A Tryst with Destiny

A thousand years before my coming, a dynasty ruled over Magadh. A dynasty whose roots were firm and ancient. This was the dynasty of the moon, the Chandravanshi dynasty.

Before Magadh became the center of the empire over Bharat, it was but one of many smaller states strewn across the Ganga. Of these the largest were Kashi and Kuru, Magadh then was but a lowly rural state quite like most others in this vast land. Though small and poor, Magadh was blessed with many strengths, key among them was the availability of cheap wood and the knowledge of Aryans of yore.

Then came the fated year One thousand five hundred years before the Vikram Samvat, when king Brihadrath declared the unity of all janapadas over Bharat. Within sixteen years, the kings of Kuru and Varanasi joined his call for unity and thus was established the first unified entity in Northern Bharata. This was the confederacy of sixteen janapadas, where Magadh through its strength, assumed the leadership of this confederacy. It was then that Brihadrath had established the town of Pataliputra beside the village of Patali. The city spread between two rivers, that of the Ganga and its tributary.

King Dharma followed king Brihadrath whose reign lasted for fifty years. His reign was marked by knowledge of the world beyond Bharat. Emissaries and warrior explorers went far to the west beyond the Sindhu river and went to the North beyond the Himalayas. In his time, settlers from the west were brought in to build a fair city upon the banks of the Sindhu, Takshashila. These settlers were the lost descendants of Gandhari, who under the wise rule of King Dharma were resettled to their homeland by the Sindhu river. Here they built the town of Takshashila

Thus had the first two kings of the Chandravanshi dynasty establish a strong union from the Sindhu river to the eastern sea. However, It would be the third king of this dynasty who would establish the foundations of the way of governance and society that commands Bharat today. King Srutunjay was crowned as a result of a courtly intrigue. The brahmans whose power had grown over the last one hundred years favored the rule of Srutunjay over his indecisive brother. Rebel kings of the various janapadas sought to take this opportunity to establish their own independent realms, in defiance of the new king, but Srutunjaya and his gurus steered the realm ably through this crisis and four of the twelve lords who rebelled were put down. Once in power, he would establish the first king's council and lay the code of the caste.

The First King's council would last for three centuries and were comprised of the foremost immortal karma yogis of the land. Acharya Nagabhatt, and Acharya Mukteshwar. Under King Srutunjaya's reign, and the guidance of the King's Council realm strengthened. The code of the caste laid the basis for a social division that defines this land and her people, while the King's council set the course for an organized political system whose fruition would be witnessed several centuries later. The vedic religion through him did find its greatest expression. His legacy was taken further by his successors, yet they would all stand in his shadow.

Three centuries passed after the death of king Srutunjay which witnessed the rule of six kings in succession. King Suchi, King Subrat, King Susuma, Dridhisena, Subhala, Sunita and Dharma the second of that name, all ruled in succession. During this time, warriors explored the lands far to the west of Bharata. In the continent of the west, they encounter people whose art so impressed the king Suchi that they were brought back to Magadh, and resettled as artists. These artists would lay the basis for later Indian classical art.

Then came the time of Kings Satyajit and Biswajit who's reign shone like two bright stars in the darkest of nights. It was the dawn of a new age, and the vedic traditions and way of life of Bharata was changing, as was the world in which it had taken birth. To the West, the tribes of Elam were uniting, desirous of freeing themselves from the suzerainty of the Empire of Babylonia. Under King Satyajit, new forms of art flourished with the discovery of yet other far off civilizations. Through accommodating and uniting with their knowledge did Bharata enrich herself. In the fading light of the Ancient past, King Satyajit handed over a prosperous and powerful realm to his son King Biswajit.

It was during this time, that the Elamite tribes of the West united to create the Parasik realm. No sooner had they united that they declared war on their former overlords to the west, and Bharata to their East. King Biswajit saw this threat and answered it in kind. Through forced conscriptions and emergency measures, he built an army of archers. Several divisions were moved to the city of Takshashila, the first line of defense of Bharatvarsh. When the Parasik came before the city walls and witnessed the strength of Bharata, their king wisely chose to make peace and shun war. Thus, did King Biswajit save Bharata from foreign invasion, but there were deeper problems at home that needed redressal.

Since the founding of the first king's council and the code of the caste, society stagnated. A dark age of learning had descended upon the land. Brahman wisdom had become hostage to obscurantist rituals and greed, the Kshatriya had become indolent and the Sudra and Vaishya wailed in misery. In this dark time, the dissatisfied king biswajit felt the need to create a new King's Council. With few brahmans willing or capable of bearing this burden, the king would have to chose solely from among those who were worthy of joining the King's Council, rather than those whose caste permitted them position. Thus, did the king break the code of the caste and appointed a Shudra and a Vaishya and a Kshatriya into his council. These were among the five immortal karma yogis that graced the palace at Rajyagriha.

The Second king's Council was formed of Acharya Dhrittiman, Atulyasen, Nanaji, and two of the sons of the previous Karma yogi Acharyas, Mukteshwar and Nagabhatta the second of these names. For many years they together with King Biswajit guided the realm through these troubled times. Then in the 44th year of his reign, tragedy struck. The last light of the ancient time faded, and the future seemed uncertain.

In his lifetime King Biswajit secured his hold over the other janapadas through marital bonds entrenching the dynasty of Brihadratha as overlords of Bharat. For this, he had engaged in a marital alliance with the warrior clan from Takshashila. From this marriage a son was conceived who would be second in line to succeed the throne of Magadh. However, in what was perhaps a fit of senile madness, King Biswajit had disowned his own firstborn son Ripunjaya and declared that he be disinherited from the throne. There were sections of brahmins who had been discontent with the long reign of King Biswajit, in particular his favoritism to the anti-caste protest movements and his act of breaking the monopoly of the brahmin over the king's council. The sight of a shudra taking a position of power was an eyesore for the brahmins of Magadh. With his death, they sought to retain the influence they were losing. The son of Biswajit, Prince Pradyota would be their enemy, as he had vowed to honor the legacy of his father and continue his policy of merit before birthright.

From here, began the first civil war in the history of Magadh's rule over Bharata. On the one hand was Ripunjay, the first born prince of Magadh, the true heir to the throne, and on the other stood Prince Pradyot, the heir to King Biswajit's reforming legacy. The clash forever changed the face of Bharata and brought an end to the line of Chandravanshi Kings. The sun of the ancient past had indeed set, and a new era had begun with a new dynasty at the helm of Magadh.

Great word to define April: congested
I'm feeling the same, glad that here we had two holidays this week, 21st and 23rd, which meant that my college gave the entire week off. But no days off at work

At least this has given me time to hurry some college projects.

Surely, although darker times are to come now. Tests and stuff. Let's hope I get some enlightment to solve my programming problems faster

Feels weird with how silent this story is

Really? Say Olá to them!

I have a cousing that visited India some years ago, she said it was a great experience

For a thousand years did the Chandravanshis rule Magadh. A thousand years, that formed the basis of civilization in Bharatvarsha. The first dynasty, who like Manu in the age before the samudra manthan, steered the fledgling nation ahead. That this dynasty would come to an end only revealed the ultimate truth, that all things must pass.

Ripunjaya was born of Chandravanshi blood, and Pradyota of the blood of a foreign dynasty. One hailed from the mahajanapad of Magadh, and the other from the lord of the infertile janapad of Avanati. Yet, despite not being born of the Chandravanshi, prince Pradyota showed the qualities of a satvik man, while Ripunjaya absorbed every vice of rajas.

The brahman Vishishtrishi and rishi Vyas, gathering their followers and arms from the West, rallied behind the corrupt heir of the Chandravanshi dynasty. There they spread their lies among the weak willed and impoverished sudras. The mlecchas and untouchables who dwell in the forests and caves in the North West of Takshashila and those whose lands were taken fro quarrying marble, were promised with wealth and land. Though in truth, Ripunjaya was in no mood to concede to their likes.

Whilst in the East, in the heart of Magadh, at the palace of Pataliputra, Prince Pradyota consolidated his hold over Magadh. Acharya Mukteshwar, the second of that name, and the scion of Acharya Nagabhatta, schemed with the other Acharya's of the king's council. Prince Pradyota knew of the overarching power of the King's Council, and knew that with their support he could eliminate his unrighteous rival.Through the corridors of power spies lurked in the shadows, whispering half-truth,s untruths and truths. In each turn they deceived the enemy, such that Ripunjaya would become suspicious of his own supporters.

Prince Pradyota then turned to Rishi Vyas and Vishishtrishi sowing discord among the duo. The Prince had utilized his authority over the army of Magadh, and sent those with dubious loyalty far from the center of the empire, far into the western Mahajanpad of Gandhar. Thus, were the enemy confused through the cunning of the crown prince. But Rishi Vyas and Vishishtrishi were not so easily put down.

On the seventh day of Spring, a peasant insurrection began in the janapad of Kashi. Soon revolts broke out near Takshashila and Indraprasth. It was soon revealed who were the masterminds of these series of revolts, none other than Ripunjay and his co-conspirators. The civil war had now begun.

The weak armed peasant militias and bandits were no match for the archers of the Kashi janapad. The archers under his command pre-empted an attack upon the city of Varanasi. With great ferocity they slaughtered the bandits and militia who had dared to eye the might of Magadh. The Raja of Kashi, Indraprasth and Takshashila now witnessed the revolt losing. Those who had lingered on indecisively over the question of succession to the throne of Magadh, now accepted almost unanimously the right of Pradyota to become the King.

With their rebellion failing, the desperate conspirators resorted to a shameful strategy. Roving bands of militia laid waste to critical infrastructure across the North Western Janapadas. The legacy of King Srutunjay was being shamelessly destroyed. The peasants suffered the most from such reckless barbarism. Prince Pradyota now sought to put an end to this rebellion once and for all. The archer divisions from Magadh and Kashi joined forces with those of Kuru at Indraprasth, and together numbered 10,000 soldiers. With this large strike force, did Pradyota smite Ripunjaya's rebellion.

On the plains of Kurukshetra where thousands of years ago, the fate of Bharatvarsha was written in the blood of battle the two armies met once again to decide the fate of Bharata. The battle was intense. Volleys after volleys of arrows were rained down upon the enemy, such that would block the sun. The warriors from the rebel side charged in vain only to be slaughtered by the volleys of the armies of Magadh. The enemy then brought forth their own archers, mercenary marksmen from Parasik lands, but even their prowess could not stop the advance of the imperial troops. They marched down and exterminated the remnants of the rebel army, ending with it the hopes of a successful rebellion.

Prince Ripunjaya was not seen in the battle. The rebel commanders had perhaps hidden him away, or perhaps the prince himself was too scared to be in battle. Rumors were rife throughout the West on the whereabouts of the rogue prince, till his discovery leading a rebel contingent of warriors who had laid waste to Takshashila's marble quarries.

In the last battle of the rebellion, The archers of Gandhara faced with Prince Ripunjay's forces. On the marble hills on the edge of the Thar desert, the forces of Ripunjay found their final defeat. The rebel army was now extinguished, its remnants scattered into oblivion and their leader executed.

Prince Ripunjaya was captured and sent back to Pataliputra in chains where he was to be executed by elephant.

Thousands of peasants and poor who had seen their lands scorched by the war launched by Ripunjay walked to Magadh. This was the killer of their fathers, brothers, children and mothers. This was the villain who had ruined their livelihoods, and now the crowned King of Magadh, Pradyota, would bring them justice. As the elephant crushed Ripunjay's head into a pulp a cheer went on from the crowds who had come to witness the execution. Thus, did King Pradyota begin his reign.

After the end of the succession crisis order returned to the realm East of the Sindhu river. In his brief position as the Mahamatya of Magadh, Raja Abhaya used his powers to re-establish a functional ministry. Samrat Mandalak, was a samrat in all but name, through his young years he spent his time in poetry and painting leaving all administrative worries to his uncle.

Within five years, the ministry of Magadh was re-established and functional as was the bureaucracy. The most difficult task however, lay in the West, where the unscrupulous viceroy of Persia, Amatya Martand reigned through deception and trickery. Yet, in the interests of the integrity of the empire, Raja Abhaya had to condone his intrigues. The warlords of Persia who would otherwise fight for the throne of Persia united to fight the common foe that was the Kushan hordes. So when the viceroy had demanded to have control over the military of Bharata, it was not without reason that he was made Senapati.

In these twenty years, the Kushans continued their raids around Kambojadesa launching three painful raids on the fortified town of Herat. Every one of them was a failure. Kujula Kadphises in his desperation, resorted to the most vicious plunder of villages, forcing hundreds of thousands of refugees to seek shelter in Herat, this he calculated could weaken the garrison, but the iron resolve of the garrison's commander, Yavan Tushaspa. So named for a famed Yavan commander in Ashoka's army, he doggedly defended the vital town of Herat with an army of Bharatiya and Parasik forces. For twenty years he had defended this town, but now it was time to drive the Kushana away.



The Army of Magadh, now reorganized would march North into the Pariyatra Parvat, and face the barbarian horde that threatened the empire. Three fierce battles would be fought and Bharata would be victorious.

Whilst on the western front the empire of Magadh prepared for war, in the heartland of the empire that was in the lands of Bharata, Amatya Nakul as the minister of Finance initiated a new policy for raising the royal treasury. In time, the deficit from earlier years decreased dramatically. Together with Raja Abhaya, they mapped out a future course of reforms for the empire, such that would augment its wealth substantially.



The first steps towards this would take place through a slow but steady reconstruction work in the North West, the old trade routes that had been destroyed by rebels were now being reconstructed at the order of the ministry, and new farmlands were being established by the worker guilds of Avanti. Ruined quarries would be rebuilt in the province of Gandhara.

Twenty years had thus passed, and it seemed that the memory of the crisis was long past. The reconstruction of the North West had progressed well and it seemed ripe for the reforms of Raja Abhaya to be implemented at long last and Magadh would be the first province for reforms, but there was a problem.

In this time of change, a saint emerged from the gurukul of Pataliputra. All the brahmans agreed, that the stars had aligned for this moment, when a mahavatar would grace the world. The Mahavatar rishi took his seat in the gurukul of Pataliputra, peasants, merchants and brahmans from across the realm flocked to see the saint and to receive his blessings, but Pataliputra had not the resources to sustain an ashram for the guru. Raja Abhaya's reforms meant that resources for the upkeep of the gurukul would have to be diverted to the expansion of outlying towns across the Magadh janapad.

Pundit Munindra, the Royal Saint of Pataliputra, entreated with the Samrat. "The Gods would bless this realm with prosperity" he said, "For this noble deed, your reign will be written in gilded letters. However, we require that the gurukul of Pataliputra be maintained" The samrat nodded in agreement, but sat silent. Then Raja Abhaya arose, "Samrat" he appealed, "If we should keep the gurukul, then we must forego the further prosperity of the Magadh janapad. At this time, the realm needs material prosperity and the people need food in their mouths, as much as our soldiers need blades in their hands to fight the enemy in the West. Noble deeds cannot be achieved at the expense of the realm". For twenty years, Samrat Mandalak had been silent and ignorant of matters of the court, but this day he decided he would speak.

"Five years!" the Samrat proclaimed, "Five years I give for the construction of a grand ashram complex at Kashi, the land of Shiva. There we shall shift the gurukul of Pataliputra as soon as completed. The State shall pay for the maintenance of the gurukul and support pilgrims." Thus was the conflict between Pundit Munindra and Raja Abhaya resolved. Raja Abhaya looked smiling at his nephew, at that moment his eyes twinkled with hope for the future.



When the Ashram was finally built, it stood out as a wonder of the world. Its beauty, and expanse and wealth was only outmatched by the brilliance of the Mahavatar rishi. Pilgrims who came to visit gave generous donations to the temple's trust. This pilgrimage contributed handsomely to the revenues of the empire. More wealth could now be invested into Samrat Hala's visionary project of a universal currency and a single trading law.

With the establishment of the ashram, Raja Abhaya's reforms could now be implemented freely. Resources for the maintenance of the gurukul were redirected to the development of the Eastern towns of Magadh. A plan for public works was laid out for the construction of granaries and a stepwell. After consultation with pundit Munindra, it was decided that the archaic ban on Buddhist institutions would now be undone, a grand monastery would be built in Pataliputra.



After the reforms in Magadh, Raja Abhaya turned to the provinces to the West. The province of Kashi was blessed with much productive power and wealth, but lacked public works. Here a granary would be constructed, following which a stepwell would be built thereafter a grand forge for metal working. The hill of gems were once more opened to mining bringing ever greater prosperity to the province and the realm.



The Within the first ten years of Samrat Mandalak's reign, these reforms were instituted under the guidance of Raja Abhaya. The first provinces of the empire had been covered under the ambit of these economic reforms, now the time would come for the remaining provinces of the empire. The city of Indraprasth had often been called the jewel of the North, and this was the center of the province of Kuru.

The second phase of the reforms were initiated in the final years of Raja Abhaya's ministership, which would begin in the province of Kuru. The city's workshops had been working hard on creating armor for war elephants, whilst mahouts were active training elephants for war. However, in time, the forests would be marked for harvesting. The creation of stables were earmarked for the future.



Takshashila, the great city of Gandhar, which stood as a great sentinel against every foe that invaded Bharata from the West, would be strengthened by Raja Abhaya's reforms. Here, as in Indraprasth, the artisans and mahouts were hard at work building armor and training elephants, and here as in Kuru, the many woodlands were earmarked for harvest by the worker guilds.



In finality, Raja Abhaya set his focus on the backward ravaged province of Avanti. Here lay a province which could harvest both the riches of the earth from its gem mines in the South, as well as the produce of the Narmada river, yet it remained poorer than the rest of the empire. The pirates from Sindh continued their deadly raids along the Western sea, destroying fisheries and ruining lives. Here the seas were shut out from the province, but Raja Abhaya was undeterred. "To the West, we shall expand farmlands and harvest the fertility of the Sindhu", he thus said, and a surplus of grain came into the warehouses of Avantinagar.




As the years passed, the aged Raja Abhaya grew weaker. During this time, the affairs of the Sri Lanka were held by his son. Chola Nadu, which had been under the suzerainty of Magadh, now stood as an autonomous region as part of the Southern protectorate together with kingdom of Sri Lanka.

Much of the past that had lived through the years of tumult now seemed to fade. The dowager empress Lilavati had died, at the age of 75. Her funeral saw the streets of Pataliputra overwhelmed with mourners, but none could be more saddened than Samrat Mandalak. Raja Abhaya remembered this day, as the day when an dreamy boy emerged strong as a man.

On his death bed, Raja Abhaya contemplated on the legacy he would leave behind. His last thoughts drifted to his family and the promise he gave his sister, "I have done my duty sister, my time on this earth is over."

Over arid hills, a palanquin was being carried by half a dozen men. Surrounding them were armed royal guards of the army of Magadh. When the palanquin reached near the cliff, the commander ordered "Halt!"

A frail pale hand moved aside the curtains of the palanquin and an old man stepped out. He stood frail and trembling barely able to stand, so two female assistants had to help him at all times. The frail old man was a pale shadow of his former self, when in his youth he could carry a khanda with great skill. Now, his body had been all but depleted, he had nothing but the remnants of his cunning. But this frail man who could barely stand on his own two feet, would now hold the fate of a hundred thousand soldiers of the army of Magadh! This was the infamous, Amatya Martand.

"Bring my seat" Martand ordered in a coarse voice, a cushioned seat was brought from the palanquin. Seated on the cliff, he could view the entire battlefield before him. This land was known as the pariyatra parvat, where the boundary of Gandhar meets with the boundary of Kambojadesa. Worrying reports had come that Kujula Kadphises had moved his horde Eastwards. For two decades the Kushanas have plundered and raided and captured the lands of Kambojadesa. Village after village town after town, the land of Kambojadesa fell to the hordes of Kujula Kadphises.

The wealth of the region was looted and taken back to the Kushan homeland North of the Oxus river, yet for all their aggression, the Kushana failed to break the heart of the province. Herat remained secured behind its strong stone walls, defended by a formidable garrison of armored foot soldiers. For twenty years, the hordes of Kujula Kadphises tried in vain to take Herat and failed. With failure in the front, he took his Southern horde to the East and towards Pariyatra Parvat.

Senapati Martand looked over the rolling arid hills, in the distance towards the west, he could notice a shallow lake beside which some trees provided a patch of green in a panorama of brown dirt. Farther to the West of the lake, right before Senapati Martand, stood the army of Magadh facing to the West. The Senapati had decided to adopt a variant of the lotus formation for this battle, anticipating that the Kushana hordes would arrive from the West.

The mid-day sun shone brightly on the land below, the heat had parched the Pariyatra Parvat, the strength of the heat was tiring, but Senapati Martand took this time to chose the battle. "Captain Bhimsen" he said looking to his left, addressing the second in command, "Have the traps been set ?"
"Yes Senapati, I have perused the reports of our scouts. They tell us, that Kushan horde was indeed approaching the Pariyatra Parvat as you had foreseen, and accordingly we had dismantled our catapults and used them for the traps you had planned for. The Kushans have now hastened their ride towards the Parvat and they will arrive within the hour, while the sun still remains at mid-day."
Senapati Martand steepled his hands and gave a sly smile, "excellent!"

The leaders waited along with the soldiers below. Many in the current army of Magadh were recruited from among the Kamboja. They had vengeance in their hearts, and the heat of the sun only stoked the fires of hate that much more. Nearly an hour had passed, yet there was no sign of any Kushan horde. Senapati Martand's gaze was fixed at the pass of the Pariyatra Parvat. A cloud of dust approached the East. "The Kushan horde approaches !" Captain Bhimsen declared,
"Give the signal !"

Conch shells were blown, the Captain blew the conch shell from the Senapati's tent, then every division commander blew their respective conches. The collective sounds of eight conch shells reverberated through the valley. It was a message to the oncoming horde, that the army of Magadh was ready for battle.

Senapati Martand knew from experience, the weaknesses of the horse tribes in the West. They had not adapted nor cared to adapt to a foe fielding elephants in battle, thus they had done nothing to train their horses to overcome their natural fear of elephants. The army of Magadh could field up to five hundred war elephants, coated in armor and carrying small fortresses with half a dozen soldiers. Archers and armored foot soldiers completed the deadly strike force that had seen several battles over two centuries. The Kushanas would now face this undefeated force.

"Captain Bhimsen" the Senapati called out, "Is Kujula riding with this horde."
"Senapati.. no such word has reached me."
"If Kujula is riding with them, I want him alive."
the dust cloud came nearer, and the first line of Kushan ashvakas could now be seen. A line of ashvaks streamed out from the mountain pass, their metals shone against the light of the mid-day sun. Martand quickly ordered the archers to fire, and the conch shell signaled so.

A volley of arrows were sent against the armored horsemen who rode through the arrows like rain water. Those who were hit by the arrows were injured at their neck and shoulder. It was the horses though, which took the greatest damage.
"Stop the volley." Martand said, in his low coarse voice, "Let the elephants charge"
Again the conch shell from the commanders tent blew to signal the elephants to charge ahead.

Now five hundred elephants mobilized against the oncoming foe, as predicted, the horses were unprepared to face these beasts. The mere sight of them sent the horses of the Kushanas into a frenzy. They would not take a step ahead towards the elephants, the men seated in the small forts atop the elephants took the fullest advantage of this. They flung their spears launched their arrows and thrust their long lances at the enemy, mauling every Kushan that dared to fight them. Though most sought to flee.

A hundred Ashvaks had found their deaths in this ignoble way, but then the tide of the battle seemed to change. "The Ashvaks are fleeing!" Senapati Martand remark, surprised.
"Yes Senapati, the tide turns in our favor."
"No! They are feigning a retreat. What did your reports say Bhimsen?"
"Senapati, the scouts said that a horde of eight thousand ashvak riders rode along with two thousand yagbu archers. It is said that they left their catapults aside.."
"And we have seen only a hundred horses. The archers are …. What is that .."

In the distance over a hill to the West between the site of the battle and shallow lake, Senapati Martand sighted rocks being flung at the army of Magadh. "Stagger formation now !" the conchshells and banner men signaled the army to move into a stagger formation, but before they could complete the change, several had died or been injured by the Kushan siege weapon.
"Send in a hundred axemen, take the route from the South along the shallow lake."
"but.. Senapati.."
"That is my order .. captain!"

More Kushans rode out through the mountain pass, and now the archers had moved forward to defend the catapults. The Kushanas did not know of the terrain they fought in, but Martand did. He knew of the passes around these hills and of a tunnel that moved from the summit of the hill beside the shallow lake and the top of the hill where the catapults were stationed. The Kushans were not adept at siege warfare, the catapults though damaging were far weaker than those from Bharat and Chin. They were designed to be pulled by horseback and moved around swiftly from place to place. They could hurl rocks the size of a human head, but no bigger.

The Yagbu fired their volleys along with the rain of rocks from the catapults. The Army of Magadh raised their shields and marched forward even as a section of the armored axemen moved around the curve of the hill to reach the catapult. More Ashvaks rode out to face the war elephants of the army of Magadh, while hundreds of soldiers had succumbed to the volleys of the yagbu and kushan catapults, the elephants remained strong. A ferocity had overcome them and they were slaughtering the foe by the dozens. They killed with impunity leaving a bloody mess with every assault that was thwarted.

Now that the axemen had reached the catapults, they turned their blades against the Yagbu and the siege engineers. The archers were marksmen and swift on their feet, but on melee, they would be no match for the armored infantry wielding axes. Before long, the threat from above was extinguished. Now the battle would be fought with foes on the ground below. The ashvaks made one last desperate ride, with amazing heroism their riders faced against our beasts, few succeeded in defeating a callous rider or two, but by and large, the battle was extremely one sided.

Those Ashvak riders who had disembarked faced the swords of the army of magadh. The sound of steel clanging, of horses neighing and elephants trumpeting their triumphs, filled the valley. In the midst of the sounds of war, the wails and screams of soldiers seemed lost in the din.

The mid-day sun had begun to set when the Kushanas saw their defeat before the overwhelming might of Magadh. Outnumbered, outmaneuvered and outmatched, the Kushans hastened a retreat. "The enemy retreats my sire ! Look !" Captain Bhimsen pointed to the mountain pass through which the Kushanas had arrived.
"And their leader .."
"Shall soon be found."
Senapati Martand looked on at the field, "This battle has ended, order the soldiers to stand their ground. We do not pursue the enemy."
"But .. Arya Martand, why not ?"
"This is only half the Kushan army, we have crushed it. We may not have to fight the second army."

Senapati Martand took out a letter and looked to Captain Bhimsen, "Summon, Susidhharthak."

It was a cold night that day on the hills of Kambojadesa. Kujula Kadphises' horde rested in the camp North of Herat. The night was quiet, only the occasional sound of crickets and wolves broke the silence of the night.

In his tent, the Kushan emperor brooded over the stalemate that his war had reached. He thought to himself, "twenty years.. that damned town still stands stubbornly.. mocking me ! I the emperor of Kushans.. I who have vanquished a dozen tribes of the Tarim.. I stand here a failure.." he struck his bed in frustration. The day before, grim news had come of the horde in the South being vanquished by the Army of Magadh on the pariyatra parvat. In that battle, his younger son had been martyred, and his battered corpse was brought to the Kushan camp.

He knew his youth was now behind him, he had set out on a war of conquest in the prime of his life and raised a large army to wrest the lands of Bharata from the empire of Magadh. "Alexander came to these lands.. that was three centuries ago. He too was a conqueror, far greater than I. Full of pride and full of strength, and when he came to these hills.." Kujula walked out of his tent and looked up to the sky. It was a cloudless sky and the stars with their many constellations could be seen clearly. Kujula looked up and attempted to speak to the gods.

"Hercules ? Mars ? or do I call upon Indra ? The warriors of heaven, hear this tattered fighter," he raised his hands in prayer, "What is the fate of my endeavor ? How do I reclaim my honor ? do I die fighting ? or do I retreat ? Give me a sign O warriors of heaven."

For a long moment, there was nothing but stillness, then suddenly, a large cloud appeared from over the eastern hills, and covered over Orion's belt. A cold wind blew from the East, sounds of hoofbeats accompanied the sound of the wind. It was a rider from the East, a soldier of Magadh. "The gods have spoken…" he thought. He went back to his tent, wore his armor and readied himself to receive the messenger.

A guard walked into his tent, "Rajadhiraj, a messenger .."
"Bring him in. I will speak with him and summon the commanders to my tent"

The messenger entered Kujula's tent and bowed, before him sat the five of the commanders of the Kushan horde in seats arranged in a semi circle, in the center sat the armored Kushan emperor himself. In his hand the messenger held a scroll. Kujula looked at the messenger with intense eyes. "Speak !"
"My lord.." The messenger bowed, then opened his scroll "Senapati Martand, the lord viceroy of Parasika and the Commander of the army of Magadh, sends his greetings. On behalf of the empire of Magadh, Senapati Martand would make you an offer for peace.

As the main Kushan army has been destroyed, the army of Magadh now stands in position to destroy the remaining horde and liberate Kamboja desa completely. However, war is in neither of our interests. I am aware, that you are fighting a war on three fronts, the Kushans harrow you from the North and East.

Under these conditions, it is not feasible for you to continue the futile war against Bharata. On the other hand, Bharata will freely aid you in your wars against the Xiongnu, should you accept our protecting hand. In return, we wish only that you accept the suzerainty of Magadh. We won't extract tribute nor taxes. The line of Kadphises shall remain unbroken and be acknowledged as the emperor of the Kushans.

This is my offer for peace. I hope that you shall accept in the greater interests of both of our realms."

Kujula listened to the message trying hard to bottle his anger, whilst the soldiers and commanders around him sat stunned. His fists quivered in anger, he fought with himself to control his anger, finally he took a deep breath and gave his reply. "I will give you my answer in the morning." The messenger bowed and left the tent.

"Leave" Kujula ordered the soldiers and commanders, one by one, each left the tent with their heads bowed in shame. They did not speak a word, they could not speak a word.. in shame. "Guard ! Bring my slave.. and bring me wine." In the days of defeat and humiliation, wine and flesh seemed to be Kujula's best companion. "heh" he snorted thinking to himself, "if you hear carefully .. the gods are laughing.." and he broke into maddened laughter "hehehehahahahaha".

Kujula Kadphises could see the end of his empire coming near, he would spend this night gorging himself. The slave entered the tent with a pitcher and a goblet. "My lord" she bowed and fell to her knees.

"Fill the goblet, slave girl." the emperor ordered, and the slave did as she was told.

"Now bring it to me, I'll drink from your hands."

The slave walked up to him holding the goblet in her hand, Kujula grabbed her hand and drank from the goblet. Within moments he had finished the entire goblet. "More" he said, and the slave girl dutifully obeyed.

Kujula drank till he had finished five goblets in this way. When the last goblet was filled, Kujula grabbed the slave girl once again, and threw the goblet with its wine to the ground. He picked up the slave girl and had his way.

In the dead of the night, when the world slept and all was quiet, the slave girl stealthily walked out of Kujula's bed. "Now is the time.. I have waited twenty years for this" she thought to herself. She found Kujula's dagger and unsheathed the blade. Just as stealthily as she had walked out of the bed, she walked back in, and sat herself over the sleeping emperor. "No.." she thought to herself, "He must know.."

She clamped her left hand over his mouth and brandished the dagger in her right hand. Then she thrusted the blade into his heart. Kujula awoke with a muffled grunt, then he saw, the slave girl seated over him. "You see me Kujula Kadphises ?" she spoke as she thrusted the blade into his heart, "Do you remember now ?"
"I am not a stupid shepherd girl anymore !" she thrust it again and again till his chest was a bloody mess.
"You killed my father"
"You killed my mother!"
"You burned my village !"

With each admonition she stabbed the sleeping emperor. She then lifted the dagger with both hands, the emperor could only make a whimper before the blade fell between his eyes. Thwack ! The bloodied dagger fell from her hands to the cold hard ground.

"There.. the deed is done.." she could hear footsteps of oncoming guards, alerted by the sound of the dagger falling. Before they could take her, "she lifted the dagger and slit her throat." The guards entered the tent of the emperor with torches in hand and witnessed the bloody scene before them. "The emperor is dead.. The emperor is dead !"

Hierosalem 66 AD

The siege was relentless, the troops of Syria pressed on the embattled garrison of Jerusalem till not a single troop would stand. King Herod's resistance had finally succumbed to the army of emperor Caligula. It was said, the King was so ashamed at the defeat, that he slit his own throat rather than see servitude under Rome.

The troops exacted their vengeance for the jewish people's resistance, no house was left without a dear one having died in the sack, but the people of Judaea resisted on. They fought from the houses, from the caves of the hills, from the deserts and on the beaches. Sheer military strength seemed incapable of crushing this new foe, then a wise Greek senator told emperor Caligula "Judaea must be pacified not crushed. For every Judaean let there be a Roman, then none shall challenge your rule." then began the migration of Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans into Judaea.

Over twenty year, greek merchants travelled to Jerusalem, Roman citizens and Arab slaves travelled to Judaea. Jews were turning into a minority in their own land. The Romans now had a loyal population they could rely on to administer their conquered province. Jews were relegated to the position of a second rate citizen in their own homeland, and soon driven to impoverishment. It was in this dark war torn Jerusalem, that the Greek merchant Alexos opened his shop.

"Is the altar ready ?" Alexos asked, walking by the temple he had just built, and right beside the temple Solomon no less.
"All preparations are nearly done. Soon we shall be ready to initiate the sacrifice."
"Good.. Good."
He looked at his works contently and reflected over the achievements since the twenty years that he was in Jerusalem. 'My wealth has grown ten fold ever since I set foot in this city, now my children are going to be married' he thought, 'Goddess Hera, you have been most generous to me.'

A crowd was gathering to watch the ceremony, the richest merchant of Jerusalem had prepared a grand ceremony in honor of his patron deity. Not everyone was very pleased. "These foreigners, they come and ravage our land as invaders, and now they desecrate our holy places!" Ido was angry, as were many jews like him,
"What will you do ? they have the money, the strength and the power to do whatever they want." Avraham said,
"Someone must do something. Twenty years.. Twenty years of servitude ! I cannot stand it any longer, perhaps you have made peace with it, but not me."
"Haha! And what will you a lowly shepherd boy do ?"
"I will.. " Ido was at a loss for words.

When the insurgencies broke out after the fall of Jerusalem, Ido's father and uncle had joined the resistance. Both had died fighting a legion of Phoenician hoplites. He was only a boy then, but at the day of his father's death he had sworn that a day would come when he would avenge their death, but his mother forbade it. "Enough blood is shed, take what you can of today and let us rebuild our lives for tomorrow."
'There is no tomorrow mother..'

The preparations for the ceremony had now been complete, the priests of the temple were now readying themselves for the sacrifice. The blades were brought out and hymns were being sung to Goddess Hera. The crowd waited with anticipation as the sacrificial animal was brought forth, a goat.

The priests unsheathed their blades, washed it with water and tied the goat to the sacrificial altar. Half the crowd that assembled for the ritual were greeks, the other half jewish. One had gathered to witness a Greek religious ceremony, the other to see their culture defiled.

'This is not right' Ido thought, 'Don't they realize this is a sacred place ? How could they sully the grounds near the temple of Solomon.. with this ..this..'
The priests slit the throat of the goat, and blood gushed out. The goat's pain filled bleats were the last sound before the altar was coated in blood. Then, the priests did something unthinkable and unexpected. "Throw the carcass there" one of the priests said, pointing to the wall of Solomon. A collective gasp arose through the crowd, then angry whisperings among the jews.

The merchant Alexos despised the Judaeans, he as other Greeks, felt the jews as an inferior people, as ungrateful subjects to the once great Alexandrian empire. The jews viewed the Greeks as usurpers and invaders, over twenty years the enmity only grew worse. Throwing the carcass of a sacrificial goat at the temple of Solomon was the last straw.

Ido saw the last vestige of his patience break, "Sacrilege!" he screamed out, he pushed his way through the crowds of Jews and hurriedly picked up a small rock from the ground, "Out with the foreigners!" he screamed as he flung the rock at the priests.

It struck the head of the head priest giving him a deep gash on his head. The greeks in the crowd replied Ido's screams with equally loud screams of "Sacrilege!" Before long the Greeks and jews were at each other's throat. The ritual had incited a riot. Alexos watched in horror at the blood letting that went on before him. "Oh gods be good…" he gasped at the sight of anarchy.

Near the temple of Solomon a troop of roman legionaries were marching, Alexos summoned them with cries of "help! help! Troops!" the troops rushed to pacify the scene only to be ungulfed by the tide of violence. More troops rushed in, and the square was pacified with great difficulty, but by then it was too late. Word of the riots and the sacrilegious acts of the Greek had spread throughout Hierosalem and its outlying towns.

Riots broke out in the city, and spread throughout the province of Judaea. Villages, towns across the provinces of Judaea, Syria, Anatolia and Egypt, wherever there were jews angered by the subjugation of their people took arms to avenge the sacrilege. Over the hills of Jerusalem, a lone Greek watched the city burn and smiled contently, "Sarve nara mriyantām".

Sorry I'm taking so long for an update. Actually I was writing it today, then I had a experience with a girl from Sweden and now I'm just distracted . Fun coincidence though, it turns out the real Judean revolt was instigated by a greek merchant . My Nine Unknown men story is closer to history than I'd like to think =P

Ooo Swedish girls. We understand completely