Page:The Tamils Eighteen Hundred Years Ago.djvu/116

Rh two hundred and eight musicians, one hundred pole-dancers, one hundred chariots, ten thousand horse, twenty thousand waggons and one thousand body guards. The officer at the gate having announced the arrival of Sanjchaya and his company, the Chera. king was pleased to command that Sanjchaya and his chief attendants be admitted to his audience. Accordingly Sanjchaya appeared before the king and bowing low addressed him as follows :—

“Long live thou ruler of this earth! The Satakarna who is thy intimate friend has sent thee the following message through me. If it is the desire of the king of the celestials to obtain stone from the lofty Himalaya mountains to fashion the image of a god, we shall help him to obtain the stone and anoint it in the sacred flood of the Ganges.”

The Chera king replied to Sanjchaya :–

“Kanaka and Vijaya, Sons of Balakumara having lost watch and ward over their tongues have reviled the Tamil kings, ignorant of their strength. This army is therefore on its march nursing its wrath. Inform this to Satakarna and let him collect a fleet of ships to carry my army across the great river Ganges.”

Having despatched Sanjchayan he admitted to his presence the one thousand body guards and received from them a tribute of fragrant sandal wood and pearls. Breaking up his camp the king marched with his army to the banks of the Ganges and crossed over in a fleet of ships provided by the Karnas. On the northern bank the Karnas themselves welcomed the king. Taking leave of them the king proceeded further north to the country known as Uttarai where at a place called Kuyilaluvam he encountered the army led by the Aryan princes Kanaka and Vijaya and their allied kings, Uttara, Vichitra, Rudra, Bhairava, Chitra Singha, Dhannttara and Sveta. The Chera king rejoiced at the sight of the noble army of the Aryan kings and boldly led his Tamil soldiers who marched forward to the beat of thundering drums, the booming of conch-shells and the stirring blasts of trumpets. The archers, lancers and swordsmen fought long and fiercely and the carnage was terrible. The battle-field was covered with heaps of the slain, soldiers, horses and elephants and at last the Tamils bore down everything before them, and