26th January 1657
Simhasana Bhavana, Bengaluru City
The day of much anticipation is finally here, the day that signifies the unification of the subcontinent that hadn’t happened for many centuries has finally become a reality.
In the minds of the Bharatiya people, Vijay has attained the same status as the greatest kings of Bharat, whether it is Ashoka the Great, Chandra Gupta Maurya, Samudra Gupta, or even Harsha Vardhana, who were all great emperors of their time and who almost unified a large part of the subcontinent.
Currently, in the city of Bengaluru, the security conditions are very strict. There are nearly 50,000 police officers temporarily assigned from various parts of the empire stationed in the capital to maintain internal security. There are also 100,000 troops stationed on the outskirts of Bengaluru at defensive points located in all four directions of the city.
In the current security conditions, not even a force of half a million soldiers can break through the defensive fortifications of the city of Bangalore.
---
6:00 in the morning
Banashankari Temple, Bengaluru.
In a lake near the Banashankari Temple, the splashing of water was heard as Vijay, who was submerged in the water, emerged. He was naked from the waist up, revealing his strong and tight muscles, while he wore a dhoti on his lower body. The priests sitting on the edge of the lake were chanting mantras and offering wood to the sacred fire.
Under the direction of a junior priest, Vijay slowly walked out of the lake and sat down on a three-legged stool. The senior priests quickly got up from their seats, took out various items, and proceeded to pour them on him. The items ranged from various fruit juices to dairy products like milk, curd, and butter. There was even honey poured on him.
He was confused as to why the things that were done to the idols of the gods were being done to him, but since he did not have much knowledge in this aspect, he decided to sit still, keeping his mouth shut.
The senior priests did not stop chanting. It was not until the last ingredient was washed on Vijay’s body that they stopped their chant with "Swaha!"
"Your Majesty, the purification ceremony has concluded. A priest will look at the Jyothishya (astronomical observations). By that time, you can start the holy procession, Your Majesty."
Vijay nodded, got up, and left with his entourage.
Kavya, who had undergone the same treatment at a different temple, had a yellow glow on her skin. "Is it because of the harishina bath?" he thought. Kavya exuded an aroma of turmeric, which is usually used by women to get rid of body hair and to keep the skin smooth and healthy.
"You look beautiful, wife," Vijay said.
Kavya was immediately embarrassed, but since she had been the empress for so long, her emotions returned to normal very quickly, and she responded with a small thank you.
---
*Dhoom Dham Dhoom Dham*
The sound of rhythmic drumbeats was heard throughout every street of Bengaluru. People who had come from various parts of the nation stood on the streets adorned with exquisite clothes and beautiful ornaments, all waiting to look at their Samrat with their own eyes.
The foreign guests, who were personally invited by Vijay, had all been arranged in luxurious seats on the main road in front of Saṃsada Bhavana (Parliament Hall) of the Bharatiya Empire.
The same goes for all the important elites of society and the close family members of the Devaraya family.
The ordinary citizens of the empire were not ignored either, as they had their own dedicated seating area located on the other side of the premium seating area. The citizens were not saddened by this; instead, they were happy that they could witness the great moment and thankful that they were not ignored.
Adding to that, they were proud because next to them were nearly 5,000 soldiers standing at attention like exquisite statues, not moving an inch. They felt like this placement symbolized something.
The road in front of the Saṃsada Bhavana is nearly five kilometres long in a straight line, making it an excellent venue for national events such as the one occurring today. Vijay initially requested such a road to be built in order to hold the National Day celebrations annually, and since it is the nation-building ceremony taking place, it is even better.
Vijay, along with Kavya, riding on war elephants, paraded the streets with great majesty. On their way, the loving people of the nation threw heaps and heaps of flowers at them in love and respect.
Looking at the scenes in front of him, Vijay couldn’t help but think about the past. It was only a few years since he established the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire in a similar fashion, but now, only a few years later, he had unified the subcontinent and was establishing the Akhand Bharatiya Samrajya, the dream of countless Sanatani rulers.
He finally achieved this goal, fulfilling one of the heartaches of each and every Hindu in existence.
Looking at Kavya, he couldn’t help but be even more emotional. "Last time, when the Dakshin Bharathiya Empire was established, you were following behind me in a different carriage. Now you are sitting beside me. Oh, how the times have progressed."
Kavya, sitting next to Vijay and sharing the elephant, also couldn’t help but think about the times when she had just married into the Devaraya family. In today’s retrospect, all the uneasiness, worry, and fear she had at the time seemed like a distant dream. Now she could proudly say that she is not only the Empress of the Bhartiya Empire but also a woman who has earned a place in the nation.
In this way, the whole afternoon was spent in procession as they eventually reached the central part of the city, where the Saṃsada Bhavana and the Simhasana Bhavana are located—both core centres of the nation, with one displaying the power of the government and the other the power of the royal family.
With the marching of the Emperor’s elephant Bhairava in front of them, all the elites of society immediately stood up, followed by foreign guests standing up with respect.
The Royal Guards, numbering 5,000 soldiers, were each the cream of the crop, handpicked from the elite units of the empire like the Bharathiya Commandos, Bharathiya Marines, and Bharathiya Rangers. They moved from their still positions as they neatly executed a drill and pulled the trigger.
*Bang!*
The uniform sound of gunshots scared many of the people present, but as they saw how the guns were pointed to the sky, they felt relieved.
"Your Excellency, these guns are not simple. They look more advanced than the ones we use," said a man with some Germanic features to the middle-aged man sitting beside him.
Hendrick Müller, the ambassador from Brandesburg-Prussia, nodded his head in amazement and replied, "It is indeed the case. I always thought this empire only had excellent capabilities in the civil infrastructure because what we saw was nothing short of marvellous.
But looking at this gun, which is undoubtedly very advanced, it seems our evaluation of this nation should be put on the same level as that of any Big European powers like the Holy Roman Empire, France, Spain, or even England."
"What a smooth operation!" the Swedish ambassador, Oscar Anderson, exclaimed with his mouth wide open. "No, I must mention this matter to His Majesty Gustav immediately."
"Amazing. The Crown Prince should be very interested in this weapon," the Roman ambassador, Maximilian V, said as his eyes brightened.
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"His Majesty is right. We have to be careful of this empire," the Spanish ambassador, Pedro Santiago, said with cold sweat breaking out on his face while he muttered, "Thank God we are too far away from each other."
Similar exclamations and discussions were heard from the Europeans who had never seen the Brown Bess rifle, which had already reached the world’s advanced level.
Some were wary of this power, while others were contemplative of whether they could use it for their own advantage. Overall, the strength that Vijay showed fully demonstrated the might of the Bharatiya Empire to these Europeans.
However, what they might not know is that he still had something else in store for them, which would completely dispel any intentions they might have to fight for benefits in the subcontinent.
---
Peter, looking at these guns he had never seen before, was indeed impressed. But what caught his attention the most was the young man sitting on the majestic elephant slowly moving past him. ’Is this the man who built a great empire by himself?’
His tone contained a hint of admiration. In terms of age, they were not too far apart, yet the latter was already an emperor who had conquered millions of square kilometres and could be placed in historical books beside even the greatest kings of history. Meanwhile, Peter was still a Russian prince, not even a person likely to succeed to the Romanov throne.
This greatly stimulated him. He clenched his fist tightly as ambition and determination to do something great boiled over within him.
His eyes, which had contained a little doubt in the past, were now filled with great determination and the will to be someone significant—someone greater than his great-great-grandfather, Ivan IV, or as people liked to call him, Ivan the Terrible, a great ruler who expanded Russian territory significantly and centralized the power of the monarchy.
Peter wanted to be better.
---
Vijay got down from the elephant and finally reached the idol of Rama, which is situated between the two monuments of the empire. He dismounted and received the cheers of his subjects.
Vijay planned to build the idol of Rama into the tallest statue in the world and make it the centrepiece of the nation’s identity. However, since the construction of the capital had to be rushed, only a small idol, not taller than 20 meters, was built.
"To the Lord who unified the subcontinent, Samrat Vijay Devaraya Jai!"
"To the Lord who conquered the Mughals with his iron fist, Samrat Vijay Devaraya Jai!"
"To the Lord who brought peace upon this realm, Samrat Vijay Devaraya Jai!"
"Samrat of the Akhand Bharatiya Samrajya, Rajyapati Vijay Devaraya Jai!"
"Rajyapati Vijay Devaraya Jai!"
"Rajyapati Vijay Devaraya Jai!"
Vijay was taken aback as he suddenly received a new title from the people. He knew that some of the great kings would receive titles from the people, but he did not expect to be fortunate enough to receive one as well.
"Rajyapati, huh? Lord of the realm. Such a hefty title. But wasn’t all I did not only to revive the Bharatiya civilization but also to receive such honours? So why be hypocritical now?" Vijay thought, his expression proud.
"In the name of Lord Ram, Sāmrājyaṃ śāśvataṃ astu!"
"In the name of Lord Ram, let the empire be eternal!" Vijay shouted as he clenched his fist and raised it to the air.
The crowd broke out into electrifying roars, drowning out the loud drumbeats. Even the Europeans were struck by the reaction of the people, having never seen the common folk adore their lords so much. The scene they were witnessing was almost like devotees paying respects to their god.
"Is this normal?" The Europeans fell into self-doubt.
P.S. Thanks its_a_joke, for the Pizza
P.S. Thanks zennon, for the Ice cola*2