The Relic

“Vijay stuck his ear on the door and pressed the eye of the cobra as if he pressed a button he heard a latch unfasten itself. Immediately the two halves of the door started to slide in their respective sides. With a creaking noise the legendary door slid open.” The story of “The Relic” revolves around the Shri Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala – the treasure it holds and the mystery around it. The tale begins with the government trying to find out whether the money had been misappropriated. Vijay an Intelligence Bureau officer is sent with orders to open the secret vaults of the Shri Padmanabhaswamy temple. He finds ways to open the vault and is particularly fascinated by a pot he finds in a metal box amid heaps of the golden ornaments and precious gems. After completing the formal investigations he sets out to find out for himself the secret behind the pot. The Relic is a journey of the officer on his quest to unravel the mystery behind the pot and incorporated into the plot is the intrigue of the Aghoris in Banaras – some of them practice rituals that are gory and grisly.