Sivakami's Vow (Book-2: The Siege of Kanchi)

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About the Book The political stature of the Pallava crown prince, Narasimha Varmar, has grown considerably after defeating the king of Ganga Nadu at the historic Pullalur battle. But he has more obstacles to overcome. Emperor Mahendra Pallavar, after restraining the Chalukya forces for nine months at the northern border of the Pallava kingdom, is on his way back to Kanchi and continues to oppose the crown prince's relationship with the dancer, Sivakami.

Meanwhile, the Machiavellian bikshu, Naganandi adigal, has convinced Sivakami and her father Aayanar to leave their home in the forest against Narasimha Varmar's wishes. And though the Chalukya army marches towards Kanchi, causing destruction and damage across the countryside, the emperor remains unwilling to cross swords with them. Expecting the enemy to lay siege to the Kanchi fort, Narasimha Varmar must find a way to balance his duties as crown prince and his love for Sivakami.

Expertly weaving suspense, romance and drama, Kalki's gripping narrative describes the tremendous efforts of the Pallavas to counter the Chalukya invasion and the growing intimacy between Mamallar and Sivakami in the action-packed second volume of Sivakami's Vow: The Siege of Kanchi.

About the Authors Ramaswamy Krishnamurthy (1899-1954), better known by his pen name Kalki, was an editor, writer, journalist, poet, critic and activist for Indian independence. Kalki's expansive body of work includes editorials, short stories, film and music reviews, and historical and social novels. His stories have been made into films, such as Thyaga Bhoomi (Land of Sacrifice, 1939), the M.S. Subbulakshmi-starrer Meera (1945), Kalvanin Kadhali (The Thief's Lover, 1955), Parthiban Kanavu (Parthiban's Dream, 1960) and, most recently, the Mani Ratnam-directed Ponniyin Selvan (Ponni's Beloved, 2022). One of the most renowned names in Tamil literature, Kalki was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award for his novel Alai Osai (The Sound of the Waves).

Born and raised in Chennai, Nandini Vijayaraghavan is a director and head of research at the Singapore office of Korea Development Bank. Her translation of Kalki's Parthiban's Dream (2021) was shortlisted for a Valley of Words award in 2022. Nandini's columns on finance and economy have appeared in Business Line, The Hindu, Economic and Political Weekly and Financial Express. Unfinished Business (Penguin Random House India, 2023) is her first India- centric business book. Nandini co-authored a non-fiction book, The Singapore Blue Chips (2017), with Umesh Desai. Nandini blogs at www.litintrans.com.

Foreword Naming himself after an avatar yet to come in Hindu cosmology, writer Krishnamurthy took many avatars. However, public memory is notoriously short, and he is remembered only for his historical fiction. His participation in the freedom struggle and shouldering the Tamil Isai (music) movement, where he insisted that Carnatic concerts should also have Tamil songs (ironically in Madras at the peak of the Justice Party/Dravidian movement), and his magazine editorship are often forgotten. However, Kalki draws parallels to his life and times in his writings. I would like to remember him as a mirror to Tamil life, as one who echoed the happenings of the first half of the twentieth century.