Rudraksh

42 - Karam Caves ( Edited POV )

He didn't seem to be of that world. He wasn't like anything I'd ever seen.

His matted hair were covered in dirt like the rest of him. I couldn't make out much of his face except of his eyes that were a pale blue. He was barefoot and his nails were overgrown.

He looked ancient, mad, like a ghost and like he had not seen a bath for years.

"I request you to share the knowledge for putting an end to the Nagas..."

"Nagas are dear to Mahadev. You can never put an end to them. But he will do justice. Those who are evil will be granted the punishment my God sees fit." He smiled.

"But how can w--"

"Karam Caves." He said, cutting me off.

"Karam Caves ?" Those were said to be the most haunted caves in all of Aryavarta. Legend had it that around five hundred women of a village had performed a mass suicide by slitting their throats there after carrying out numerous black rituals when the ruler of the state took away all the agricultural lands to establish industrial plants by claiming those lands belonged to the Royalty.

The scene before they decided to take such a step was brutal. Once evergreen village was turned into wastelands of industrial produce. Their homes were taken away, their lands, their every source of income. They were forced to work in factories that were no less than hell that melted their skins off and filled them with diseases. People started dying and women were tired of sitting at homes, watching their families die just to keep food on their plates. Their pleas fell on deaf ears and they finally decided to give it up when the Gritaan Justice dismissed their case without any trials saying the industrial plants were only doing good to the country's economy. The very economy which they stole and filled the coffers of their country with.

The Ruler and his family soon succumbed to a strange disease and died within a month following the sudden deaths of the Court Magistrate and Gritaan President. The causes of their deaths were unknown.

Not all of them had found Nirvana. Not all of them were said to have found Moksha. They say their spirits still hovered over the blood stained walls of the Caves. A cold shiver down my spine.

I didn't believe in ghosts. But I couldn't ignore the fact that humans didn't believe in werewolves either.

"Yes. You will find all your answers there. Karam Caves holds secrets, Child. Dark secrets that are not to be messed around with."

"Forgive me but I fail to understand. How can I find what I seek in Karam Caves ? Aren't they supposed to be haunted and unholy ?"

"I assume you know about the mass suicide ?"

"I do."

"The women had performed various rituals before killing themselves. They'd became Yoginis and built a temple so they could pray to the lord to forgive them for taking their own lives. They'd melted all their gold ornaments to carve a statue of Shiva. Many tried to get their hands on the statue but never returned. The temple they built is said to look like a haveli and it is protected by the spirits of those women. My Guru had told me that some of them had come back from the dead because of the rituals and they're still there.

The snake adorning my god's neck had been moved aside from it's place. Thus, creating a gateway for the Nagas to enter Mrityulok. This realm. That is the infinite void. I don't know who did it but I'm certain that person is no longer alive." I had no words. I was stunned.

"So if I manage to place Vasuki back to his place then the Nagas will..."

Vasuki. The King of all serpents. The blessed snake Lord Shiva wore around his neck.