be done and depart for Ujjain before noon . . . this is the wish of our Lord Shiva.’
‘You will close the temple?’ The event was unheard of.
‘The move will encourage people to flee,’ Chanda hoped.
‘And what if they wish to pray for deliverance?’ Lochana felt this was not the Devi’s choice to make.
Chanda stared down her old mentor so that she might see the sincerity in her eyes. ‘There will be no deliverance for anyone left in Somnath.’
Lochana was frightened by the prophecy. ‘But you said Bhaskara would return here for you.’
‘We all have our own paths to follow.’ Chanda was not prepared to say any more.
Lochana glared at her defiantly. ‘I will not permit you to lure my son to his death.’
‘Challenge what the Lord has decreed and you will suffer his wrath, most certainly,’ the Devi warned her subordinate. ‘You have already lost our Lord’s favour once, Lochana. He may not be so forgiving again.’
* * *
By noon, Chanda watched Lochana walk out of the temple. Dressed in the guise of a peasant, she mingled in with the exodus of locals leaving the holy city. The closing of the temple only confirmed the word on the street that raiders were coming, and the villagers had begun to flee east, deeper into the territories under the rule of their Raj.
The Gramapathi — village ruler — of Somnath had sought the counsel of the Akashvani; she advised that he take his family to safety and leave the protection of the holy temple to the armies of the Raj. The Gramapathi was very grateful for her guidance and offered to escort the Devi to safety.
Chanda declined. ‘My Devadasi sisters are shedding their temple attire as we speak so as to appear as maidens. Our Lord Shiva entrusts you to see them safely to our Raj in Anhilwara. You will be financially compensated for their expenses, of course.’
‘I require no compensation,’ the Gramapathi insisted. ‘It is my great honour to do this service for our Lord.’
‘Be that as it may, my good Jagdish,’ the Devi decreed, ‘better the temple wealth go towards resettling the village and my sisters, than be left here for the raiders. Some of Shiva’s priests will ride out with you and my sisters; they have their horses and carts ready to depart.’
The invaders were coming overland, and thus would never find the vast treasure that had been collected from wealthy pilgrims to Somnath over the years. It was contained on an island, Gundavi, and heavily guarded by some of the Raj’s finest warriors and Somnath’s most devout priests.
‘As you wish, your holiness.’ Jagdish made haste to see to his divine assignment.
Once her sisters, the temple’s onshore wealth and portable holy relics were seen safely onto the road out of the city under the Gramapathi’s guard, Chanda had but a handful of old priests left at the temple, who refused to leave, and her personal guard — sworn to lay down their lives in defence of the Akashvani. Many of her priests she had sent through the secret tunnel that led out of the city, for they too had a task to perform for their Lord during the forthcoming crisis.
* * *
Late afternoon saw the arrival of the Vishayapathi of Somnath, Vasudahara, and his Nadu, Damodara, and they demanded an audience with the Akashvani.
Chanda had been expecting them, but had hoped that perhaps their visit might come on the morrow to allow more time for her plans to unfold.
All is divinely timed. She steeled herself for his verbal assault, and gave her guard the nod to show in the Vishayapathi she’d once overlooked as suitor.
‘Your Holiness, why are you still here?’ he appealed. ‘I insist you allow me and my men to escort you to my capital where you will be safe.’
‘I appreciate your concern . . .’ The Devi remained seated. ‘But as you are neither my husband nor my patron, you have no need to concern yourself with my welfare.’
‘The Raja Bhaskara sent me to fetch you to safety, Akashvani,’ he put forward.
‘My dear Vasudahara,’ Chanda was happy to call his bluff. ‘You and I both know he did not.’
Her defiance and insight angered him. ‘You are a state treasure, highness. If you will not come with me willingly, I shall be forced to evacuate you by force.’ He looked to Damodara and with a nod of his head, they both moved to approach her.
Two of her bodyguards emerged from behind her throne to encourage them to rethink their strategy.
‘If you feel compelled to stay and stand guard outside this temple, gentlemen, I cannot stop you,’ Chanda proffered. ‘But I urge you to withdraw and protect your capital and families. Please show our guests out,’ she instructed her guards.
‘I know my way,’ Vasudahara snapped, whereupon Chanda held high a hand to waylay her guards.
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‘Then do see yourself out, Isa,’ she advised.
‘And take your Dasa with you,’ added one of the guards, being a little over zealous.
Damodara, as a royal official, took great offence at this, for Dasa meant slave or demon — but the look his superior served him advised him against retaliation.
‘The Lord Shiva watches over you, may he keep you safe from all evil,’ said the Devi, as the noblemen stormed from her chambers. The next stage of her prediction was set to unfold.
* * *
At the crossroads — one way led east to Ujjain and another north in the direction her son had led his troops — Lochana stood poised. Which way she proceeded from here depended on how much she trusted the young Akashvani who had forced her and the temple priests to commit what the old Devi perceived to be a terrible crime against their Lord and temple this day.
It would be several weeks on foot to Ujjain, and although a horse or even a mule might have been faster, Lochana needed to appear humble and poor, so as not to attract undue attention. The temple complex at Ujjain was another of the twelve sacred abodes of Lord Shiva. Its location so far east meant that the holy treasure she carried would be safe from raiders and, housed there in another site sacred to her Lord, the curse would be nullified.
Was she on a quest for her Lord? Or had she been given a fool’s errand by a lovelorn girl who wished to die with Bhaskara so as to link their souls together for the next life? As devotion to her Lord clashed with a mother’s will to save her son, she had to question who was truly having a crisis of faith here — herself, or the Akashvani? Could she not trust her Lord would see that all that unfolded with her son this day would be as it should; that whatever happened was the will of Shiva and meant to be?
As Lochana started down the road north towards the battlefront, she had her answer. Chanda was a master manipulator and Lochana had to warn her son that the oracle promised his death if he returned to Somnath.
Her son’s army was in retreat and heading back towards the crossroads. She searched for him among the men on horseback, among the bodies being carried down the road on stretchers and those being carried by other men. When she came to the dead lying along the side of the road, her heart sank, she couldn’t bring herself to look.
‘Devi!’ The sound of his voice brought a wave of relief and she turned to see him dismount from his horse. ‘What are you doing here? Why have you not headed east?’
‘I was . . . I am,’ she confirmed. ‘But I had to find you and warn you—’
‘Warn me?’ he queried, clearly pushed for time. ‘The Sultan and his army are advancing, you must leave!’ He grabbed her arm and showed her to a horse.
‘The oracle has foreseen your death if you return to Somnath.’
‘Why would I return to Somnath?’ He found this curious. ‘I expect the town’s people have vacated to a more fortified city?’
‘Yes, they have—’ she assured him, happy to say nothing more. ‘I wanted to ensure that you were headed to a safer destination.’
‘This is not my first experience of war, Devi.’ He encouraged her to mount the horse, and she complied.
‘You are my son, I am allowed to worry.’ She would ride the horse to the next town and then return to her humble guise, when she’d put some distance between herself and the raiders.
But her son grabbed her arm to prevent her departure. ‘Where did Akashvani flee?’
‘I don’t know,’ Lochana lied, ‘I left before her.’
‘She may still be at Somnath?’ He was already on his way to his mount.
‘No!’ Lochana climbed down from her horse, and in the mayhem, the reins were snatched from her hand and the horse requisitioned by a solider. She had no care to pursue the animal, but stayed focused on her son. ‘You must not go to her, she will be the death of you!’ She tried to hold onto his saddle but he was gone down the road. ‘Stupid, stupid woman!’ She cursed herself, realising that she’d just played right into the hands of the oracle. ‘He wasn’t going there!’
She howled out her regret for not trusting in her Lord; and now she was dangerously close to the enemy she was supposed to be fleeing from.
* * *
The temple was deserted. Vasudahara had never witnessed the shrine so silent.
Was the Akashvani just planning to leave the holy treasures here to be pilfered by raiders? There were no guards or priests outside the entrance to the holy of holies, which seemed so odd as to be surreal. He’d never even seen the fabled jewels of the oracles, perhaps they didn’t exist? But if they did . . .
Spurn me, will she? Well, I’ll steal her precious treasures right out from under her nose and no one will be the wiser. He couldn’t resist the allure of seeing the holy shrine that could only be entered by those ranked most highly in the temple orders.
‘Isa, no, you must not.’ Damodara was very uncomfortable pursuing his superior and turned a full circle to cast his sights about and ensure no one was watching.
‘Chances are it’s going to be destroyed this day anyway. Don’t pretend you’re not curious.’ Vasudahara disappeared behind the public altar and entered an ornately carved stone corridor lit by small torches mounted in stone sconces. This led to the enclosed inner sanctum where the huge golden effigy of Shiva sat in all its glory — the golden snake, Vasuki, draped around his neck, and his weapon, the trishula, resting at ease against him. The sight of all that gold made the miser’s eyes water. The huge cut diamond known as the Eye of Wisdom protruded from the statue’s forehead in the place of the third eye, but to Vasudahara’s great shock, the fabled lilac diamonds called the Eyes of Karma had already been gouged out of the statue.
‘Why would someone take the eyes and leave the biggest diamond behind?’ Damodara wondered. There was still a ladder lying by the statue, along with a chisel.
‘Perhaps we disturbed them?’ Vasudahara found a means to justify their intrusion. ‘Quick,’ he grabbed the ladder and stood it up beside the statue, holding the chisel out towards Damodara.
‘Are you mad? Those stones are cursed!’ Damodara folded his arms, not to be moved.
‘Do as I command, or I’ll have you cast out!’
‘I am not your Dasa!’ Clearly the official was still irked by the earlier incident. ‘And you’ll have to kill me, or trust me not to tell of your intention in this moment. No one is going to believe this was my idea.’
‘I shall do it myself!’ Vasudahara, pushed for time, climbed the ladder and did the deed, admiring his acquisition once it was in his hand. ‘If you ever tell of this, I shall gut you myself.’ He carefully wrapped the jewel in a piece of silk and buried it in his pocket. ‘Time to depart.’
He climbed down the ladder and headed back out towards the public shrine, where he spied Bhaskara storming through the temple, and so backed up to conceal himself.
‘He may have brought men with him,’ Damodara whispered in panic, as they hid behind the public shrine.
‘Never mind, I know another way out.’ Vasudahara pushed against the marble plinth on which the public effigy of the Lord Shiva was seated and it slid forward to reveal a stairway that led down into a tunnel. ‘Those Devadasi of mine were worth every penny.’
Damodara dashed back to retrieve a torch from the passage that led into the central shrine, and returned to lead his lord down into the tunnel. ‘Are you sure about this?’
They entered the tunnel and Vasudahara pushed the stone trap door back into place in their wake. ‘This is probably the safest place in the whole of Somnath right now. If we just follow the tunnel it will lead straight to the outskirts of the city.’
So they walked with purpose until they came to a wall of boulders and debris.
‘Curse the gods!’ Vasudahara had a fit and Damodara could only laugh. ‘Those temple whores never mentioned it had collapsed!’
‘I think it is you who are cursed.’
Vasudahara served his underling an evil glare. ‘We’ll have to go back.’
br /> ‘Clearly.’ Damodara allowed his master to storm off ahead of him. Vasudahara made everyone in his service as miserable as could be, so Damodara couldn’t help but take delight in the Vishayapathi’s frustration.
Back at the entrance to the temple Vasudahara was having difficulty getting the stone plinth above to slide forward and reveal the exit. ‘You do it!’ He came back down the stairs and directed Damodara to the chore.
When Damodara could not open the hatch either, they both began to panic. ‘Your damned greed has got us both killed!’
Vasudahara was horrified; if he died with the stone in his possession he would be cursed for all eternity! ‘Take this!’ He held the silk-wrapped jewel out to Damodara.
‘Not if my life depended on it. You stole it, now you must bear the consequences.’ Damodara strode back down the tunnel, hoping that perhaps they could clear a hole through the rubble at the far end.
‘I will kill you and leave the stone in your possession,’ threatened Vasudahara, pulling a knife to trail Damodara down the secret passage.
‘More karma for you, fast death for me, go right ahead.’ Damodara turned about and threw his arms wide inviting the attack. ‘The gods see all, and shan’t be fooled.’
The fact infuriated Vasudahara — if he killed his man then who was going to dig them out of here? Certainly not he. ‘Get me out of here and I will give you your weight in gold.’
Damodara, who was tall and slender, looked over his superior’s generous frame. ‘I fear that not even your weight in gold will change the will of the gods, Isa.’
‘Well standing around philosophising isn’t going to help either. So get moving!’ He noted the torch flame beginning to wane. ‘Before we run out of air.’
* * *
A large stone brick inserted into the front of the plinth that covered the secret passage prevented the trap door being opened from within. The keystone blended in perfectly with other bricks that adorned the outer edge of the plinth and made the security measure virtually undetectable.
‘I don’t understand.’ Bhaskara witnessed the Akashvani lock the plinth in place. ‘We must use the secret passage to get you out of here, the invaders shall be here within the hour.’