Ellarukkum vanakkan, I have been a silent memeber for quiet some time . I am reading parthiban kanavu for the second time and I have a doubt regarding the kullan character in it. I assume he came along with chozha prince from shenbaga theevu( please correct me if I am wrong). If that is the case how could such a unreliable person accompany him .Except for praises attributed by the mamallan on the prince I dont actually find him brave and specifically intelligent. His actions do not justify the stature accorded to him- for example ,he goes in uncommon route with some one he does not know. Please comment and clarify
Not sure if the kullan was brought by vikraman from shenbaga theevu. the first introduction of the kullan happens in paagam moonru athizayam rendu ( santhippu)...it just says vikraman picked the kullan as he believed to be deaf n dumb - so that none knows about his movements. Further, as the story progresses we find the kullan deeply intertwined with naga nandhi adigal / knows his way around the forest in the mid of the night - he couldnt have come from shenba theevu. Most probably vikraman picked him upon landing wanting a local guide - but obviously feel for the trap - kalki describes him adequately as - despite his diguise his regal (royal) strappings were evident. the kala mugars were looking for a royal youth for nara bali - so the kullan could have spotted him in the habour and made himself his accomplice.
Vikraman's valour:
Vikraman's deeds in senbaga theevu during his three years there is well portrayed by kalki - paagam moonru athizayam onru - in the three year span the island ..ella thuraiyilum muneri perum pugaz adainthathu. also says hearing what happened the the invaders ( only time they tried to come to the thevu after vikram took over) no one dared to go against them. on the contrary vikraman launched an attack on their lands and hoisted the puli kodi....vikramanudaiya veerap prithabangalaiyum, meeda vilasathayum, matra uyar gunangalaiyum patriya keerthi yanathu spread to distant lands.. people from other islands desirous of living under vikraman good rule and protection themselves came to inhabit shenbaga theevu...you have to give it to the kid to have done all this in 3 years - to get accepted in an alien land, to imbibe the fighting spirit in them etc and to make the land prosper..
The dream:
But he does have his limitations and makes lots of errors in judgement, what is cleary evident is the difference in class between narashima varmar and him - but then look at it from macro perspective - though the story is titled parthiban kanavu and logically you expect the son vikraman to fullfill his fathers dream - kalki himself in his end note does say - that it took 300 years from that time for the dream actually to come true.. guess as romewas not built in a day,so too was the chola dream.
I haven��t read PK for a while, but I know it by heart. Vikraman dosen��t bring kullan from Shenbaga theevu. He hires him in Maamallapuram. Narasimha pallavar narates to Ponnan on their way to Kaataruvi about this incident and says that he has been suspecting that kullan might be one of the spies of Maha Kaala Bhairavar.
Incidentally, Kalki describes Vikraman to be a not so matured person in order to boost the character of NP. As you can see, Vikraman was quite happy to be a kurunila mannan under the great Pallava kingdom and it took another 300 years for the cholas to gain importance again. Moreover the chola kingdom was divided as it was usual with the cheras. In SS you will find a character Chembiyan the father of Mangayarkarasi also a kurunila mannan of Karuvoor calling themselves as karuvoor cholas. Vikramans main reign was around Uraiyoor.
Hi vikraman was a fictional charecter whereas chembiyan was a real charecter( perhaps with a different name) remember mangayarkarasi is one of the sacred 63.
uraiyoor was deserted by the cholas after a rain of sand due to a curse according to the legend. but in parthiban kanavu kalki describes the lights on the hill of thiruchunapalli. must be an off shoot of kalki's higher school days spent there.