Chapter 139 YUGADI ( 1654 )

139 YUGADI ( 1654 )

Vijayanagar Empire, Hampi, In The palace grounds.

The young man, who appeared to be in his early twenties, engaged in a breathtaking display of swordplay, skillfully dancing with the weapon. Dressed in a dhoti and bare-chested on the top, he exuded a masculine aura, amplified by a scattering of chest hair. He possessed well-defined 8-pack abs that contracted rhythmically with each agile movement and breath, adding to the magnificence.

The sword's dance gained speed, accompanied by the sound of "swish swish," as sweat trickled down his muscular back. Despite the smoothness of his light brown complexion, the presence of scar marks on his back and chest contributed to an aura of fearsomeness rather than detracting from it.

Moving to his face, the young man possessed an angular and well-proportioned visage, with deep black eyes mirroring the night sky. Long, black hair was elegantly tied in a high ponytail. However, the delicacy of his facial features was offset by a distinctive feature—a missing piece of flesh around the ear, suggesting a past injury that added an edge to his appearance.

Physically, he boasted the athletic build of a swimmer—striking a balance between strength and agility.

"Gh..." With a grunt, the man jumps in the air as he incorporates some kicks, successfully stabbing into the air. Aiming forward, he launches his last blow at a tree.

"Slash." With the slash, a deep mark is formed on the tree as the leaves fall.

The person is none other than Vijay Devaraya, the emperor of Vijayanagara, who turned 24 this year.

"Pant...pant!"

Vijay stood there, panting, his gaze slowly landing on the tree where he left the sword mark. Ever since he participated in the Dutch war, he has been practising Kalaripayattu (martial arts) whenever he had the time. With him being thrown into conflict with the Mughals again, he honed his combat capabilities well in numerous skirmishes he led during the reclamation battle.

Looking at the tree, Vijay was surprised by seeing the mark he left behind on the trunk. As he had been missing for a year, he could tell that the mark he left before was prominently lower than the mark he left now. Suddenly, it hits him that he has grown taller since he first got reborn in this body at the age of 20. Just from the looks of it, he is positive that he is at least 6 feet 4 inches (193.04 cm), which is way above average for an Indian. When he was just reborn, he was no more than 6 feet tall, but in just a span of four years, he had grown five inches. He couldn't find any explanation for this phenomenon except for his unusual brain, which hosts the knowledge of a whole civilization that may have given him a stronger and more robust body to properly host the brain.

"Sigh, it has already been four years, huh?"

He thought to himself as he picked up a towel, which was on the wooden shelf nearest to him. As he wiped away the sweat on his body, Kavya arrived bringing with her a powder of Shikakai (Acacia concinna, Used as shampoo). Kavya has grown a lot since he married her at the age of 16; now she is 20 years old.

Vijay, being an uncle in his previous life, did not have the fetish of a Lolita, so he waited until she was 18 to engage in sexual activities with her. Since then, she has grown up a lot.

For example, in his last life, whenever he remembered, on Deepavali or Ganesha Chaturthi, it would always rain on that specific week and not on the next week. The surprising part is that the days for both Ganesha Chaturthi and Diwali are not fixed throughout the year; they change sometimes, even within a range of a month from the last festival to the next one. How the weather will be similar on this specific day remains a mystery for him.

After reading the Panchanga Shravanam, he went to the balcony to see Kavya ordering the maids to draw colourful Rangoli all over the palace road. During the time Vijay was away, she had more time to dedicate to her art, and the new designs drawn all over the palace road showed how much effort she put into it.

Vinod, the butler, was also not free as he ordered the servants to hang the torana (mango leaf door decoration, put up in festivities) at all the doors in the castle.

Around 11:00, the Pachadi, a festive dish, was meticulously prepared. Vijay took a moment to taste the sweet, sour, salty, spicy, bitter, and astringent flavours embodied in this dish—an emblematic representation of the festival's essence. This culinary creation served as a reminder that life is a blend of diverse experiences, much like the varied tastes encapsulated in the Pachadi. It carried a profound message, urging individuals to embrace the mixture of flavours—symbolic of life's diverse experiences, both positive and challenging, and to persist in moving forward, welcoming the start of a bright New Year.

Vijay remembered from his last life having a similar, civilian version of it, which was bevu-bella, representing the sweet and sourness of life with bitter leaves and jaggery.

It was lunchtime when his uncle Ravi Shetty and his chikamma (Aunt) arrived; the atmosphere was very festive as the family members all had their lunch.

In the evening, Kavya left the palace to visit various relatives bearing gifts and sending greetings personally. In the meantime, Vijay and his uncle Ravi Shetty talked about business.

Vijay found himself taken aback when his uncle inquired about the possibility of improving the efficiency of paper-making. The surge in demand for paper had been noticeable, particularly with the growing number of schools. Despite the students primarily using slates for writing, the expanding network of schools, where teachers still relied on paper, contributed to an increasing demand. This trend indicated a need for enhanced paper production efficiency to meet the rising and continuous demand in the evolving educational landscape.

Thinking about it, Vijay promised his uncle that the problem would be solved soon.

Upon Kavya's return, a stream of officials' wives graced the occasion, bearing gifts and extending greetings. As the key holder in the palace and the person in charge of all matters, Kavya welcomed them graciously. In return, she offered Harshana (turmeric) for the cheeks, Kumkuma (Saffron) for the forehead, and malli flowers for the hair (Arabian Jasmine), symbolizing traditional hospitality and warmth.

The day concluded with Vijay crafting a Ugadi resolution to bolster the Vijayanagar economy and fortify alliances with potential allies in the upcoming year. With a long day behind him, he gradually drifted into sleep, having received the report from Logananda earlier in the day. The reason for the delay was left unanswered by Logananda, who assured Vijay that all the pertinent details would be found within the report.

P.S. I request all the Indian Readers to explain the nuances to any Non-Indian Readers. Thanks. The timeline will be counted seriously from Now.

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