‘But he didn’t just stop there,’ whispered the Naga. ‘He was about to kill the boy’s mother, because she was trying to protect her child.’

The Queen stiffened. Quick anger rose within her.

‘There aren’t too many mothers like this,’ whispered the Naga with rare emotion. ‘They deserve protection.’

‘Enough! How many times have I told you to forget this?’

The Queen rapidly put her mask back on her face and stormed out. Her men kept their heads bowed, terrified of her fearsome rage. ‘Karkotak!’

‘Yes, my lady.’

‘We leave within the hour. We’re going home. Make preparations.’

The Lord of the People was in no position to travel. Karkotak knew that. ‘But, Your Highness...’

His words were cut short by a petrifying glare from the Queen.

It was just a little over three weeks when Shiva’s convoy was closing in on Kashi, the city where the supreme light shines. The city had been settled along a voluptuous bend of the holy Ganga river as it took a leisurely northwards meander before flowing East again. If looked at from the sky, this meander gave the impression of a crescent moon, incidentally the royal insignia of the Chandravanshis. Therefore, in the eyes of the Swadweepans, Kashi was the most natural Chandravanshi city.

Kashi also had its own superstition. The city had been built only along the western banks of the river meander, leaving its eastern banks bare. It was believed that whoever built a house on the eastern side at Kashi would suffer a terrible fate. The royal family of Kashi had therefore bought all the land to the East, ensuring that nobody, even by mistake, would suffer the wrath of the gods.

As Shiva’s ship was moving towards the legendary Assi Ghat or Port of Eighty, one of the main docking points of this thriving city, the crowd on the steps started beating their drums for the ceremonial welcome aarti.

‘It’s a beautiful city,’ whispered Sati, running her hand over her protruding belly.

Shiva looked at her and smiled, taking her hand, kissing it gently and holding it close to his chest. ‘For some reason, it feels like home. This is where our child should be born.’

Sati smiled back. ‘Yes. This shall be the place.’

Even from afar, Bhagirath could make out the countenance of many Ayodhya nobles jostling with the Kashi aristocracy, striving to raise their welcome lamps while berating their aides to hold their family pennants higher. They wanted the Mahadev to notice and favour them. But the Neelkanth noticed something more unusual.

‘Bhagirath,’ said Shiva, turning to his left, ‘this city has no fortifications. Why in the name of the Holy Lake do they have no protection?’

‘Oh! That’s a long story, My Lord,’ said Bhagirath.

‘I have all the time in the world. Tell me the entire tale, for this is one of the strangest sights I have seen in India.’

‘Well, My Lord, the story starts at Assi Ghat, where we are about to dock.’

‘Hmm.’

‘This dock did not get its peculiar name because it has eighty steps. Neither did it get its name from the small Assi rivulet that flows close by. It got its name due to an execution that took place here. In fact, eighty executions in just one day.’

‘Lord Ram be merciful,’ said a flabbergasted Sati. ‘Who were these unfortunate people?’

‘They were not unfortunate, My Lady,’ said Bhagirath. ‘They were the worst criminals in history. Eighty members of the Asura royalty were put to death by Lord Rudra for war crimes. Many believe that it was not the exhausting battles between the Devas and Asuras that put an end to the evil Asura menace, but this sublime act of justice that Lord Rudra performed. Without their key leaders, the Asura insurrection against the Devas fizzled out.’

‘And then?’ asked Shiva, remembering what the Vasudev Pandit at Ayodhya had told him.

Who said the Asuras were evil?

‘And then, something strange happened. Soon thereafter, Lord Rudra, the greatest and most fearsome warrior in history, abandoned all violence. He banned the use of Daivi Astras that had caused enormous casualties in the Deva-Asura war. Anyone who disobeyed this order would feel the wrath of Lord Rudra who said he would even break his vow of non-violence and destroy seven generations of the man who used any divine weapons.’

‘I know of Lord Rudra’s order on the Daivi Astras,’ said Sati, as the Meluhans were also aware of the Mahadev’s ban on divine weapons. ‘But I didn’t know the story behind it. What made him give this order?’

‘I don’t know, My Lady,’ said Bhagirath.

I know, mused Shiva. This must have been the moment when Lord Rudra realised the Asuras were not evil, just different. He must have been racked by guilt.

‘But the story did not end there. Lord Rudra also said Assi Ghat and Kashi had become holy. He didn’t explain why, but the people of that time assumed that it must be because this was the place that ended the war. Lord Rudra said there would be no further killing at Assi Ghat. Ever. That the place should be respected. That the spirits at Assi Ghat and Kashi would forgive the sins of even the most sinful and guide them to salvation if their dead body was cremated there.’

‘Interesting,’ said Sati.

‘The Kashi kings, who were great followers of Lord Rudra, not only banned any executions or killing at Assi Ghat, they also threw it open for cremations for people from any kingdom, without prejudice of caste, creed or sex. Any person can find salvation here. Over time, the belief in Kashi being the gateway to a soul’s deliverance gained ground and vast numbers of people started coming here to spend their final days. It was impossible for the small Assi Ghat to cater to such large numbers of the dead. So cremations were stopped at Assi and the city converted another massive ghat, called Manikarnika, into a giant crematorium.’

‘But what does that have to do with there being no fort walls?’ asked Shiva.

‘The point is that if the most influential people in Swadweep came here at the time of their death, with the belief that this would be a place where their sins would be forgiven and they could attain salvation, very few would want Kashi to be destroyed or even be involved in the regular wars that raged in the confederacy. In addition, Kashi kings took Lord Rudra’s orders of nonviolence to what they believed was its logical conclusion. The royal family publicly swore that neither they, nor their descendants, would ever indulge in warfare. In fact, they foreswore any killing, except in the case of self-defence. To prove their commitment to their words, they actually tore down their fort ramparts and built an open ring road around the city. They then erected great temples all along the road, giving it an aura of spirituality.’

‘Kashi wasn’t attacked and conquered?’

‘On the contrary, My Lord,’ continued Bhagirath, ‘their intense commitment to Lord Rudra’s teachings almost made Kashi sacred. Nobody could attack this city, for it would be seen as an insult to Lord Rudra. It became a land of supreme peace and hence prosperity. Suppressed people from across the confederacy found solace here. Traders found that this was the safest place to base their business. Peace and nonalignment to any other kingdom in Swadweep has actually made Kashi an oasis of stability.’

‘Is that why you find so many Brangas here?’