Readers Write In #684: The Hall of Thousand Pillars

Author B. Jeyamohan 1995

Translated by V. Vijaysree

Big grownups are all bad. ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi, the little girl with the long name,has come to this grand conclusion before she arrives at the Hall of Thousand Pillars. This is one place in the huge Meenakshi Temple complex with hardly any people, big or little. The hall is a big circle. Even the steps leading to the hall are circular –a total of seven steps. Inside, the floor is black, glistening. With one foot, she cautiously tests the floor to see if it is freshly washed. The floor feels cold, not wet. The interior of the hall is like a big forest with trees of stone. Shadows scatter from all sides, slanting inwards. A wasp buzzes, bumps into a pillar, and flies on.

That is when ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi notices all the stone statues stuck to each of the pillars. On the outer pillars, there are mustachioed horsemen with open mouths. Their wide-open eyes carry an expression of surprise.Their forelegs high in the air, the horses clench their bits, and appear to be laughing. Beneath the rearing horses are the dwarves with distended bellies. On the other side of the hall,near a pillar, she sees a brass tray with marigold garlands. There are a few decorative brass lamps next to the tray. She thinks she can hear someone breathing!

There is no one in sight. Then, she sees the horseman near her. With his egg-shaped eyes, he is staring at her. He is grinning but his teeth are sharp, dog-like. She turns around in fear. All the horsemen turn their heads and look at her. Their eyes move when she moves.Some smile;some frown. One of the horsemen looks like he has something to tell her. It occurs to her that she must run away but her legs seem to be frozen. Maybe her back is now glued to the pillar, same as the statues.

“Amma, I am scared,” she says out loud in her mind. “So scared!” Then, she starts running. Even she cannot believe how fast she is running.

Outside, the sunlight dazzles her. The whitewashed gopuramhas darkened and the gateway tower stands tall as always. ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi stands in its shade.  Her aunts– Rani Chitti and Kamala Atthai– pass by holding a black box. 

“Why are you standing here Shenba?”says Kamala Atthai.

ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi shakes her head to indicate no, she is not really standing there, but she continues to stand and stare at the Hall of Thousand Pillars.

Ramu Uncle and Shiva Uncle pass by too, as do some of the other relatives from the wedding party.Each of them says something to her. Inside the temple, the bell rings out loud and clear, ‘ding………‘. At this, the pigeons perched on the gopuram flutter their wings and rise up. She sees the play of their shadows on the ground.Gradually, the birds return to their perch. ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi tries to see the pigeons directly,but the sunlight is dazzling. When the temple bell rings’ding…,’the pigeons disperse once again.

Nervously, she glances in the direction of the hall. There is no movement there. Gradually, she calms down. She realizes that the horses and their demonic riders cannot move. Just like Latha Akka has stuck butterflies and other insects inside her notebook, the deities too must have bound the horsemen to those stone pillars.

She returns to the Hall of Thousand Pillars and climbs the steps. The horsemen look at her scornfully. For a while,she just stands there. Then, she calls out to one of the horsemen, “Hey, Fatso.” He grins and stares at her.

ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi then comes up with,“Fully Useless Fatso.”At this, the horseman’s legs and hands appear to move. His lips twitch as if he is trying to say something. Why, he cannot even cuss back at her!

Emboldened, she moves closer to the horseman and touches his leg. His chest heaves. Veins throb in the hand which hold the reins. The horse folds its ears back slightly, rolls its eyes, and looks at her. She grabs hold of the horseman’s sword and tugs. The sword stays stuck. She places her hands on the rider’s stomach and looks into his eyes. He frowns in embarrassment. “kichu..kichu..,” she says, and gently punches him. He tightens his abs but doesn’t laugh like people do when you tickle them.The horse’s shoulder stiffens.

“Highway Robber Fatso!” she says,trying another variation on the theme. From two other places in the hall, someone calls out, “Highway Robber Fatso!”ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi looks at all the horsemen. They stand there, embarrassed, angry, not meeting her eyes.

She runs inside the hall. Her long red skirt is reflected in the shiny floor, as in a pool of water. As she whirls, waving her hands, the skirt opens out like an umbrella. In that instant, she squats and creates a balloon.

Why have the deities frozen these horsemen?No, a sorcerer must have done this!When the riders were all set to go somewhere, the sorcerer must’ve waved his wand, and turned them into stone, she thinks. They have been standing like this for a long time now.

ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi remembers a chant. What if she says it now? The horsemen will come to life and spur their horses on. Those creatures will run wild, neighing.Whisking their tails, they will kick up dust, and gallop away. Just like in the movies! Everyone will be scared of the horsemen. Even Aunt Kamala will scream out loud in fear. Let her! Let them all cry!They are bad grownups anyway.

ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi checks quickly to make sure no one is watching. Then, she raises her hands and in a loud voice, says“Om! Kreem! Namaha.”Nothing stirs. All the horsemen remain motionless.

“Om Kreem Om,” she says over and over again. The horsemen, shift their weight, and wait expectantly. Ever more furiously she says“Om! Kreem! Run!” This time,she ends up startling herself. Other voices from deep inside the hall say“Run! Run!”This is followed by the sound of“daba…daba..”Bats rise,fluttering their wings.

ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi has run some distance by then. She gasps for breath. The horses must have broken into a gallop by now. Father will tan her hide if he realizes that she is the one who has set them free.

She recalls the look on those horsemen’s faces. They must have been evil people.Like the movie villain Nambiar, they will swoop down and pick up women by their waists. Kamala Atthai, Gomathi Akka, and Rani Chitti will scream and cry. Atthai and Chitti are fat –they can’t be lifted off the ground so easily –but what will happen to poor Gomathi Akka?

Will the horsemen carry away her little aunt Chitti Kuttyas well? She too has called them “Useless Fatso”once. Please God –Swami and Meenakshi Ambal–let the horsemen turn into statues again. They are evil people. They must have tried to carry away some princess who then cursed them,turned them into stone, and glued them to the wall.

ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi looks up. Oh Good! The prayer seems to have worked.The fatsos are all glued to the pillars,their eyes wide open.

But now she wants to seeChitti Kutty again. In the morning, when they had left home, she sat on her lap, but Chitti Kutty, her little aunt,was not her usual chatty self. Maybe,her stomach hurt –that is the only time she goes all quiet.

Where is ChittiKutty now?

ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi walks towards the temple. On the verandah,the thavil and the nagaswaram, instruments whose music reverberates at weddings, lay sheathed in their brocade covers. Nearby, two uncles are chewing betel leaves. One says, “Hey little girl, come here.”

“No.I won’t,” she says, andruns away.

There are a lot of people inside the temple. It is very dark in there. As she stands hesitantly at the threshold, a woman places a hand on her head. Gomathi Akka!  Dressed in her new sari and with all those flowers in her hair, she looks different.

“Where is Chitti ’utty?” she asks Gomathi Akka.

“Shh…,” Gomathi Akka shushes her.

Chitti Kuttyis not to be seenin that crowd. It is very sultry inside. Uncle Anand peeks in and says, “It’s time to invite the groom. Let’s go ladies,” he says.

“Akka, I want to cometoo,” says ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi.

“Here.Hold my hand…”

Everyone steps out. ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi shades her eyes from the sun. The music of the nagaswaram, and the thavil, fills the air. She can see Appa, her father’s bald head. Rani Chitti and Kamala Atthai are walking ahead. There is a small earthen lamp on the brass tray. In the bright light of the day, its flame is like a flower.

Appa offers a bouquet of flowers to a bald-headed old man.Next, he places a heavy garland around his neck. A petal sticks to the old man’s head. The bouquet is big, with rows of marigold surrounded by round green leaves and has a single rose in the center. It would be nice to stick that rose in my hair! Appa will give me the rose, if I ask him, she thinks. But the flower looks huge. I can’t even bend down to look if I wear it in my hair. Plus, my neck will hurt too.

Meanwhile,the crowd breaks up as people return inside.

ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi strains to watch the goings-on. No one offers to lift her up or hoist her on their shoulders, so she can have a better look. Appa would have certainly done this for her!But these grownups– humph!

They enter the temple. Gomathi Akka has let go of her hand. As soon as they enter the temple, the sound of the nagaswaram gets louder,as does the sound of the thavil. AhenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi stands hesitantly. On the opposite wall, the crows sit in a row. Two crows sat on the electric wire as well.

ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi enters the hall. There is a hall within. Here, the pillars are different. The tops of the pillars are curved,like flowers. On each pillar, there is the figure of a standing girl, with a cup in her hand.

When she goes closer, she realizes that it is a lamp,not a cup. The lamp is not lit, but it is stained with oily soot.And they are not young girls, but full-grown women with rounded breasts. They all have the same hairdo: a huge bun that looks like an overturned pot. They wear large nose rings. Their earlobes touch their supple shoulders. Their eyes are big and wide. One of the ladies turns to look at the horsemen hesitantly. Then, she smiles warmly.

Smiling back,ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi reaches for the lady’s lamp, and places the tiny dot of oily soot on her forehead like a bindi. The lady’s chest heaves as she laughs noiselessly. All the ladies with the lamps look back and laugh.

That’s when Shenbaga Kuzhalvaimozhi hears the sobs. She hears some murmurs too. She looks at the ladies – one by one – but they have stopped laughing and they gaze right ahead. Then, their eyes turn in one direction.

Chitti Kutty is sitting under a pillar. She is dressed in a sari instead of her usual long skirt and blouse.She is wearing a gold chain, not her necklace of tiny glass beads. Her hair is bejeweled and braided  with strings of jasmine.

Grandma is saying something to Chitti Kutty. ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi inches closer.

Chitti Kutty’s blue silk sari glimmers beautifully. Sweat seeps through her powdered cheeks. Suddenly she begins to cry; her body is wracked by sobs. Grandmother also sheds a few tears.

Perhaps Chitti Kuttyhasa stomachache. Only when her tummy hurts badly, Chitti doubles over in pain,and crieshard.

The grandmother turns around and sees her. “Is it Shenba?” she asks.“Is everything ready over there?”

Yes, ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi nods.

Grandmother says, “Don’t leave your Chitti and go anywhere, okay? Grandma will be back right away.”

“Okay, Grandma.”

After the grandmother leaves, ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi stands there, not knowing what to do. Then,slowly, she sits down next to the aunt and lisps in a low voice, “Chitti ’utty.”

Chitti Kutty stops crying, straightens up, and wipes her tears with her sari. Her eyes are still red and puffy; her nose is red.

“Is it Shenba Kutty,” she asks with a smile. “Where have you been all this while?”

ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi draws comfort from these words. “Does your stomach hurt Chitti ’utty?” she asks her.

“No sweetheart,” says Chitti Kutty, placing a hand on her shoulder and drawing her close. “Look! On that pillar over there, there is no statue. It’s broken. That’s why I was crying.”

It is true. The pillar opposite them was empty, broken. Seeing this, ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi feels sad as well.

Chitti Kutty stands up straight. “You stay here darling. I’ll go to the toilet and be right back.

‘”I’ll also come with you.”

“Oh no!Who will take care of this brass tray then? Remember what grandmother said?”

“Hmm…”

“You stay here. I’ll be right back.”

Chitti Kutty goes to the other side of the hall and down the stairs. The sound of the thavil and nadaswaram from inside the temple grows louder, more urgent.These sounds resonate from each of the pillars in the hall.

Now, ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi is truly frightened. The ladies with the lamps are all looking at her sternly. “Chitti’utty,”she calls out. There is no response. Her voice does not rise above the noise in the background. She calls out a couple of times and runs to the other side.

Overgrown with dark grass, the temple wall looks like a row of elephants standing guard. There are two big oleander trees in the yard.Their scarlet petals, which look like dried-up chillis,have carpeted the floor. In one corner, there is a huge well, with a protective granite wall running around it. But ChittiKutty is nowhere to be seen.

“Chitt’utty.”There is no answer.

Chitti’utty,she cries and runs back into the hall. The ladies with the lamps look at her fearfully. One of them stealthily glances sideways.Now, on the previously empty pillar – the one she thought was broken – there is a statue.

At once, ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi understands everything. She runs to the pillar. Even though the statue has a body of stone, big breasts, and a big bun for a hairdo, the face is that of Chitti Kutty’s.

“Chitti’utty,” she says, reaching out for the lamp. ChittiKutty turns her gaze down and smiles sadly.

Chitti Kutty is hiding because grandma had beaten her and made her cry. “Chitti ’utty, when will you come home?'”

Chitti Kutty smiles. Then, she bites her lips, as if to suppress her sobs.

ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi sees her mother, grandmother, and Rani Chitti approach through the small entrance. They are coming in search of Chitti Kutty. These same grownups had made her cry.

Let them look for her, high and low. I willnever tellthem where Chitti Kutty is.

ShenbagaKuzhalvaimozhi is happy.

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