AMRAPALI: the beauty of heaven

CH-1 NAGARVADHU

The entire city of Vaishali was decorated like a bride today, preparations were going on for a special festival. The festival of choosing the bride of Vaishali. Beautiful girls, one more beautiful than the other, had come, all the streets and the palace were fragrant with the aroma of expensive flowers brought from all over India. There was an atmosphere of happiness all around. Drums were being played in the entire city, the sound of which could be heard far and wide. There was a question in everyone's mind "Which Apsara will become the Nagar Vadhu of Vaishali?"

500 years ago, India was divided into small kingdoms and different kings ruled over them. In Vaishali city of Bihar, the king and ministers were elected by the people themselves. This was the time when the Magadh Empire was rapidly spreading across India but Vaishali was still far away from their hands.

In the same Vaishali city, in a small house, a sixteen year old girl Amrapali was also getting ready sitting in her small house. On hearing the sound of the drum, her whole body started dancing with excitement. But her mind was in a strange dilemma.

"Am I going to do something wrong? If I don't do this, my Guru will be insulted in front of everyone, and if I do, then the promise given to my mother will be broken. "Oh Mahadev, if I make a mistake, you will take care of it", Amrapali said to herself, gathering courage.

After putting flowers on her long, beautiful, thick hair, as soon as she looked in the mirror to apply kajal, her sharp eyes like those of a deer shone in the mirror. She had just picked up the ghungroos lying nearby and wore them when her father Mahanaman came into her room fuming with anger.Amrapali was shocked to see him.

She asked him in surprise, "Father, you have returned from the war?",

Mahaman stood in front of her! Sparks were pouring from his eyes. He said angrily, "Yes, I am back and now, you will not go anywhere." Saying this, Mahanaman slammed the door from outside and locked it.

Before Amrapali could say anything or protest, she was imprisoned in the room.

She started banging the door loudly and pleading to her father, "Father, please open the door, let me go."

"This door will not open Amrapali, I never thought that you will cheat me so much." Mahanaman had never scolded his daughter like this before!

Amrapali said crying, "Father, whatever punishment you want to give me, give it later, but right now it is very important for me to reach the royal palace, I have to participate in the dance festival."

"Until the festival is over, this door will not open and neither will you participate in the dance festival", Mahanaman was not going to bow down to Amrapali's stubbornness.

"Father, believe me, I have no desire to participate in the dance competition but I am helpless today, if I do not reach the palace on time, then the dignity of your friend and Vaishali's dance teacher Kumar Bhatt will be ruined! I have just come to know that the disciple whom he had prepared for years for this competition has suddenly disappeared", Amrapali tried a lot to convince Mahanaman but Mahanaman was not going to listen to her!

"If she is missing, will you dance in a crowded gathering?...Do you even know what will be the result?" After this, Mahanaman did not even stop to listen to his daughter's answer because he knew that if the people of Vaishali Nagar saw Amrapali, then that will happen from which Mahanaman had tried to save his daughter since childhood.
Mahanaman was very angry, he did not listen to Amrapali and left from there. As soon as he reached the mango garden and saw a swing on a mango tree, tears started flowing from his eyes! Cursing himself, he said, "You were born in this garden my child, for so many years I kept you hidden from the evil eyes of this world but despite wanting to, I could not keep you away from dancing and now this dance will become your misfortune, I wish.. at this time my friend and your Guru Kumar Bhatt could make you understand."