The Siege of Kanchi

"Sivakami! If you agree, I will leave the kingdom to its fate and stay with you. You are more important to me than the kingdom..."Momentous words uttered by Narasimha Varmar, whose political stature has grown considerably after defeating Durvineethan, King of Ganga Nadu, at the historic Battle of Pullalur.But there are more obstacles to overcome. Mahendra Pallavar, after restraining the Chalukya forces for nine months at the northern border of the Pallava kingdom, is on his way back to Kanchi and continues to oppose the unsuitable alliance. The Chalukya army is rapidly marching towards Kanchi. Naganandi Adigal along with his coterie of faithful bikshus travels across the length and breadth of South India, enlisting support for Pulikesi.The Pallavas, not to be outdone, have considerably strengthened the Kanchi Fort under the able leadership of Mamallar and the newly appointed commander of the Kanchi Fort, Paranjyothi. Expecting the Chalukyas to lay siege to the Kanchi Fort, food supplies that will sustain the citizens residing within the fort for several months have been accumulated. Kalki Krishnamurthy's gripping narrative describes the tremendous efforts of the Pallavas to counter the Chalukya invasion and the growing intimacy between Mamallar and Sivakami in the action-packed second volume of 'Sivakamiyin Sabadham'.Excerpts from this volume may be read at http://sivakamiyinsabadham.litintrans.com/