Thondaiman's Shining Armoury

Avaiyaar made it a habit to visit the Kings that ruled the region. One day, when she was at the Adhiyaman’s palace, a messenger was ushered into the court room. He had a message sent by Thondaiman, the ruler of Pudukottai.

Adhiyaman, the ruler of Thadoor (present day Dharmapuri), was stronger than Thondaiman and he was angered by the message. Avaiyaar knew the strengths of both kings and wondered what prompted Thondaiman to send such a message.

She asked Adhiyaman to prepare for the war, as he normally would. But she requested him to wait until she had spoken to Thondaiman. Adhiyaman, by now had calmed himself down and decided to respect the words of the wise poetess.

Avaiyaar set out to meet Thondaiman. When she reached Thondaiman’s palace, she received a warm welcome. The King of Pudukottai gave a grand feast to the poetess, before inviting her to inspect his armoury. His newly acquired artillery was worth a look, he thought.

Avaiyaar instantly realised that Thondaiman derived his confidence to challenge Adhiyaman from his newly updated arsenal! She had to warn him as this confidence, she knew would be short lived. She took a good look at the shining weapons and the lustrous swords.

“How do you find my armoury?” asked Thondaiman.

“Very beautiful and the shine on them is very glamorous. I am tempted to compare this with the blood stained swords I saw at Adhiyaman’s arsenal,” began the grey-haired poetess.

“The din from his weapon room was so high that I could hardly hear the King, when he tried explaining things to me. His workmen were constantly repairing the weapons. Well, I must say, what a contrast!” exclaimed the old woman.

Before Thondaiman began speaking, he thought for a while.

“What a timely advice,” said Thondaiman, humility seeping through his voice. 

“Adding weapons to your arsenal does not indicate an increased victory chances. I was foolish to equate the two and challenge a powerful king like Adhiyaman. I was about to commit a blunder,” concluded Thondaiman and thanked the wise old lady profusely for her timely and bold intervention.