Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

Vijay, Kavya, and Agni, who had left home early in the morning, returned to the Shaurya Royal Palace in the afternoon.

Agni went straight for his afternoon nap, while Vijay went to his office to go through the accumulated work and Kavya went to arrange all the materials for the pooja that was about to start in the evening.

Vijay and Kavya, along with Agni, had been at the Devi temple since morning because today was not only the day Ganesha arrived on Earth, but it was also the day his mother, Gauri, arrived on Earth. Therefore, The Devaraya family had to attend the pooja ceremony that had taken place since morning.

A few hours passed, and the scene that had happened in the morning repeated itself once again. Vijay stood in the hallway holding Agni, waiting for Kavya.

The scene, funnily enough, repeated itself as he was mesmerized by the white saree Kavya was wearing, with gold embroidery. Fortunately, he recovered quicker than in the morning, saving him some face.

"Vijay, how tall is the idol?" Travelling through the carriage, Kavya had a curious expression on her face, as she had not seen the idol that was being built in the Ganesha Temple in the city.

Looking at his wife’s beautiful face, Vijay answered, "It’s about 8 feet tall." he was naturally very happy with this height; however, unexpectedly, Kavya’s face became dull. "Only 8 feet? Why is it so short?" She was a little angry. "Vijay, why didn’t you make the idol a little bigger? Fifteen feet would have been perfect."

Vijay didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Did this woman know what she was talking about? "Kavya, even this 8-foot statue weighs 1.2 tonnes. If, following your suggestion, I construct a 15-foot statue, it would weigh around 3 tonnes."

"Where would I find people to carry such a heavy idol?"

Kavya was surprised. "Why is it so heavy? Is it made of rock or something?"

"Well, you’re not too far off, as it is made of clay."

Surprised, Kavya looked at Vijay with a questioning gaze. "Vijay, couldn’t you have used cement? The interior could have been made hollow, which would have reduced the weight and increased the height."

’Sigh!’

Vijay knew why these questions, which naturally sounded idiotic, were coming out of Kavya’s mouth. It was because Ganesha Chaturthi had never been celebrated as a large-scale public gathering-type festival before, so everyone was new to this festival.

Vijay patiently explained, "Kavya, Lord Ganesha will only stay in our temporary temple for a short while, so we will eventually have to return him to his home, to the arms of his mother."

"Hence, we will have to submerge the idol after the 3-day celebration. If we use cement, the idol will not dissolve in water, which will not only delay the date of the Lord’s return to the arms of his mother but could also cause harm to marine creatures. Therefore, clay is used."

Kavya immediately understood the matter and nodded in understanding.

"GU gu aha ah"

All the while, Agni was making random noises as he watched the quickly passing scenery of Bengaluru.

--- n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Entering the Ganapati Temple of Bengaluru, Vijay inspected the idol one last time before its face was covered with paper.

Vijay did not have much of a reaction after seeing the idol, as he had seen much better idols in terms of both design and majesty. However, he had to admit that a full clay idol had its own allure and attraction.

Kavya, looking at the idol, was awe-inspired and thought that the idol looked majestic. However, Agni did not pay much attention to the idol, as he was more interested in the mud lying nearby.

"Badum Badham Badham Badham"

With the sound of a band, the idol of Ganesha was lifted onto a carriage and pulled by two Raja Vamshi draught horses.

The people of Bengaluru began to stand in the streets, witnessing the large idol being taken through the heart of the city.

The people who had gathered near the log house immediately gave way to the carriage. Seeing Vijay and Kavya, they all bowed down in Namaskara.

Vijay immediately recognized many ministers and business owners in the crowd.

"Katappa, bring the idol." Vijay Immediately ordered

Katappa, along with 5 to 6 burly men, entered the scene as the 1.2-tonne Ganesha idol was lifted off the carriage.

"Ganpati Bappa Maurya"

"Mangala Murthy Maurya"

"Ganpati Bappa Maurya"

"Mangala Murthy Maurya"

Continuous chanting was heard among the crowd as the group of strong men reluctantly placed the idol in its intended location on top of the Kailash Mountain bridge in the middle of the log house.

Vijay had not previously noticed the decoration, as he had been fully concentrated on bringing in the idol. But now that he looked at it, he couldn’t help but be taken aback.

"It’s very nice, isn’t it, Vijay?" Kavya was mesmerized, a wide smile adorning her pretty face.

Vijay simply nodded his head in acceptance, as he did not expect people in this era to come up with such unique designs.

Jamuna Bhairavi, Standing at the corner of the crowd and looking at the expressions of the Emperor and the Empress, knew that she had succeeded. Tears were threatening to drop from her face, but she held them back with determination and grit.

Many people who had come to visit the log house praised her design. People ranging from important ministers to rich businessmen all said that the decoration was exquisite. While she was only happy to hear those praises, now, looking at the expressions of the noblest people in the empire, she knew that she had truly succeeded.

"Thank you for your blessing Maa Kali"

---

In order to carry out the poojas, the priest of the royal family, Nirmal Acharya, came himself.

Nearly 8,000 people crowded in the Parliament Road. Even though it started to drizzle, the people did not budge an inch. Considering the crowd, Vijay was not too worried; he had prepared enough food for all of them.

Agni, who was sitting on his mother’s lap, suddenly realized that a bright light was emanating from the Ganesha idol. He immediately stared at the golden light and joined his hands in Namaskaram, saying, "Shami."

Vijay noticed Agni’s reaction and realized that Agni only acted this way after the priest performed the Prana Pratishta. Vijay’s speculation about Agni having some sort of sensory superpower became more concrete.

Today was the first day of the festival, and it was the Devaraya family that had accepted the responsibility of performing the first pooja. Hence, Vijay and Kavya took the first blessing from the sacred fire, and it was now the turn of everyone else.

The chanting of mantras continued for 30 minutes until the priest eventually took out Tulasi water, blessed it with the energy of the Lord, and turned it into divine water.

With the priest sprinkling divine water on the Prashad, the ceremony ended.

Vijay, in his past life, used to be the last one to leave the log house and the first one to stay overnight. Unfortunately, his status in this life made him unable to enjoy such common privileges. He was about to take his leave.

The people who came to visit also expected this to happen, so they immediately gave way to the emperor and the empress.

Vijay felt a little pity for living like this, so he went over to the bench that was about to serve the Prasad and asked for a portion.

Surprisingly, it was actually women who were serving the Prasad. Kavya, noticing her husband’s action, excitedly followed along, bringing Agni with her.

Jamuna Bhairavi, who noticed this scene from a distance, couldn’t help but sweat profusely. She did not know if His Majesty would take offence at her actions; if so, her life’s work would be over.

She was tightly biting her lips in annoyance, Skolding herself for being greedy, but now there was nothing she could do.

The ladies who were serving the Prasad were immediately startled by the arrival of His Majesty. When His Majesty asked for a portion himself, the woman who provided the Prasad hurriedly took out the one Jamuna had provided and absent-mindedly passed it over to his majesty.

Vijay took the plate, thought nothing of it, and passed the Prasad to Kavya. It was only when Vijay took the second plate that he burst into laughter. There was actually an advertisement on the plate in Bharati stating "Bhairavi Decoration Company, Address XYZ."

As the laughter was heard, Jamuna immediately ran forward and quickly knelt down, pleading, "I am deeply sorry, Your Majesty. Please forgive me for my mistake." Jamuna didn’t even raise her head.

Vijay was initially unsure who this woman was, but upon seeing the advertisement, he immediately realized and a bright smile spread across his face. He was very impressed with this woman for seizing such a unique opportunity that no one else had noticed.

"What is your name, miss?"

"Ja-Ja-Jamuna, Your Majesty."

"Okay, Miss Jamuna, you do not have to apologize. You did nothing wrong. You have a smart mind; keep it going."

Jamuna felt as if a mountain had been lifted from her heart. Tears came out of her eyes as she could no longer hold them back. "Thank you so much, Your Majesty. I will remember this kindness."

She knew from the expressions of the business giants and top ministers of the empire paying attention to her that all these people would now remember her name and her company. And she knew that it was all because His Majesty forgave her and also encouraged her for her idea. Her business and her reputation were about to soar.

It looked like, although she took a big risk, she ended up succeeding in the end.

--

The second day of the Pooja was carried out by the Shetty family, and the third day, which was also the last day, was carried out by the Kalyan family.

Vijay got another surprise on the last day as a drama troupe was arranged for the entertainment of the people. The story that played out was the story of the birth of Ganesha and how he became the first divine being in Hindu Antiquity to receive the pooja.

Although Vijay knew this story as he had seen it countless times in his previous life, he still enjoyed it quite a bit. Agni was fully immersed in the performances done by the drama crew; he even cried when the head of newborn Ganesha was cut off by Shiva that night, which was unexpected as Agni did not cry too often.

Surprisingly enough, Kavya’s book *The Adventures of Bheem*, which had become popular in Europe, was also a big hit in the empire. Its copyright had been sold, and its stories had been adapted into drama performances by multiple drama companies.

In this instance, the fifth chapter of *The Adventures of Bheem*, where Bheem works together with his friends to find the missing jewellery of Ganesha, was performed on the last day of the Ganesha Chaturthi celebrations.

In the act, looking at the miserable villains, Agni finally cheered up and happily started clapping his hands.

---

At the end of the three-day-long event, the idol of Ganesha was lifted onto a carriage and once again travelled through the streets of the capital. However, unlike when the idol was brought in, during the return, Ganesha was taken through each and every street, giving every resident a chance to bid farewell to the deity.

The teenagers who had helped throughout the process were happily dancing to the drum beats in front of the idol.

The Europeans, who were in the embassy area, were surprised by the noise and came outside to see a large statue of an elephant-headed figure being paraded through the street.

The Russian Ambassador Brezhnev, the Roman Ambassador Maximilian, the Spanish Ambassador Pedro Santiago, the French Ambassador Henry Lefebure, the Swedish Ambassador Oscar Anderson, the Polish-Lithuanian Ambassador Jan Kowalski, the Prussian Ambassador Heinrich Müller, the Portuguese Ambassador Pedro Santos, and even the Venetian Ambassador Leonardo Bellini, who had been in the Bharatiya Empire the longest, were all taken aback by the scene.

Hundreds of teenagers danced happily to the local beats of the band as they paraded through the streets. The Europeans did not find the rhythm appealing, as it was not the music they were accustomed to, but they were nonetheless influenced by the atmosphere of joy and celebration.

"Mr. Policeman, what on earth is happening?" Heinrich Müller asked, his face displaying a dumbfounded expression.

The policeman responsible for security in the embassy area had a proud expression on his face. "It is the Ganesha Chaturthi celebrations, Your Excellency."

Due to the rhythmic drum beats, the policeman couldn’t resist anymore; he began to vibe to the music and started moving his legs in time with the beat.

The Europeans looked at each other in blank dismay, unsure of how to respond to the situation.

They knew that diplomatically congratulating the Deva Raya royal family would be beneficial for relations with their countries, but looking at the idol, which was half human and half elephant and looked nothing short of demonic, they did not know how to act.

Perhaps the only one who seemed normal after witnessing the scene was Brezhnev, as he was from the western parts of Russia, where some tribes still practice native Slavic religions.

As the parade continued out of the city, the crowd following the Ganesha idol had thinned, and the children dancing to the drumbeats had returned home. However, the idol did not stop until it reached the banks of the Kaveri River. With the help of those who continued the journey, the 1.2-tonne Ganesha idol was finally returned to the embrace of Mother Water.

---

After His Majesty Rajyapati Vijay Devaraya started the Ganesh Chaturthi Festival in 1657 for the first time in the Imperial Capital-Bengaluru, the festivities left a deep impression on many who visited that day.

Even though His Majesty did not publicly popularize the festivities, the devotees who loved the festival held in Bengaluru proceeded to mimic it in their own states. Within a few years, the festival spread from south to north, becoming popular and celebrated nationally.

Devotees on every street began to hold their own festivities and started to build small tents for the arrival of Ganesha. Children happily went from house to house in the locality to ask for donations. Overall, Vijay had unknowingly become the person who created one of the greatest national unification events.

Ganesh Chaturthi, due to its communal nature and involvement of the youth, became one of the few national festivals alongside Deepavali.

Due to the Devaraya family’s initiation of the festival, even after centuries, no matter how many emperors, kings, or presidents come and go, it has always been the Devaraya family that performs the first-day pooja for Ganesh Chaturthi in the capital. The family also continues to sponsor the Ganesha idol.

At one point, in the first year when most people had television sets, the live broadcast of Ganesh Chaturthi run by the Devaraya family achieved an audience rating of 85%, breaking all records in the empire.

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P.S.

Pooja: Worship

Prashad: refers to food that has been offered to a deity during a pooja or religious ceremony. After being consecrated, the Prashad is distributed among devotees as a sacred offering and a symbol of the deity’s blessings

Tulasi: holy basil plant (Ocimum sanctum)