The river side crocodile" most commonly refers to crocodiles that live along rivers and other freshwater sources,

 

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Chapter 14 

The Riverside Crocodile

Those going from Kudanthai to Thanjavur in those days would go along the banks of the Arisala River or the upper banks of the Cauvery River and reach the Thiruvaiyar River. From there, they would turn south and go to Thanjavur. These were the only convenient crossings to cross the Kudamurutti, Vettaru, Vennadu, and Vadavaru rivers on the way.

Leaving Kudanthai, Vallavarayan first headed towards the banks of the Arila River. The sights he saw on the way amazed him even more than what he had heard about the Chola country. Doesn't any beautiful sight seem more beautiful when you see it for the first time? Green fields, ginger and turmeric fields, sugarcane and banana plantations, coconut and kamuku groves, ponds, streams, ponds and canals kept coming and going. Lilies and hyacinths were blooming in the streams. Red and white lotuses, blue lotuses and red hyacinths presented a beautiful sight in the ponds. White cranes flew in flocks. Red-legged storks stood on their hind legs and performed penance. Water flowed through the gates in a gushing stream. The farmers, having applied good fertilizer and manure, ploughed the mud of the fields of Kannankara deeper and cultivated them. The women planted the crops in the cultivated fields. While planting, they sang sweet folk songs. They had set up sugarcane mills next to the sugarcane plantations, and they cut the ripe blackberries that had been planted the previous year and put them in the sugarcane mills to squeeze the juice. The smell of sugarcane juice and the smell of jaggery brewing mixed together and bothered the nose.

In the middle of the coconut groves were huts and huts thatched with straw. In the villages, the doorways were kept clean and polished, and the floors were like glass. Paddy was spread out to dry at the doorways of some houses. The paddy hens came and pecked at it, and then, shouting, "Crowd!", they went back. The girls guarding the paddy did not chase the hens away or beat them. "How much paddy is the hen going to eat?" The children were carelessly playing with the choli and pallankuzhi, while the smoke from the stoves was coming up through the roofs of the huts. The smell of ripening paddy, the smell of roasting yams, and the smell of roasting meat mixed with the smoke from the stove.

Warriors in those days were mostly carnivores, and Vallavarya was one of them, so those smells made his tongue water.

Here and there, on the roadside, there were blacksmiths' forges. The fire in the forges glowed brightly. The sound of iron being struck in the workshop was heard as "Danar. Danar." In those forges, along with the tools needed by the settlers, such as axes, shovels, and pickaxes, hammers, shields, axes, and spears, were lying in heaps. The settlers and the warriors were waiting in a hurry to buy them.

Small temples were also visible in small villages. Inside the temple, the sound of the sema kalam, the sound of the Nagara, the chanting of mantras, and the singing of the devas rose. The village deities such as Mariamman were made to stand on couches, and the priests, carrying karagams, dancing and wearing robes, came and offered rice offerings. The boys, with bells tied around their necks, drove the cows to graze. Some of them played the flute!

The villagers, tired of working in the fields, sat under a tree and rested. Then they let the sheep go to the pasture and watched. Female peacocks sat on the roofs of the houses and cooed. Hearing this, the male peacocks, unable to lift their heads, flew away and sat next to the female peacocks. The peacocks, waving their beautiful necks, circled around! The parrots and mynas, who were locked in cages, sang sad songs. Seeing all these scenes with joy, Vandhiyathevan slowly drove her horse away.

His eyes had a lot to do. His mind was also enjoying these various scenes. However, in his mind, as if slightly covered with dew, he could still recognize the face of a woman. Ah! Couldn't that woman have opened her eyes and spoken a few words to him? What would have been the loss to her if she had spoken? Who could that woman be? Whoever it was, shouldn't she be treated with some respect? Does it seem to me that I am worthy of such indifference? That old astrologer deceived him by not telling him who the woman was! He is clever! Impossibly clever. How does he look into the minds of others? With what worldly experience does he speak? He never said anything important! He was very careful not to say anything in political discussions. Or did everyone. He managed to manage by telling Vikasitha what he knew. But didn't he say something good about his lucky planets having reached their peak? Kudanthai astrologer, may he be well.

Thinking about all this, Vandhiyathevan went on his way. The scenes he encountered from time to time pulled him from the world of thoughts to this world. Finally, he reached the bank of the Arisalatram. After walking a little distance along the riverbank, he heard the sound of women shaking their hands and laughing loudly. They were not known where they were, as the trees that grew thickly on the banks of the Arisalatram hid them. Vandhiyathevan kept looking at the riverbank to find out where the sound of the women's voices was coming from.

Suddenly. 'Oh! Oh! Crocodile! Crocodile! "You are scared!" He also heard a voice of fear. He spurred his horse in the direction of the voice. He could see where the women were through the gap between two trees. Many of them had fear on their faces. Amazing! Amazing! Two of them were the same ones who had left the astrologer's house when Vandhiyathevan entered. Vandhiyathevan saw and understood all this in an instant. Was that all he saw? Under a big tree that gave him thick shade, rooted to the ground, half on the ground and half in the water, a terrible crocodile was gaping its mouth. Recently, Vandhiyathevan had seen a cruel crocodile come with its mouth wide open in the Kollida River, and he had heard how terrible a crocodile was. Therefore, when he saw this crocodile, his heart was troubled and his body trembled. Because the crocodile was very close to the women who had been laughing so happily a moment ago, it had gaped its mouth, showing its fierce teeth, and was making a terrible noise. It was in shape. The crocodile had only to take one more leap. The fate of those women would be tragic! The women, however, were unable to escape due to the dense trees behind them.

No matter how confused Vandiyathevan's heart was, his determination did not waver even an atom. He did not think for more than a moment about what he had to do. She looked at the target in her hand and threw it in one blow. The spear hit the crocodile's thick back, went a little inside and stood upright. Immediately, our hero drew his sword and ran with the determination to finish the crocodile off in one fell swoop.

As before, at that moment, the women were heard laughing hysterically. It was unpleasant to Vandiyathevan's ears. Why were they laughing at such a dangerous time? The woman who had come running stood stunned for a moment.

He looked at the women's faces. He saw no fear or terror in their faces. Instead, he saw signs of mocking laughter.

I couldn't believe that they were the ones who had just shouted, "Oh my!"

One of them, the woman he had seen at the astrologer's house, said in a majestic, sweet voice, "Girls! Be quiet, why are you laughing?" in a scolding voice, which fell on his ears as if he were hearing it in a dream.

The one who had rushed to the first one hesitated, as if raising his sword. He looked at the crocodile intently; he looked at the faces of the women once more. A doubt arose in his heart that made his body tremble with shame. Meanwhile, the woman had separated from the others and stood in front of the crocodile as if protecting it.

"Sir! Many greetings to you, don't bother with the veena!" she said.