Pankaj's Short Stories

Chandralekha 🌿

In the 16th century. The king of a small kingdom was Chandrasej. The name of his kingdom was Satnampur. The kingdom of Satnampur was flourishing. Chandrasej had an only daughter. Whose name was Chandralekha. She was about 20 years old. She was an expert in dancing. She was also very beautiful. Her dance and beauty were discussed all over the kingdom. Chandrasej and his wife were very worried about her marriage. They were always afraid that some other powerful king might attack our kingdom. A few years later. It was the day of Diwali. The whole kingdom was shining with the light of diyas. The festival was being celebrated with great pomp. A spy comes panting and says- A ruthless king Nagavannam is moving towards our kingdom with his huge army. He is so ruthless that after conquering the kingdom. He kidnaps all the women present in the kingdom and burns the rest alive. Hearing this, the happiness and joy of the people of the kingdom vanishes in a few moments. It is also said about him that a year ago, he killed his father and became the king himself. Chandrasej had enough time to go far away with his family. But when he saw the sad and scared faces of the people of the kingdom, he decided to fight. Chandrasej said to his daughter - Chandralekha, you take your mother and go far away from here on a fast horse. But his daughter refuses to run away from here and decides to fight. Many people of the kingdom start fleeing from here. At the same time, many people of the kingdom are ready to support the king. After some time, a series of screams and shouts start in the kingdom. The war had started on the dark night of Amavasya. Soldiers were fighting from both sides. On the other hand, Chandralekha had also taken up the sword in her hand. She was somehow fighting the soldiers with her sword in the light of torches. Nagavannam's eyes fall on Chandralekha. He gets mesmerized by her beauty. The soldiers are ordered that no soldier will make any lethal attack on that girl. After a few hours, King Chandrasej loses this war. King Nagavannam gives orders to his soldiers in front of Chandralekha. After that, Nagavannam's soldiers, along with her father, pour kerosene on the remaining soldiers, people and children and burn them alive. The whole Satnampur reverberates with screams. Tears start falling from Chandralekha's eyes. After a few minutes, everything becomes quiet in this dark night. Nagavannam and his soldiers kidnap the women of the kingdom. For many days, his soldiers forcefully quench their thirst with those women. Nagavannam had heard a lot about Chandralekha's dance. But I had never seen her dance with my own eyes. King Nagavannam had forced her to dance many times. But she did not listen. Every night, Nagavannam would force Chandralekha to satisfy his lust. Also, if she did not listen, he would beat her body with a whip. Wounds had appeared on her body. Chandralekha had stopped eating and drinking. Day by day, her body was getting weaker. She thought to herself. If only she had listened to her father that day, then perhaps she would not have to see this day. It was midnight. King Nagavannam, after having his meal, went towards Chandralekha's room. When he opened the door, he saw that Chandralekha was hanging from a noose. After that. King Nagavannam started to remain drunk and worried most of the time. After a few months. When the king did not come out of his room for two days, the ministers broke the door and went inside. They saw that King Nagavannam was sitting lifelessly on a chair. When the doctor comes and examines them, it is found that they had died of a heart attack two days ago. After the death of the king, a rebellion begins in that kingdom. In which the commander and many soldiers are killed. After a few weeks, this rebellion calms down. Later it is found out that Nagavannam's younger sister Nagendi was behind this rebellion. The commander himself wanted to become the king. That is why Nagendi planned this rebellion. Nagendi becomes the queen of that kingdom and starts ruling. Chandralekha's mother fainted in the battlefield. Due to which the soldiers thought that she had died and they left from there. People hiding far away treated her mother and saved her life. When the news of the death of her husband and daughter reaches her, she drowns in a bottomless ocean of sorrow. But after a few days, Chandralekha's mother says in anger - Just as he has destroyed my family, in the same way I will extinguish even the last lamp of his family. The painful death of her husband and daughter had made her ruthless. Six months later. Chandralekha's mother Hemvati reaches Nagendi's kingdom. After a lot of effort, Hemvati gets a job as a maid in her palace. Queen Nagendi had a son who was only seven years old. Due to Hemvati's concentration towards work, Queen Nagendi also used to praise her many times. In just a month, she had become quite friendly with everyone. It was evening time. The queen's son was playing on the roof of the palace. There were dark clouds in the sky. It was about to rain. So Hemvati was taking down the clothes from the ropes. Hemvati's eyes fall on the queen's son. She throws the clothes on the ground and forcefully picks up the queen's son and throws him down from the roof. There is a loud thud. The queen looks towards the roof. Hemvati also jumps down with a scary smile. Due to falling from a height, Hemvati dies on the spot. The queen runs to her son and picks him up in her arms. There was a lot of blood flowing from his head. But fate had something else in store for him. His breathing was slow. But both his legs were broken. Without any delay, he was taken to a senior officer. After three years of treatment, he recovered. But his legs were no longer alive. Now he could never walk on his feet. Also, there was a possibility of brain injury sometimes. Her son was now ten years old. The people of Satnampur state get this news. After that, he was attacked many times. Now the queen was very scared about her son. She gives her palace to a trust for orphans and goes abroad with her son. It is said that after that, Queen Nagendi never returned to her kingdom.