One had to be patient, particularly while climbing down. It was only after the dip at Pambar Pallam that it got steep. It was pretty much like running on flat ground. They would make a competition of running up the steps. Muthu and Kali’s crowd of young men positioned themselves in the mandapams, the rest houses that marked every significant climb, and laughed at those who needed to rest before proceeding further. Elderly folk and ailing people would touch the first step and pray and lie down in their carts. People would arrive there in bullock carts. When they were younger, Kali and Muthu went there with a large crowd of young men on every new-moon day without fail. An ordinary soul could not reach there one needed both mental and physical strength.
He was guarding the maladikkal, the barren rock that was nearby. They called this deity the Pillayar on the hilltop. How many prayers and promises they must have made in Karattur alone! If you went past the forest where the Devatha shrine is, and climbed further up, you would arrive at the Dandeeswarar temple on top. Kali, in fact, was ready to forgo his cattle and all that he had saved with his incredible frugality, if only their prayers would bear fruit. If a child were indeed born, the rest of their lives would be spent in fulfilling these promises. For some gods, the promises even doubled. For the forest gods, it was a goat sacrifice. They promised an offering to every god they encountered. They did not discriminate between small and big temples. In the matter of offering prayers, Kali and Ponna left no stone unturned. He has won several honors for One Part Woman, including being longlisted for the National Book Award. Perumal Murugan has written novels, short stories, and poetry. Set in Tamil Nadu during the British colonial period, the novel follows a couple who remain childless after ten years of marriage, and attacks the rigid rules of caste and tradition that continue to constrict opportunity and happiness. The following is from Perumal Murugan's novel, One Part Woman.
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