The city gates were made of a metal that Shiva had never seen before. Nandi clarified that
they were made of iron, a new metal that had just been discovered. It was the strongest of all
the metals but very expensive. The ore required to make it was not easily available. At the
platform entry, on top of the city gates, was etched the symbol of the Suryavanshis — a bright
red circular sun with its rays blazing out in all directions. Below it was the motto that they lived
by ‘Satya. Dharma. Maan’: Truth. Duty. Honour.
Seeing just this much of the city had left Shiva awestruck. However, the sight that he
witnessed at the top of the platform, within the city gates, was truly breathtaking both in its
efficiency and simplicity. The city was divided into a grid of square blocks by the paved streets.
There were footpaths on the side for pedestrians, lanes marked on the street for traffic in
different directions, and of course, there were covered drains running through the centre. All the
buildings were constructed as standard two storied block structures made of baked bricks. On
top were wooden extensions for increasing the height of the building, if required. Nandi clarified
to Shiva that the structure of the buildings differed internally depending on their specific
requirements. All windows and doors were built strictly on the side walls of buildings, never
facing the main road.
The blank walls that faced the main roads bore striking black line drawings depicting the
different legends of the Suryavanshis, while the background was painted in the sober colours of
grey, light blue, light green or white. The most common background colour though, appeared to
be blue. In the Meluhan mind, blue was the holiest colour of them all. It was the colour of the
sky. It was just above green, the colour of the earth, in the colour spectrum. Meluhans, who
liked to see some greater design in every act of nature, thought it was marvellous that blue was
above green in the colour spectrum just as the sky was above the earth.
The most recurring illustrations on the walls were about the great emperor, Lord Ram. His
victories over his enemies, his subjugation of the wicked Chandravanshis, incidents that proved
his statesmanship and wisdom, had been lovingly recreated. Lord Ram was deeply revered,
and many Meluhans had come to worship him like a god. They referred to him as Vishnu, an
ancient title for the greatest of the gods meaning protector of the world & propagator of good.
As Shiva learned from Nandi, the city was divided into many districts consisting of four to
eight blocks. Each district had its own markets, commercial and residential areas, temples and
entertainment centres. Manufacturing or any other polluting activity was conducted in separate
quarters away from the districts. The efficiency and smoothness with which Devagiri functioned
belied the fact that it was the most populous city in the entire empire. The last census just two
years back had pegged the population of the city at two hundred thousand.
Nandi led Shiva and the three soldiers to one of the city’s numerous guest houses, built for
the many tourists that frequented Devagiri, for both business and leisure. Tying up their horses
in the designated area outside the guest house, the party walked in to register themselves and
check into their rooms. The guest house had a style similar to the many that Shiva had seen
throughout their journey. There was a central courtyard with the building built around it. The
rooms were comfortably furnished and spacious.
‘My Lord, it’s almost time for dinner,’ said Nandi. ‘I will speak with the housekeeper and have
some food arranged. We should eat early and get enough sleep since our appointment with the
Emperor has been fixed at the beginning of the second prahar tomorrow’
‘Sounds like a good idea.’
‘Also, if it is all right with you, shall I dismiss the soldiers and send them back to Srinagar?’
singke
(singke)
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