The Narrow Escape

Rajaraman and Venkataraman were struggling to keep their tired horses gallopingtowards the capital, Vijayanagara. They had travelled about seventy kilometres through tough terrain with perils lurking at every corner before finally entering the safe confinement of their kingdom but they were not really safe until they were inside the walls of the city. As soon as they reached the place and collapsed on the ground in exhaustion, people swarmed on them and cheered for them in addition to helping them regain their strength as much as they could. They were feeling better when they found the king Krishna Deva Raya approach with tears in his eyes accompanied by Tenali Raman. 'By the grace of the gods you are both alive, I was sure I had lost my two most precious jewels after that battle. How I grieved for you two bravehearts you would not be able to imagine!' Then he hugged them tightly.

Rajaraman and Venkataraman were two brothers who were the leading generals in Krishna Deva Raya's army. They had helped the King expand his empire far and wide in South India and were the pillars of his military strength. They had never lost a battle in their career and were heroes in the empire. However, in thirst of power, another jealous general Prasantavarman leaked confidential information about the defenses around the Tungabhadra region to the Sultans of the five Deccan Sultanates so that they could effectively attack Vijayanagara, lure the two brothers and possibly the King into a trap and capture them tactically and use them as their own pawns. Their plan was put to action one fateful Amavasya night, the day following which there was a gruesome battle where many soldiers were martyred and the two generals were captured. The King was in the capital with fever otherwise he too would have been there and been captured. 

Rajaraman and Venkataraman were brought in a tent in front of the evil Sultans who offered them to be their slaves and help them conquer the mighty invincible Vijayanagara Empire, but they refused at all costs. 'You can take away our lives, you can kill our soldiers, you can take our cattle, you can burn our fields but you will NEVER sway us from our loyalty to our Empire!', proclaimed the heroic generals hearing which the Sultans were outraged. They ordered that the two enemies be put into confinement and starved, then they would be blinded, followed by their limbs cut and if they did not die after all these tortures, they would be burnt alive. Their order was obeyed by two guards, and they were put into a small cell. 

They thought of an elaborate plan to escape, and nothing could be more intelligent than what they did. In the middle of the night, they attacked the guards skilfully and killed them, then they took their armour and disguised themselves such that nobody could identify them anymore, they would think of them as mere guards. Then they quickly slept to the Chambers of the Sultans, and tactically killed all five of them followed by making their escape in the Sultans' cloths such that nobody suspected them again. They mounted horses from the Royal stable and were off before sunrise. 

The next morning this series of murders was discovered, and soldiers were sent far and wide to search for the two escaped prisoners. However, they feared their wrath if they happened to come across them and even big search parties were afraid to approach them, making their escape easier. Nevertheless, they travelled through jungles and plateaus, sometimes through places without any defined road at all until at last they came to the Krishna River which they crossed, thereby getting into the safe confinement of their homeland. Then they galloped with a slightly less hurry to the capital, by the time they reached which crossing the Tungabhadra River, they were exhausted due to dearth of water and food. It was a very narrow escape on their part and thankfullythey had lived to tell this tale which made all subjects of Vijayanagara remember them forever.