Discover Chola secrets in this Ponniyin Selvan-inspired walk at Chennai’s Government Museum

Find out who killed Aditha Karikalan, who made their sculptures and details about the gods they worshipped at this Ponniyin Selvan-inspired walking trail by Storytrails at the government museum in Chennai’s Egmore.

Who killed Aditha Karikalan, the crown prince of the Chola empire? History is elusive and author Kalki leaves us hanging with no answers in his epic Ponniyin Selvan, tantalising the reader.

Vijay Prabhat Kamalakara, founder and CEO of Storytrails however, takes time to debate the possibilities during the second edition of the Ponniyin Selvan-inspired walk at Chennai’s Government Museum in Egmore last weekend.

“Who are the prime suspects?” he asks, standing before Chola copper plate inscriptions dating back to the 10th Century AD at the museum’s anthropology section.

Several eager hands shoot up, some mumble the answers — Uttama Chola, the man who unfortunately missed his opportunity for the Chola throne two times before getting his turn; Arulmozhi Varman or Raja Raja I who may have had a hand in killing his older brother to ascend the throne; or the Pandyas who felt dishonoured when Aditha Karikalan beheaded their leader, Veerapandyan, leaving his head on a pike.

Vijay explains that a brief line in a stone inscription at Udayarkudi in Cuddalore, points to Soman, Ravidasan, Revadasa and Parameswaran — assassins hired by the Pandyas to avenge their king’s death. But he quickly follows it up with caveats. Aftera ll, a historian’s favourite answer is ‘It depends’, he says.

This Ponniyin Selvan walk by Storytrails that was curated after the release of director Mani Ratnam’s two-part film, explores several other such interesting bits of history. Attended by about 30 people across generations, the walk has historical takeaways for everyone.

A subset of Storytrails’ larger Egmore museum trail, this walk allows people to decipher fact from fiction, says Vijay. “Nandhini is just a character from the book,” he says, clarifying to a young participant.