Ganges: The Powerful Empire

Ganges dynasty is a well-respected empire which, is ruled by the most-aged man named, Gangadharan-I. He is a great sage, who can die only when he wishes, a blessing given by his father, Mehanathan.

Gangadharan has two cousin relatives: One is Rajarajan and the other one is Yuvarajan. Rajarajan is a paralyzed man since childhood while Yuvarajan is an active ruler. Because of Rajarajan's paralyze, no one is ready to marry him and eventually, Yuvarajan gets married to a princess named, Mrinalini, chosen by Gangadharan.

Shortly after some days, Rajarajan gets married to a woman named Janaki, the princess from Kashmir dynasty and eventually, they are all happily leading their life.

Soon after some years, three children are born to Yuvarajan with the blessings of Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma, who all blesses Yuvarajan happily. While Rajarajan has five children with the lord's blessings. He is also asked by the lord to take care of his children carefully to which Rajarajan agrees.

Yuvarajan's sons: Ramaraja, the elder brother, Hariraja, the younger brother and Giriraja, the 2nd younger brother grows up with different skills and different personality. Ramaraja is honest and follows ethical life through non-violent ways, Hariraja and Giriraja are violent and hot-blooded and wishes to punish persecutors who are doing any wrongs immediately right after their crimes, which is disliked by the elder brother.

The elder brother gets skilled up in Martial arts like Silambam, Adimurai and Sword-fighting skills. The younger brothers are skilled up in Kalari, Valari and Bow-training skills, prior to their violent nature and the brothers are an ardent devotee to their uncle Chola Dharmendra, to whom they seeks blessings for every work they starts. Now, comes to the lives of Rajarajan's sons: Jitendra, the elder brother is a egoistic and arrogant guy, who respects friendship a lot and has a dislike for his cousin brothers because of their ethics and honesty. And his three younger brothers, Dharmendra, Yugendra and Nagendra also has hatred for cousin brothers because of their ethical standards. Only Jogendra, the youngest one is fond with his cousin brothers and he has a ethical and honest life similar to his brothers.

Due to the loving and care-taking nature of Yuvarajan's sons, people are touched a lot and they wishes them to become their ruler. However, it's in the hands of the aged Gangadharan. In the same time, Yuvarajan passes away due to some illness and the empire drowns in sad for so many days.

At this time, Rajarajan takes care of the empire in a smooth and organized way like his brother for a temporary period. To make decision for the next ruler, Gangadharan decides to perform a prayer for Lord Shiva hoping that, he may give him a guidance on his decision.

Watching this, Shiva's wife asks to the Lord, "Mahadeva. What happened to Gangadharan-I?"

"He is in a state of confusion, queen. He doesn't know what to do after the demise of Yuvarajan" said Lord Shiva.

"What decision has you made, Mahadeva?" asked Shiva's wife.

"Queen. According to my prediction, a big war is going to happen and this will completely destroy the dynasty because of some reasons" said Lord Shiva

"Lord Mahadeva. Is there no solution for stopping this?" asked Lord Shiva's wife.

"No queen. Fate cannot be won. Due to the previous sins of Gangadharan, the empire has to suffer it's decline" said Lord Shiva.

"Previous sins, ah! What sins, Mahadeva?" asked Lord Shiva's wife.

Lord Shiva explains the events that occurred before few years in the life of Gangadharan-I. When Gangadharan was meditating to Lord Brahma and performing prayers for his wishes, his prayers had been demolished by an young monkey groups from a forest and in anger, Gangadharan beats up those monkeys badly and accidentally he kills a monkey.

In anger, the other monkeys cursed Gangadharan that, his entire dynasty will be destructed by his own relatives in-front of his eyes and he will die like them after seeing all those things and the monkeys commits suicide by burning themselves.

"Previous sins will harm down the lives of the future generations" said Lord Shiva, while his wife watched helpless.

Meanwhile, Gangadharan plans to bring happiness in his empire by making the sons of Yuvarajan and Rajarajan to get married with the princess chosen by him and eventually, Yuvarajan's sons are married to Sohanasini, Alakananda and Mandakini respectively while Rajarajan's sons are married to Bhavani, Swarnamukhi, Subarnekha, Godavari and Kaveri respectively.

All of them were leading a happy life until the day comes where, Gangadharan declares the new king of his empire, the successor of Yuvarajan as Ramaraja, which angers the cousin brothers, and this leads to a violent clash between the two groups.

Gangadharan, being threatened by the clash, decides to settle the difference between the cousins by making them peaceful through various ways but, all go in vain. Fearing that, the conflicts may result either in a war or in a split, he decides to make Rajarajan's sons demands and fulfills those as per the wishes of Yuvarajan's sons who agrees to him happily.

While they are made the emperor of the kingdom, Gangadharan gives a small land near the Hyderabad forest lands and he asks them to rule the empire, which is agreed by the sons and they develops the empire and lives a happy life with their citizens.

Witnessing these, Shiva's wife asks to the Lord, "Mahadeva. What's happening here? I am unable to understand anything. They are all living happily, right"

"Devi. Wait and see. This is just the beginning made by Gangadharan. There are a lots to go on in this dynasty" said Lord Shiva.

Shiva's wife watches it in shock and some days later, Yuvarajan's cousin brothers comes to meet them in the dynasty and are impressed with the decorations and looks made by the three brothers, which also makes them to feel jealous.

Uncle Chola Dharmendra, invites his cousin son-in-laws to the empire gladly and the every point they goes makes impressed and the final brother, Jogendra is touched with the great looks of empire. Still more, Yuvarajan's sons are guided by their uncle. At this point of time, Rajarajan's four sons plan to grab the empire of the cousins and decides to make a trap for Yuvarajan's sons and chase them away from the emperor forever.

Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu watches this gladly and Vishnu comes to meet Shiva and his wife with Naradha also gathered in the meeting.

"Narayana, Narayana. I think there will come a big war between the cousins" said Lord Naradha.

"No one can win the fate. Let's see what happens" said Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva.

Meanwhile, Jitendra invites Ramaraja and his brothers for the Brahmotsava festival arranged by him in Varanasi and thinking that, his cousin brothers are fond of him, they agrees to his consent.

But, Jitendra and his three brothers have planned to kill their cousin brothers in Varanasi during the holy prayers in Ganges river, where Gangadharan use to perform prayers considering it as the holy place, which he considers to be sacred and the reason for their successful settlement.

As planned, Jitendra's armed forces staged attack against Ramaraja and his two brothers but, they all manages to evade them and sooner learns that, it's the trap made by Jitendra and his men to kill them and grab their empire to chase them away, through one of Jitendra's men.

Angered and feeling betrayed, Ramaraja and his brothers confronts the four brothers, besides being consoled by Jogendra. Jitendra replies to them, "I will grab your empire at any cost. You cannot do anything, Ramaraja"

This results in a huge fight and the cousins violently clash with each other in the sacred place of Gangadhara and seeing the blood stains, Gangadharan gets angered with Jitendra and Ramarajan. Besides being consoled by, Ramarajan's uncle, Gangadharan is unable to come for peace and eventually, he declares a war between Ramarajan and Yugendra.

And he puts a condition that, whoever wins the war will be declared as the emperor for the whole kingdom including the places of Ramaraja to which all of them agrees. With the blessings of Lord Vishnu, Gangadharan prepares a bow bed and he lies in that bow, since he will not fight in the war.

Both the families seeks the blessings of Gangadharan and starts their war in the first day with the blessings of Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva.

"Narayana Narayana. How much bloods will be flowing in this war? When I feel itself, it's terrible" said Lord Naradha to Lord Shiva.

"Not to worry, Naradha. The destruction of this empire is soon to happen. I already found this" said Lord Vishnu.

"How could you, Narayana?" asked Lord Shiva.

"As you saw, the bloods flowed in the sacred place of Ganges. Hence, this itself is a sign for the destruction of this whole empire" said Lord Vishnu.

Now, comes to the war place which, happens in the place called Hampi and this war is named as Battle of Hampi by Uncle Chola and he agrees to accompany his son-in-laws in the war by fighting the co-son-in-laws.

Planned to fight the war for 5 days, the first day war starts with a violent phase and Yugendra's two sons with his younger brother, Nagendra become victim of the war and lose their lives while, Rajarajan's two sons also die in the war. After the cremation, Nagendra's sons and Mahendra with his son enter the war and in the raging fight, they too lose their lives. This death occurs on day 2.

On the same second day, Hariraja's two sons, lose their life in the war and the 3rd day, Yugendra and the other brother also lose their lives with their sons and in the subsequent days, Jogendra comes to the war for the sake of his brother Jitendra and a remorseful and tearful Hariraj, kills Jogendra, telling him that, he has been left with no way rather than to kill him.

In final, there is a direct fight between Hariraj and Jitendra in which, Hariraj attacks Jitendra in his chest with his adimurai skills and after overpowering him by severely beating him up, he takes his bow and kills him using it.

Since, the evil has died in the war, the sky become darker with rainy winds and with a thunderstorm, it starts to rain washing away the bloods. Later on, Rajarajan and his brothers come to meet Gangadharan, who is happy as well sad for their victory in the war since, the war has killed Rajarajan's sons also.

"Now, it's time for me to end my life, my grandsons" said Gangadharan and after blessing them, he dies.

Since, Gangadharan has no one to cremate him, the grandsons themselves arrange his cremation with the cardamom leaves and later on, return to their empire, where they had been crowned as the next ruler while, Ramarajan and his brother's uncle Chola and Rajarajan decides to go for forestry to spend their rest of lives in the forestry with Janaki and Mrinalini also accompanying them.

Soon after some years, Rajarajan, Hariraj and Girirajan decides to go for forestry citing that, there is no use of ruling the empire after having lost so many of their relatives and with their respective wives, they all goes to the forest and from there, they plans to end their lives by meditation.

Watching these, Lord Shiva's wife asks to him, "Mahadeva. One mistake, done by Gangadharan has spoiled his entire generation. Isn't it?"

"Yes Devi. If he had handled those monkeys with patience, then his empire could have been lasting for more than years. Because of his anger, the whole kingdom has now been shattered to the decline and is been destroyed completely" said Lord Shiva.

"Always Love wins over everything, Mahadeva. This is the lesson that everyone could learn from the history of this Ganges empire. Am I right?" asked Lord Vishnu.

"Yes Narayana. You are right" said Lord Shiva.

Finally, Lord Vishnu goes for his works while Lord Shiva goes under a deep and prolonged meditation.