February 1675
Akhand Bharatiya Empire, Cholapuri State, Velur
A carriage bearing the emblem of Shanku Chakra, and an entourage of royal guards following closely behind, passed by on a rural two-lane road, earning namaskaras and kowtows in whichever village or town they passed.
Entering the main road of Velur, the royal family was welcod by the sight of thousands of people walking in one direction, almost taking up the whole road like they were on a pilgrimage. Thankfully, seeing the saffron flag flowing like fire on the carriage, the crowd gave way imdiately.
Given that there were no other carriages on the road, the carriages bearing the emblem of the royal family were able to cut straight through the crowd. Moving forward, the sounds of music and the screams of the people, the sight of countless flowers raining down from the sky, and the sll of freshly made festive snacks all assaulted Vijay and Kavya right in their senses like a hit from a heavyweight.
"Ahhh, it's His Majesty, His Majesty is here!"
"Muruga!! He is really here, Your Majesty please look here, Your Majesty."
"My Empress, I'm your biggest admirer, please look over here, Your Majesty the Empress."
The people began to cheer while the carriage passed them by.
"Hey look, His Highness Agni, His Highness Vidhan, and Her Highness Tanvika are here as well."
Young boys and girls, recognising the princes and princess, imdiately beca brain-dead with excitent and scread at the top of their lungs.
Feeling the enthusiasm of the people, Vijay couldn't help but wave his hand and smile.
"How long has it been?" Kavya had a look of reminiscence in her eyes as she turned back and looked at her husband after waving at her admirers. "Vijay! Isn't this the longest-running infrastructure project in the empire? It has already been more than 10 years since the excavation started, isn't it?"
Vijay felt a sense of nostalgia in his mind, making him drift to the past, where the mories from the last few decades automatically hit him like a tide.
In February of 1659, Vijay started the canal project and the railway project soon after he unified the subcontinent and when he needed to utilise all the free labour in the empire. That year, he was still in the process of building the Navy, the process of constructing the railway tracks, and the backbone network in the north, but now, 16 years later, the empire has completely changed.
"How the ti flies..."
---
A few kilotres away in Tripura, Tarak excitedly gathered all the villagers and ca to the banks of the canal, holding in his hands the materials required for the ritual.
In Erode, the owner of Berunda Shipyard and one of the richest people in the empire, Ghana Prabhu Berunda, invited all his relatives and friends as he sat at the banks of the canal, holding a sacred ritual to obtain the blessing of the gods.
In Kodumudi, Ravi Shetty, Pawan Kalyan, and other industrialists had gathered together, along with thousands of people standing at the canal banks, where they ca forward to hold a sacred ritual consisting of 1,000 individual rituals.
In Pallidam, shipping giants like John Brown from Brown Logistics, Dasharatha Rabari from Graced Eastern Shipping Limited, and Naveen Ambani from Reliance Shipping and Shipbuilding had all gathered together in excitent. Only a few kilotres away, people from second-rate and lower shipping companies like Shamudra Vahak Lines, Dakshin Marine Freight, Sidhu Sethu Shipping Co, Varuna Sea Logistics, Bharathiya Oceanic Movers, and others all gathered together with anticipation, waiting for His Majesty to open the gates and let the water flow.
Over the stretch of almost 180 kilotres, carriages could be seen parked right next to each other without even leaving a gap. People from all over the empire gathered and sat up the canal bank, bringing with them an almost festive-like atmosphere. The smart entrepreneurs took the opportunity to make a big buck and imdiately set up their shops near the banks of the canal, while the touring industry had a once-in-a-lifeti explosion.
Policen, politicians, and even military officers gathered at the canal, coming to witness a once-in-a-lifeti event.
Even the foreign diplomats from various European and Southeast Asian countries had gathered at a vantage point to witness what is bound to be the infrastructure marvel of the Bharatiya Empire in action.
---
The crowd at the Velur canal gate was in the millions, stuck together so closely that there was not even any space for sand to fall.
It was very dangerous for Vijay and his family to get down from the carriage, but thankfully, the people maintaining the security at Vellore were not the Velur police but two divisions of the Chola Regint and two divisions of the Kakathiya Regint, bringing the total military presence in the city to a whopping 48,000 soldiers, not to ntion the 12,000 police officers who were trying their best to maintain internal security within the city.
Getting a glance at their monarch, the crowd went nuts, the roar was deafening.
The constant screams and shouts from the people were enough to make anyone annoyed, but Vijay was too excited about what he was about to do and completely ignored the shouts of the people, switching them into background noise. Kavya looked a little irritated, but she recovered quickly. She was not the Empress of the empire for over two and a half decades for nothing. Agni did not have a problem either, but it was only Vedanth and Tanvika who looked to be extrely restless. Thankfully, realising that the situation was getting out of control, the military fired shots continuously into the air and demanded the people to quiet down.
The people were startled, so ran in panic, causing stampedes that injured many, but in the end, the overall sound of the crowd was reduced. Although even the quiet crowd was still a bit loud for his younger son and daughter, it was a level that was bearable. If it was like giving your ear to the jet engine before, now it is simply putting your ears next to a 300-watt speaker.
The small trouble aside, Vijay and his family walked on the carpet made up of flowers that had been showered on them, while they were protected by the heavy tower shields, wielded by the soldiers of the Kakathiya Regint.
Monts later, Vijay reached the banks of Kollidam River. He could see a gigantic pair of canal gates stretching across a length of 50 tres, made up of the strongest bronze the empire could prepare.
Right next to the gates was the gigantic Homa. Several dozen priests were already chanting sacred mantras and were just waiting for Vijay and his family to arrive to start the main part of the sacred ceremony.
"Om Namah Shivaya, Har Har Mahadev"
Vijay chanted, washed his hands and feet, sprinkled so water on his head, and sat down on the seat prepared for him. Kavya did the sa and sat right next to Vijay. Agni sat on the ground behind Vijay on his left, while Vedant and Tanvika sat behind Kavya.
śubhaṁ karoti kalyāṇaṁ ārogyaṁ dhanasampadā |
śatrubuddhivināśāya dīpajyotir namo'stu te ||
"May it bring auspiciousness, welfare, health, and abundant wealth.
May it destroy the minds of enemies—salutations to the divine light."
The priests lit up the lamps right next to the bonfire, kicking off the main part of the sacred ceremony by lighting up the divine lamps. The mantras were read in unison, with the voices of the priests superimposing one another and resonating throughout the region. All the people beca unusually quiet, they joined their hands in a namaskara and simply started praying in their hearts.
---
The villagers of Tripura, all holding up mud lamps in their hands, chanted mantras in unison, bringing out a sacred and inviolable atmosphere.
Ghana Prabhu Berunda got up, his upper body naked as he constantly circled the holy fire under the chanting of the priests.
The chanting of slogans and mantras intensified in Kodumudi, as thousands of separate rituals ca together in a single voice to form a deafening roar of the people, bringing out the sacred and divine atmosphere, causing even the animals in the surroundings to lay down cordially.
Ravi Shetty, Pawan Kalyan, and other industrialists simply joined their hands together as the sound of the bell in the nearby temple continuously rang out.
The Europeans far away felt the unusual atmosphere in the air. They could not put their fingers into what it was, but if an explanation was needed, then they felt sacred was the nearest explanation they could think of.
The ti for the canal to be opened was approaching, and the 4 Dhams, 12 Jyotirlingas, 51 Shakti Peethas, 108 Divya Desams, and 5 Pancha Bhoota Sthalas all started the Mahapooja at the sa ti. Bells rang all across the empire, and sacred fires burned, the ember rolled up into the air, the faith culminated into substance and an illusion ford in Vijay's mind, as if all the faith in the subcontinent ford into the symbol of Ohm in front of Vijay, appearing as vast as the Bharatiya Mahāsamudra, tall as Kailash and big as Bhuv Devi herself.
Vijay's eyes were wide open. It was as if he was seeing the tip of a whole new reality. Was it a projection of one of the three worlds, a projection of Swarga, or the projection of the supre existence, Brahman himself? Despite his superior brainpower, Vijay could not comprehend it. In the end, the only thing he felt was that his mind was clearer, all the burdens he carried slowly becoming noticeably lighter and himself gaining more clarity.
"It is ti!!"
He muttered as he got up voluntarily, without the priest even having to say anything. He walked up and stood near the lever of the first gate.
The head priest frowned, but looking at the face of the emperor and the slight divine light that radiated from within, He knew he could not stop the emperor. So he commanded the priests behind him to chant faster while he motioned the prince to take the other lever at the end of the bridge.
Agni had the most intense reaction to his father's condition. His father was now like a giant sun radiating imnse heat, but the odd thing was, even though the aura of his father was overwhelming, it did not feel harsh. Instead, taking on the full aura, he felt calm all over his body, and a wave of clarity hit his mind.
Father's state reminded him of his beloved master Tukaram, which made him a little worried. But in the end, he stood across the canal opening, holding on to the lever, erasing all the distractions and focusing his complete attention on the actions of his father.
The priests were sweating profusely, so were out of breath, the chants had gone out of rhythm, and so even said the wrong words in a hurry, causing them to stop the chant imdiately and pant for their lives. The head priest was no exception. His face was already red, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was holding his chest as if for dear life, but still he managed to complete the Stotra, gritting his teeth.
It was almost like Vijay was in a completely different state of being. Even though he did not know the Stotra, it was almost as if he knew when was the right ti.
So as soon as the priest uttered HUM!!! A vibration spread all over Vijay's body, compelling his biceps to expand several millitres and the energy to flow through his body like a torrent, fueling his legs, biceps, and abdon to yank the lever with all his strength.
Agni, who had his entire attention locked into his father, did not hesitate. He used his superhuman reflexes and amazing strength to pull the lever with all his strength.
"BANG!!!!"
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