'Suvarana: The Saga' Episode - 12

​'Chandangarh and the Capital City, Suvarnapur'

​"Dear readers, before Kumar Vikramadity and Dhruvdev enter the borders of Chandangarh with their new identities, let us turn back the wheel of time a little. Let me take you straight to 'Suvarnapur,' the capital of the fragrant kingdom of 'Chandangarh,' nestled in the lap of the hills. This is so you can become acquainted with the grandeur of that place and the mysterious prophecy related to the birth of Princess Swarnaprabha, which is the true axis of this story."

​(If you haven't started reading 'Suvarna' yet and are not acquainted with the story's hero, here is the link to the first part of "Suvarna the Saga":

https://meetu2nishabd.blogspot.com/2026/03/blog-post.html)

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​Nestled in the lap of the hills, 'Chandangarh' appeared to be a priceless creation of nature. As is clear from the name itself, there was such an abundance of sandalwood trees in the dense forests of this kingdom that even the mild breeze here carried the pleasing fragrance of sandalwood with it. The state capital, 'Suvarnapur,' was famous far and wide for its opulence, sandalwood products, and unique architecture. Suvarnapur was surrounded by hills on three sides in such a way that every morning, the sun's rays would hit the peaks and brighten the entire city with a golden glow, making the name 'Suvarnapur' completely meaningful.

​The city walls and the turrets of the royal palace were built on such a slope that as soon as the first ray of the sun fell, the whole city would shine like pure gold (Kundan); as if a corner of heaven had descended upon the earth. The cool streams of the Sobti River, descending from the mountains, passed through canals built in the middle of the city, which not only made the land fertile but also dissolved that fragrance of sandalwood in the water and delivered it to the courtyards of every person.

​Amidst this divine and fragrant atmosphere, after years of long waiting and many prayers, the cries of a newborn echoed in the royal palace of Chandangarh. A little princess came like a blessing into the lives of King Manvendra Singh and Queen Ratnagarbha. The joy of the princess's birth spread from the palace to the city in such a way that people said—it was as if new buds had sprouted even on the withered branches of sandalwood. The girl's complexion was golden and her eyes were black, pure, and innocent like a sparrow's.

​Seeing the girl's complexion and characteristics, the King's family priest named her 'Swarnaprabha,' and she became more widely known among the palace and the subjects by the name 'Suvarna.' Kulaguru Saraswatinandan ji prophesied that the girl would be extremely beautiful, virtuous, and lucky. Although she would be married to a worthy groom, she would have to suddenly endure 'separation from her husband' for some time; however, her reunion and rise of fortune would also definitely happen. There would be such an excellent blend of intelligence along with patience and tolerance in the girl's nature, which would always keep her the beloved of her family members.

​Finally, Swarnaprabha began to grow up in the palace of Suvarnapur. As she grew older, the Kulaguru's prophecy began to manifest in her nature. The character of that girl of extremely pure nature was like a restless sparrow; she would move throughout the palace like a flying butterfly, the tinkling of whose laughter would make even the sad corridors come alive. That restless sparrow of childhood, with increasing age, became steady-serious and intelligent like a swan. She was not only beautiful, but her intellect was also sharp. Out of affection, her parents had given her the name 'Suvarna,' and Princess Swarnaprabha began to grow up in the palace like a golden deer, becoming her parents' darling Suvarna.

​In the palace itself, she began to receive the companionship and knowledge-education of scholars appointed by her parents. In addition, she was also learning the arts of culinary and home management with her mother and friends. She learned embroidery from her mother, in which she became wonderfully proficient, and also took singing lessons from the music teacher. Her longing to learn like a sparrow made her all-round talented at a young age.

​For her entertainment in the palace, there was a special flower garden where many animals and birds and colorful fishes were kept in a pond. The princess, along with her friends Chanda, Bhama, Madhavi, etc., would look after the plants and mute creatures of that flower garden, and perhaps she got the most joy in this.

​But there was a strange problem with the princess; since childhood, she had suddenly started feeling afraid of 'Fire.' Everyone considered it a normal thing, but its root cause was that unknown memory of the princess's previous birth, in which she, in the form of a sparrow, had seen her husband jumping into the fire and had herself taken an 'Agni-Samadhi' (immolation). The princess herself did not know why she was so afraid of fire, because the memory of the previous birth was drowned in some deep darkness of the mind, but whenever she saw the flames of fire flaring up, she would shiver. Everyone in the palace was acquainted with this fear of the princess.

​Apart from this fear, the princess was of an extremely sweet nature; her affection towards the servants and maids of the palace did not let anyone feel smaller or like a stranger; everyone's favorite and innocent Princess Suvarna had now crossed adolescence and reached the threshold of youth.

​'To be continued...'

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​In the next episode: Why does the princess, radiant like a lamp flame, herself shiver at the flame of fire? Is this 'fire-fear' of Suvarna just a coincidence or some painful memory of her previous birth? And how will this unknown fear lead her towards that difficult decision which shocked the whole of Chandangarh? To know, read the next part of 'Princess Suvarana'!

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✍️ From the pen of ‘Nishabd’

🖌️ Images created with the assistance of Gemini, ChatGPT, & Copilot