Vel Pari

<p><strong>Legend to Realism.</strong></p><p>Were the legends surrounding Pari true? Are there rational explanations to his outlandish deeds? Did he gift his chariot to a jasmine vine? He did not have an heir. Why did he not remarry?</p><p><strong>Did Pari succumb to the treachery of the Cholan Cheran and Pandyan kings?</strong></p><p>The three kings were renowned for their code of chivalry and dharma.</p><p><strong>How did Pari die?</strong></p><p>Was he murdered by his own courtiers who then blamed the three kings?</p><p><strong>Historians found little common ground.</strong></p><p>But they agree that Pari and the influential poet Kapilar were fast friends.</p><p>Kapilar wrote his ground breaking work <em>Song of the Kurinji</em>. What was the genesis of this work?</p><p><strong>Why did Kapilar commit suicide?</strong></p><p>This is the story of Pari as told by Kapilar and one other a man who lurked in the shadows; a man who did not lend his name to written history: Kachagan Raj Guru of the Cholan Empire. Written in the first person Kapilar and Kachagan relate the events they witnessed and lived.</p><p>Who narrates the truer version of history? You decide.</p><p><strong>Note</strong></p><p>Kapilar's extant poetry is the primary source for information on Vel Pari. The two men were friends and the former sang the latter's praises. There is at least one black & white Tamil movie that depicts Pari's life. The movie portrays Pari as a flawless character; and the Cheran Cholan and Pandyan as the bad guys.</p><p><strong><em>Vel Pari the Tamilakam War</em></strong> portrays believable characters on both sides of the divide; people who struggle with their internal demons. This realistic and sometimes gritty portrayal of the characters and events might not sit well with all readers.</p>