I did it! All 5 books! I now know everything! Except not, because I got super confused by some of the plot twists. Please help! Oh, and feel free to join in the convo even if you just watched the movies, that should give you enough basic background to follow along the arguments and maybe fresh eyes will see something I missed.
Late in the book, Kalki includes an acknowledgement of “yeah, I’m totally messing with the characters to make the ending work”. Or as he puts it “humans can change”. But we all know the truth, he wrote this MASSIVE thing, in pieces, for a newspaper, paid by the word, and by the time you get to the end of it sometimes as a writer you just have to force things to fit.
By the end I was left with 2 big character shifts I couldn’t follow, and 3 big mysteries that I think Kalki left open on purpose.
Poonguzhali: She is introduced as a wild creature of the sea, hates people, lives in her head. She has detailed complex fantasies about Prince Ponniyin Selvan who she met one time. Her adventures take her to Ponniyin Selvan and they end up traveling together alone which increases her fantasies. The Prince, who at first barely notices her, comes to appreciate her bravery and skill. They bond over a shared desire for adventures and traveling the seas. In his delirium, the Prince even calls out her name over and over again. And then, POOF! Book 5, the Prince suddenly decides he is in love with sweet spunky princess Vanathi, and Poonguzhali declares she was only into the prince because she wanted the status she felt her aunt had been denied and now she was wise enough to set aside that desire and instead marry her sweet cousin who had long loved her.
My theory is three things happened. First, Kalki planned this whole character journey for her where the trials turned her softer and wiser and she came to realize that the reality of love was her best friend and cousin, not this Prince fantasy. Second, somewhere in book 2, the characters got away from him and the Prince and Poonguzhali became too close for that original character journey to make sense, it was no longer a fantasy. And three, in book 5 he realized he had to make this work somehow and just rushed in a scene showing Poonguzhali confessing her love for her cousin as he wastes away in love sickness. I think the original plan could have been really cool, but as it is, it’s just a weird sudden shift!
Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar: This is the character that has SUCH a sudden turn of face Kalki had to call it out. Originally introduced as kind of past his time, clinging to old ways, and easily lead by his smarter young wife, suddenly in the last book he becomes fiercely strong and brave and suddenly switches to total hatred for his wife. Plus also noble and ready to give up all his plotting and blah blah blah. I think Kalki always planned for him to end in Noble Suicide as he realizes what he has done. But he kind of lost track of the character in the middle books. Or rather, like Poonguzhali, I think the character took control. He is introduced as a bit of an over confident bully, forcing everyone into his conspiracy, taking offense easily, jumping to conclusions, and so on. And when he has his change of heart, by golly he does the same thing! Is quick to blame Nandhini for everything bad in his life and refuses to forgive her or see her side of things, rushes in ready to fight without thinking of the consequences, just generally a mess of things. And yet he gets the Noble Ending because that is what Kalki always planned out for him.
Now, the On Purpose things that aren’t clear which I think are REALLY interesting:
Who, if anyone, did Nandhini Love?
At the end of things, when Nandhini has achieved her mission and has no more need to lie, she first declares to Adithya that she has always loved him, and then to her husband that she will marry him in every other life. And she tells Ravidasan that she will never forget what Veera Pandiyan did for her. After she is dead, Kundavai calls out the way she always protected Vandhiyadevan and says he was the only one she really loved.
I think this is on purpose. I think until the end, Kalki wanted us guessing who Nandhini really was and what her motivations where. I also think he was showing how survivors of terrible situations learn to adapt themselves to be whoever the person with them wants/needs them to be. When Nandhini is with Adithya, she loves him. When she is with her husband, she loves him. It’s equally true both times. And when she is with Vandhiyadevan, she can be strangely honest and open, while at the same time plotting to use him for her own ends. The moment I find most revealing is when she sobbingly begs Manimekalai to leave the room declaring she loves her truly as a sister and wants her to be protected from Adithya’s death, followed by her very next scene where she declares to her husband that in order to prevent dishonor to his name, she arranged for Manimekalai to be blamed for Adithya’s death. Direct contradictions, are they both true? Because if the second is true, why did she try to get Manimekalai to leave? But if the first is true, why did she left Manimekalai in the room at all knowing she was about to kill Adithya?
Was Veera Pandiyan her Lover or her Father?
The Pandiya conspirators refer to her as their “Queen” and the consort of Veera Pandiyan. Adithya in his original story of finding her with Veera Pandiyan is clear that they were lovers. The alternative parents are Sundara Chola, Adithya’s father, which would make their love incest. Or perhaps a random boatman, which would make none of this incest. When she reveals the name of her father to Adithya at the end, he laughs bitterly and is stunned. And she says that once he knows, he will understand why it is too late for her to change her life. As I read that, it’s not just that he is learning her father is the enemy of their kingdom and the man he killed, he is realizing that her father was her lover as well. That Nandhini, not knowing her heritage, ended up under the protection of and loving a man who she later learned was her own father. Adithya killed her father, and she committed incest with him, they are both damned. But what if she is still lying? In that case, she may be protecting Adithya, convincing him that they do not share a father so his love for her is not incest, and doing it by confessing the worst possible sin she can, one he will believe she could not be faking. And the true irony would be if Nandhini believes the king is her father, lies to Adithya that her father is Veera Pandiyan to keep him away, and in reality it was a random boatman, unrelated to the whole royal conspiracy and they all could have been happy.
Who Killed Adithya Karikalan?
The room is dark, there are people moving around, Nandhini is threatening him, he is threatening to kill himself, there is a knife and a sword, it’s all super confused. In the end, the lights come on and Adithya is stabbed with a knife of the style used by the Pandiyans. At one point in book 5, it seems clear that it was Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar who killed him. He took a knife from a Pandiyan and was carrying it, then threw it just before the lights went out. But by the time he confesses, his story isn’t as clear and it is possible that he is lying, trying to clear Vandiyathan’s name because he knows he is innocent. Meanwhile, Manimakelai is stubborn start to finish that she killed Adithya. She was in the room, and she used a knife. Before the lights went out, Adithya was threatening to kill himself and Nandhini was threatening him. Did Manimakelai kill him and ironically no one believes her? Did Adithya kill himself and Periya Pazhuvetaraiyar is lying to protect his honor? Did Nandhini kill him but somehow is in denial even to herself that she did so? One of the oddest parts of this is that the King remains firm in his refusal to investigate the death in anyway, he does not want to know. Which makes me think the reader is supposed to understand, in his wisdom, he knows investigation would reveal something terrible.
Okay, for those of you who have read the books, what do you think? And for those of you who haven’t read the books, ask me any questions you have and then se if you can figure out the answers with clear fresh eyes!
dontcallitbollywood 
Poonguzhali is just one of those characters who I believe got popular very fast and was not supposed to be as big of a character as she was. Their whole romance I think was supposed to be what you originally said. Like a way for her character to learn from her mistakes but their romance was so popular that he felt like he had to make them close.
I think ultimately for Periya Pazhuvettarayar he is supposed to be a relic of the old past who has good intentions but is too swayed by his wife. The book was written a 100 years back so Nandini is a very classic femme fatale kind of character who has this magnetic pull. I think his end tries to redeem him or atleast makes sure what good he did years back was still important.
Nandini I think goes in that same area. She is clearly meant to be a femme fatale character with little known motivations and her actions always contradictory. However I think what makes her also unique is she clearly has a bad past which she holds deeply and due to that she has made her thoughts unknown to everyone. I have to be honest I always hated that they made it seem her one true love was Vandiyadevan cause it just felt another clash with Kundavai. It also made Vandiyadevan so much more cooler/desirable because of his 3 women who hover around him.
In my opinion, Manimegalai probably killed Aditya Karikalan. But as in real life his death was unknown that was why they did not want to reveal his death.
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Yaaaaaaaaay, a comment!
I also really like the idea of Manimegalai as the killer. It goes with the message through out the books of women being underestimated and the folly of that. No one fears Nandhini as they should, the wise people respect Kundavai and openly say she should be the ruler, and Poonghuzali is ultimately the most heroic useful talented person in the books, which again the wise people appreciate and the foolish discount. Oh, and Mandakini! She is distrusted or discounted, and actually she sees and does the most. In the end, Manimegalai is tormented not just be guilt, but by the gaslighting of NO ONE believing her. Which ties into Nandhini as well, who has gotten used to no one trusting her so just lies all the time because if she tells the truth, she isn’t believed anyway.
I read the Kundavai theory of Nandhini loving Vandiyadevan as Kundavai projecting. She loves Vandiyadevan and, similar to Nandhini, she trusted him immediately and gave him secret missions and so on and so forth. So she reads Nandhini’s behavior as having the same motive she did. But that’s not necessarily true, it is yet another time that people are putting their own feelings onto Nandhini. I find it more believable that Nandhini simply liked Vandiyadevan because he was smart and charming and didn’t bow down to her.
I wish Poonghuzali had a better ending. I love her marrying Sembhan and becoming empress. But I wish she was given some indication that she still gets to sail her boat and have fun even after marriage.
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I don’t know how to explain it but I think Nandhini so traumatised with all the hardships she has faced that I don’t think she loves anyone at all. I think she and Aditya Karikalan genuine love for each other when they were in their youth where she had a slight ambition of being the queen. However that love had waned once everything she went through to which she slightly resented Aditya for abandoning her. Also I realised I forgot to answer the question on is the Pandyan king her lover or her father. I think the Pandyan King knew from the start she’s his daughter however never told her. I can believe that the Pandyan king to Nandini was a way for at least not love to get away from the circumstances she was in. I believe she thought she would become his queen consort. I think Aditya removing even that aspect for her, made her truly hate him. In that sense, I think their relationship is both them at their purest and most demented (I don’t know if that is the right word). Like with Vandiyadevan, I think she respects him but cannot come to love anyone after everything that happened to her. She can only see herself and no one else to protect. I think that at the end she only wants vengeance for everything she has gone through and has become emotionless.
I also love your interpretation of Nandhini’s lies and contradicting nature.
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Along the lines of Aditya when she was young, I also think she has a certain kind of pure love for her foster brother remaining from her youth. It’s almost like that was a different person back then, and she is nostalgic for the things that young woman loved, but disconnected from them.
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I HATED how Poonguzhali’s character panned out. It was such a 180 deg, but I agree with you and adh1325 that what happened was the character took a life of her own and Kalki had to struggle to get her and the Prince back on track. I wrote this alternate ending btw for Poonguzhali and the Prince in case that’s of interest. It was really cathartic for me: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43069653/chapters/108227652
Re Nandini, I chose to believe her final note to her husband… That was probably the only place where her lie earned her nothing?
Who killed Karikalan? Historically it was apparently the Pandya conspirators, do I am going with that. I thought Vikram portrayed him brilliantly in the movies! Watching him made me like the book character better!
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I like that in the book it is somewhat ambiguious whether Veerapandiyan was Nandini’s father, while in the movie they outright say it (and further demonizes the Pandyas).
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I think the movie was afraid to leave the Vikram-Aish insist possibility unanswered, while the book was brave enough to leave that as a possibility. The movie also was clear that Aish was treated as a “daughter” by the Pandyan king, not as a consort, while the book showed that she was seen as a consort by those around them.
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Older bodyguards like Ravidasan and Soman Sambavan know about Mandakini and her children. When Soman Sambavan sees Maduranthakan (they have only heard about the idiotic prince until then), he recognises him as Mandakini’s son and hence Veera Pandyan’s heir. There is a reason why Ravidasan doesn’t correct Nandini. If Nandini is acknowledged as Veera Pandyan’s daughter, she and Aditya Karikalan would be of same caste and status. She’d want to go with him and won’t be available for their machinations.
But other bodyguards like Parameshwaran doesn’t know Mandakini and Veera Pandyan’s history. We see the reason later – Parameshwaran was a Chola government employee dismissed for corruption. Ravidasan finds him to be annoying and doesn’t trust him. So he doesn’t bother to correct Parameshwaran either. Parameshwaran is a bit too zealous like new converts. He and others took the king’s words literally and genuinely considers Nandini to be their dowager queen.
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Just came across this interesting thread and couldn’t help commenting 🙂
As there are so many interpretations of Mahabharata so are there many interepretations of Ponniyin Selvan. Kalki in his end note, tries to answer few open ended questions but at the same time he talks about the difference between writing a fiction and a historical fiction. We need to remember that Ponniyin Selvan is a historical fiction and the story cannot change the major historical events.
Raja Raja Chozha ( Arulmozhi ) married Vanathi is a fact. And Vanathi did not become his first queen however, her son succeeded Raja Raja Chozhan to the throne is a fact. So Kalki wouldn’t have planned to have Poonguzhali and Arulmozhi to get married to each other. In the second book, we are actually introduced to the titular character of Arulmozhi. The whole story from that point in time travels towards the event of Arulmozhi sacrificing his throne. So Kalki merely used Poonguzhali’s fantasy as an instrument to foreshadow the detachment of Arulmozhi from becoming the king. He doesn’t fall in love with Poonguzhali but he wishes that he could be as free spirited like her. You are right in the way Kalki had narrated it, it was on the borderline of getting comitted 🙂 Poonguzhali on the other hand she travels with 3 men at various points in time and likes certain aspects of them. With Vandhiathevan to Srilanka, with Ponniyin Selvan in SriLanka and with Amudhan ( her cousin ) to Nagapatinam and Tanjore. In all these travels her character arc changes. For her Ponniyin Selvan is a fantasy that might never happen which she knows. He is sort of a celebrity crush for her. Vandhiyathevan becomes a good friend, although we see a flirting from Vandhiyathevan’s side, but she evades it. With Amudhan her journey has been a transformational one where she starts to develop a liking towards him. Amudhan’s sickness is just a moment that surfaces her love for him.
Arulmozhi’s love for Vanathi was always there. Only thing that kept him far ( is explained by Kalki later in the episode of Elephant, cat and the bird ) is the fact that he showing interest to Vanathi would cause diplomatic issues. But Kalki had always prepared the readers foreshadowing the future through the foretelling of Kudanthai Jothidar (Astrologer).
Pazhuvetaraiyar is portrayed as a war hero who is a role model for young warriors like Vandhiyathevan from the beginning. Like every great person has a weak spot, he has Nandini. He is blinded by her love. And this works well as Nandini is a fictional character that Kalki has created that is very strong and pivotal to the whole plot. So to keep Pazhuvetaraiyar on the blind side just enhances the character of Nandini. All his ego breaks down when he himself learns about the truth through the assasins. He cannot accept the fact that he has been in denial despite being warned by his brother. The Pallipadai portion where he is caught under the weight of the temple wall and the whole heritage of Paluvetaraiyars flash before him is a brilliant way of bringing his transformation. Conspiracies were the order of the day then and there was a brewing tension between two feudatories Velaar and Pazhuvetaraiyars. Velaar were wishing to bring Arulmozhi as the King so Pazhuvetaraiyars wanted to make Madhurandhagan as the King. In the end as he realises Nandhini has been the culprit he tries to kill her but he cannot. He leaves her as his love for her was true.
Nandini is a mystery and Kalki wanted to leave her as a mystery. It was definitely well established that she was not the daughter of Sundara Chozhan as her brith time was two years after Sundara Chozhan and Mandakini Devi separated. It could be that she was the daughter of Veerapandian however Kalki leaves this to readers interpretation and we are free to interpret the version that suits us. Kalki makes us believe that Nandini was truthful to Vandhiyathevan as he did not fall for her beauty, but that cannot be established for sure. Even Kundavai thinks ( she tells Vandhiyathevan towards the end ) that Nandini did have a soft corner for him and Vandhiyathevan denies.
As per history Aditya Karikalan’s death is a mystery. So many people were believed to be involved in the conspiracy. Arulmozhi varman was also thought to be involved in the conspiracy of killing him. However there has been excavations made and written sculputure obtained which states that after Raja Raja Chozhan became the king he had found the killers of Aditya Karikalan and punished them. They turned out to be assasins from the Chera kingdom ( if you read, their names would sound similar to the assasins in the novel ).
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Hi hi blogger, even after spending too many hours watching Indian films, I see that you haven’t realised the toxic power of Indian families 😉😉😉
Arulmozhi Varman wouldn’t make a decision that would displease his sister. He tries to present it as “I will conquer lands but will you let me have this one thing I like?” but she doesn’t approve of such relationships. She insists that their preferences were similar until then and it will be so in the future too, implying that the brother has to choose Vanathi.
Arulmozi Varman dislikes Vanathi and other royal girls because he thinks that they have an eye on the throne. Poonguzhali grows more stubborn as she experiences the royal discrimination personally (she is already pissed off about her aunt). This triangle is resolved by Arulmozi Varman choosing Vanathi who doesn’t harbour personal ambitions and Poonguzhali deciding that it isn’t worth it and choosing Senthan, the safe option.
Arulmozhi Varman is 19-20 years old and Poonguzhali and Vanathi are even younger. It isn’t surprising that teenagers make fickle decisions based on emotions, family background, etc.
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Regarding Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar, he was always meant to die. I think I have written about the tradition of bodyguards in South India in the main film discussion. Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar was the former head of Velakkara Padai, the faithful bodyguard regiment of Cholas. There is no way he would have survived this.
What we are seeing in the book is a mid,no,old age crisis. Pazhuvettaraiyar is not only a warrior, economist and statesman. He is a scholar of literature too. He particularly enjoys reading romantic poetry. For him, Nandini is a new plaything which makes him feel alive, young and worthy in his drab old age. He found a beautiful young girl crying for asylum in the forest, which made him feel like the hero of a romantic story. Also he is contrasted with his brother, who is a content old man. Chinna Pazhuvettaraiyar is happy to be an old, semi-retired commander with a small family. He doesn’t want to feel young or desired.
At the same time Pazhuvettaraiyar is an intelligent man too. In the first book itself, when he goes to meet Nandini, his suspicions are outlined as an internal monologue. But he consoles himself, against his better judgement, that his doubts are baseless. When he realises that his doubts are indeed correct, he springs into action. Then he isn’t the romantic old man trying to relive his youth fantasies. He is the most senior authority in the country, trying to make sense of the conspiracy.
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Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar is a romantic old man who loves literature. In the first book, he waxes eloquently about romantic connection that lasts for several birthday (it is a concept in indian mythology and literature), which Nandini finds quite irritating. But she knows that this is what he likes to hear. Nandini says what (she thinks) he wants to hear, hoping that it would soothe him. She thought he got a heart attack after seeing her with Aditya.
Nandini saw Veera Pandyan and others for the first time when they brought an injured Veera Pandyan to her hut. Veera Pandyan thought she was Mandakini(her mother) and deliriously ranted about marrying her. He has never interracted with Nandini in a right state of mind. Nandini repeats that Veera Pandyan is her husband because that’s the only way (she thinks) she can survive.
Kundavai is always suspicious of commoners getting close to royal men. She thinks Nandini might have loved Vanthiyathevan sincerely because Veera Pandyan, Aditya Karikalan and Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar are rich and Vanthiyathevan isn’t. So if “gold digger” Nandini showed any consideration to the poor prince, it should be true love, right?
Nandini always loved Aditya Karikalan. Her intention was to kill him and/or commit suicide or get killed by him(for which she says harsh things).
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Another thing about Nandini is that she is young and rather clueless. She thinks she is manipulating much older and experienced Ravidasan, but he knows what exactly are her thoughts and subtly manipulates her using the most infuriating words at the right moment. He falters only when Nandini learns that Mandakini was killed, which was not in his plan. Nandini hears this, he realises that he can’t control her anymore and abandons her then and there. Otherwise he is always in control.
Their first conversation goes like this
Ravidadan about Vanthiyathevan: Tell me the truth, girl! You’ve not lost your heart to the youngster’s beauty, have you? (accusing her of infidelity, which Nandini hates. She considers herself pure like Sita for staying a virgin)
Nandini: Chi, chi! What words! How can anyone talk about a man’s beauty? Only in this debased Chozha country do people rejoice Over a good-looking Emperor. Aren’t battle scars the only signs of beauty in a man?
It was actually Pandyas who were obsessed about beauty. Their tutelary dieties were Parvati – Madhurai Meenakshi (the one with eyes like fish, considered a sign of beauty in India) and Siva- Sundarar (literally meaning the handsome one). Meenakshi’s brother (Vishnu) is also worshipped as Alagar (literally “the handsome one”) in Madurai. Madurai was the capital of Pandyas btw. Nandini thinks she is insulting Sundara Cholan but she is actually blabbering against Pandya traditions, in an attempt to impress Ravidasan. She must have heard about the greatness of battle scars from Pazhuvettaraiyar, who is so proud of his scars that he announces it everywhere.
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Ok I wanted to make a comment after reading the books for a second time and with a more fresh mind. So here it is.
The book essentially works better in your mind with 2 accepted truths. The characters being much younger with Nandini being around 24-28, Aditha Karikalan being around 27 and even Ravidasan being in his mid 30s with pazhuvettarayar being in his 60s. Also to remember this is a fictional novel set in a world which is much smaller and coincidences happen easily
Arunmozhi and Senthan Amudhan being similar in lacking ambition to join the throne is a very nice foreshadowing by Kalki. Also the contrast with Madurakandan and Senthan Amudhan – one is greedy, selfish, unable to admit/improve his lack of skills for being a king while Senthan is the opposite of all of that. I think he really invibes the truth that the best king is the one who wants it the least. Also Kalki further highlights Arunmozhi’s brain when he realises the people will only accept Senthan if he publicly proclaims his support.
Now with the Arunmozhi love triangle, you have to remember that Kalki wishes to honor history but still create a narrative. So Arunmozhi and Vanathi will end up together. Poonghuzali is an outsider’s/commoners view of the whole royal family being separate from the royal lineage that Vandiyadevan has. She is very young (Arunmozhi is only 19, so both his love interests are younger) so Arunmozhi is almost like a teenage fantasy. I think her breaking point is seeing her Aunt and Nandini losing themselves due to the strict royal protocols – realising she is not suited for such a life. Also with the Poonghuzali – Arunmozhi love story, I always read it as Arunmozhi liking Poonzhugali as a person but also mostly as a sign of his aspiration to explore the world and travel the seas. Like he was sort of using her as an excuse to rebel. I think also the fact that Kalki firmly establishes that Arunmozhi will never dissuade from his sister word, makes readers understand that she is not going to marry him and Vanathi will be the bride.
However I do like Vanathi and his romance as its shown at the start that he always has his eye on her and likes her but dislikes the fact that she is the Kadamboor princess. Thus it would show a wish to ascend the throne but when that is abandoned Arunmozhi easily is able to open his heart. Also the fainting scene and the elephant,cat scene shows that the attraction was always there but just ignored due to the politics surrounding this union.
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For Nandini, I think Kalki easily shows when she is vunerable and when she is lying. I think Manimegalai is someone Nandini genuinely feels pity for and this is where her brain and heart are in contrast. As her brain feels like this is for her revenge so it is not a bad thing that she is being used as a tool but her heart feels bad to see this girl becoming ruined like her. Additionally with Aditha, Nandini does have very strong feelings (both love and hate), that is why she seems nervous when writing a letter to invite him and is shocked when she realises Aditha is also acting at times – aka not as penetrable to her charms as she believes. Vandiyadevan is someone she respects for not falling for her charms but she doesn’t ‘love’ him. Pazhuvettriyar she feels shame and disgust towards him but ultimatley feels apologetic when she realises Ravidasan was using her the whole time.
I think understanding that Nandini is young and at the end is mostly tragically manipulated and ruined because of the men around her shows her own character. Also, while I am writing these assumptions about Nandini, it doesn’t necessarily mean that this is directly said – rather Kalki masterfully just hints at these ideas so Nandini is an enigma throughout the book.
Nandini’s father is mostly understood to be Veera Pandyan or Thiru/Mad prisioner (Veera Pandyan’s servant) but also Kalki heavily hints it to be Veera Pandyan. Thiru appears to be also talking about Mandakini’s sister Vani (aka Senthan’s adopted mother) as their resemblance is very similar but it is not made clearly. However it also explains why Ravidasan is advocating for Madurakandan stepping onto the chola throne. Also Sundara Chola is firmly out of the picture as the twins were born 2 years after he returned from Sri Lanka. This adds to Nandini’s tragedy in all honesty that she believed her father to be her lover.
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