they don’t even realise how many sins they are inviting on their own souls!’
Shiva frowned. During the attack, it hadn’t appeared that the Naga was being used by the
small platoon of soldiers. In fact, it looked to him like the Naga was the leader.
It took another week for them to reach Devagiri. The capital city of the Meluhans stood on
the west bank of the Saraswati, which emerged at the confluence of the Sudej and Yamuna
rivers. Sadly, the Saraswati’s flow was severely reduced compared to her once mighty size.
But even in her abbreviated state, she was still massive and awe-inspiring. Unlike many of the
tempestuous rivers of the Punjab, the Saraswati was achingly calm. The river seemed to sense
that her days were coming to an end. Yet, she did not fight aggressively to thrust her way
through and survive. Instead, she unselfishly gave her all to those who came to seek her
treasures.
The soaring Devagiri though, was in complete contrast to the mellow Saraswati. Like all
Meluhan cities, Devagiri too was built on giant platforms, an effective protection against floods
and a sturdy defence against enemies. However, where Devagiri was different from other
Meluhan cities was in its sheer size. The city sprawled over three giant platforms, each of them
spreading over three hundred and fifty hectares, significantly larger than other cities. The
platforms were nearly eight metres high and were bastioned with giant blocks of cut stone
interspaced with baked bricks. Two of the platforms, named Tamra and Rajat, literally, bronze
and silver, were for the common man, whereas the platform named Svarna or gold was the
royal citadel. The platforms were connected to each other by tall bridges, made of stones and
baked bricks, which rose above the flood plains below.
Along the periphery of each enormous platform were towering city walls, with giant spikes
facing outwards. There were turrets at regular intervals along the city walls from where
approaching enemies could be repelled. This spectacle was beyond anything that Shiva had
ever seen. In his mind, the construction of a city like this must truly be man’s greatest
achievement.
Shiva’s entourage rode up to the drawbridge across the field of spikes to the Tamra
platform. The drawbridge had been reinforced with metal bars at the bottom and had
roughened baked bricks laid out on top so that horses and chariots would not slip. There was
something about the bricks he had seen across the empire that had intrigued Shiva. Turning to
Nandi he asked, Are these bricks made as per some standard process?’
‘Yes my Lord,’ replied a surprised Nandi. All the bricks in Meluha are made as per
specifications and guidelines given by the Chief Architect of the empire. But how did you
guess?’
‘They are all exactly the same dimension.’
Nandi beamed in pride at his empire’s efficiency and his Lord’s power of observation. The
platform rose at the end of the drawbridge, with a road spiralling up to the summit in one gende
turn, facilitating the passage of horses and chariots. In addition, there was a broad flight of
stairs leading straight up the incline for pedestrians. The city walls and the platform extended
steeply onto the sides around this slope, making it a valley of death for any enemy foolish
enough to attack the platform from this area.