Year: 1606 CE | Location: South India, from Dwarka to Chandragiri
The sun had not yet breached the horizon when the gates of Dwarka opened quietly, and a convoy of modest bullock carts, flanked by monks and ascetics draped in saffron and white, began its journey eastward. A thin mist blanketed the coastal vegetation as the caravan moved slowly through the forest path. Birds stirred in the trees. Somewhere in the thick of the lush green, a peacock shrieked.
Deepak Rawat, wearing a simple cotton dhoti, sat beside the lead cart, a wooden staff in hand. His beard had grown slightly longer for this mission, adding to the appearance of a Himalayan sage. His eyes remained alert yet serene. Khushboo, now a skilled herbalist and linguist, rode alongside him on a cart stacked with dried medicinal herbs and scrolls. Aditya, the youngest but sharpest mind among them, clutched a palm-leaf manuscript and pretended to study astrology.
The journey to Chandragiri would take several days. It was both a spiritual pilgrimage and a covert diplomatic mission. They had chosen a route that would take them through ancient towns like Hampi, Lepakshi, Penukonda, and eventually to the royal fort of Chandragiri, the current capital of the fading Vijayanagar Empire.
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Day 1: Leaving Dwarka, Crossing the Godavari Delta
As the convoy left the hidden sanctum of Dwarka, they were joined by a team of robotic "guards" camouflaged as warrior-monks with bamboo staffs and shaved heads. These humanoid protectors, silent and precise, moved like humans but never spoke. The people they encountered assumed they were part of a Himalayan order of mystics.
Passing through coastal hamlets, villagers would often stop their work and bow to the passing monks, awed by their peaceful aura and unusual energy. The locals, unaware of the true identity of the visitors, whispered that these men and women were from "Tapovan" — the forest of sages beyond time.
A fisherman offered dried prawns. A child gifted them a mango from his orchard. In return, Khushboo handed him a small pendant laced with herbs that could keep fevers away.
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Day 3: Hampi - The Forgotten Capital
By the third day, they reached the ruined city of Hampi. Once the heart of a thriving empire, now it lay shattered, its stone temples and broken pillars whispering tales of former glory. Deepak stood in silence before the remnants of the Virupaksha Temple.
"This was once the jewel of Bharat," he said to Khushboo, who was gathering samples of local flowers to study their medicinal properties.
They camped by the Tungabhadra River that night. Deepak spoke to the group about the fall of Vijayanagar at the Battle of Talikota in 1565, and how infighting among the Deccan Sultanates led to this destruction. Even Aditya listened in rapt attention.
A local guide named Hari, a weaver from a nearby village, joined them briefly. His family had been displaced during the war. He spoke about how taxes had risen under the new Nayakas, and how many artists and weavers had either fled or fallen into poverty.
"My grandfather wove garments for kings. I now trade in dye for scraps," Hari said.
Deepak gave him a vial of synthetic indigo developed in Dwarka. "Take this. Use it wisely. The world must wear color again."
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Day 5: Lepakshi – Secrets of the Sky
The group entered Lepakshi, home to one of the greatest architectural marvels in Southern India. The Hanging Pillar, the colossal Nandi, and murals that hinted at forgotten science amazed even Khushboo, despite all she had seen.
Aditya stared at the ceiling where images of flying chariots and astronomical instruments had been painted centuries ago.
"Did they know more than they revealed?" he asked.
Deepak nodded. "Civilizations forget. Then remember. We're here to remind."
The local priest, an old man with white, watery eyes, invited the group to stay the night.
That evening, under the temple dome, the group discussed encoded symbols in the murals. Deepak quietly activated a hidden scanner embedded in his bracelet. It revealed traces of magnetic ore in the stones and early signs of architectural alignment with constellations.
"They had knowledge of Vastu far beyond what is known today," he murmured.
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Day 7: Penukonda – The City of Shadows
Penukonda stood like a wounded lion. Its fort walls were still intact, but the city beneath it was choking on greed and fear. Raja Tirumala Nayaka, a jealous warlord who eyed Chandragiri's throne, ruled from here.
Deepak's group kept a low profile. Disguised as pilgrims heading to Tirupati, they visited a local market where they heard whispers about mercenaries hired from the Deccan and spies from Portuguese Goa.
From the eyes of a young street boy named Bala, they saw the fear. He guided them to a secret passage near the fort that overlooked a hidden weapon stockpile.
Later that night, humanoid spies from Dwarka, masked as monkeys and dogs, crept through the town, mapping every danger point.
"Tirumala will be a problem," Sonu warned via encoded audio relayed to Deepak.
"We'll neutralize him with kindness first," Deepak replied. "And knowledge next."
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Day 10: Arrival at Chandragiri
They finally reached the hilltop fort of Chandragiri, a magnificent but aging capital. The royal banners fluttered weakly in the wind. The fort's walls bore the scars of past sieges.
The royal guards, seeing Achyuta Bhatta return with a group of mystical pilgrims, bowed low and allowed them entry. Inside the fort, the marble courtyards still echoed with echoes of grandeur.
Deepak's first sight of King Venkatapati Raya struck him deeply. The monarch, dressed in a pale red dhoti and adorned with rudraksha beads, sat cross-legged on a jewel-studded dais. His eyes were tired but alert. He seemed to be searching for something beyond the veil of time.
"You have come," the King said softly, in pure Sanskrit.
Deepak bowed. "We came when the wind whispered your call."
The King rose, walked down from the dais, and embraced Deepak.
"They said you were sages. I believe you are the last hope of Bharat."
From a balcony above, Princess Rukmini Devi watched. Clad in indigo and silver, with eyes like a river in monsoon, she saw Deepak not as a mystic, but as a revolution in human form.