Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

200  Birthday

|| श्री ||

Dakshin Bharatiya Empire, Vijayanagara State, the royal capital Hampi.

Today is an exciting day for the people of the imperial capital. The day is about to begin, and there is still darkness in the streets with no clouds in the sky. It is a pleasant day, with streets adorned with flowers and decorative objects forming an arch on the main road. This spectacle looks more spectacular than usual because the road is so big that the flowers and decorative items needed for this decoration require several tons of flowers.

All the houses and shops by the street are also decorated as they prepare for a special day of discounts. Saffron flags are hung across all over the streets, ruffled by a calm morning breeze. It is only 5 o'clock in the morning, and there is still a sliver of oil in the lamps lit in the streets. Time passes by as the first rays of light collide with the decorated streets of Hampi, making the world come to life with its rich colours. People also start to roam the streets in colourful clothes, eagerly awaiting the grand Imperial procession.

This kind of event was not only held in the capital but was also organized in all the different cities of the empire. The special event of the day was Vijay's 25th birthday, so the whole empire came together to celebrate His Majesty's 25th birthday. The capital is decorated as such because his Majesty would go on a royal procession throughout the capital. As for other cities in the Empire, although they are not as decorated as the capital, there are still decorations in the main streets. People wore new clothes in festive spirit and collectively did rituals and Pooja in various temples in the Empire. The Poojas done today were for the well-being of His Majesty, Vijay Devaraya. Kavya also utilized her right as the key holder of the Devaraya family and decided on Annadhana (Food donation) in various temples in the name of Vijay and the royal family.

Vijay awoke in his royal quarters. He was alone, but it could be seen that someone else was sleeping beside him just moments ago, as the bed beside him was crumpled. Vijay slowly opened his eyes as his natural biological clock woke him up. But as soon as he opened his eyes, soft music reached his ears. By the proximity of the music, he could tell that the musicians were playing just outside his room. The tune of the sitar became fuller as it was accompanied by tabla and a flute. Vijay recognized this tune; it was 'Janma Dinamidam,' the Sanskrit happy birthday song. Then he suddenly remembered that it was his own birthday. Now, he understood the reason for the soft music accompanying him waking up.

♪ "Janma dinamidam aye janma dinamidam,

 Sukhi bhava, sukhi bhava, sukhi bhava priyam." ♪

♪ "May your days be filled with laughter and delight,

 May success and love surround you,

 Wishing you a world of dreams come true,

 Happy birthday, may you shine forever." ♪

♪ "With every passing year, may you grow wiser,

 May your heart be filled with kindness and grace,

 Wishing you a life of boundless joy,

 Happy birthday, may you shine forever." ♪

It was 5:30 a.m. when the music stopped, and Vijay took a cold shower as he got ready for the day. He went to the mantapa in the palace to make his prayers to God. Kavya was awaiting him as she sat opposite a priest, wearing a beautiful red saree and looking alluring as always. She had a seat reserved for him beside her. He did not say anything and quietly sat down next to her. The rituals began as the priest prayed for his well-being and the well-being of the Empire. Half an hour later, the ritual was over as the priest left the palace.

Seeing that they were alone, Vijay turned his head to the side and saw Kavya leaning forward to pick up the utensils. He then saw something that made his body heat up, So he silently ran his hand through the waist of Kavya as he pinched the corner, "ahh" She let out a small sound of pain, of which Vijay took advantage and gave her a little bite on her mouth. She became shy and embarrassed about what just happened, but quickly that emotion turned into anger. Noticing this, Vijay swiftly got up and ran away.

It was six o'clock when Uncle Ravi Chandra wished him a happy birthday and handed him a list of documents. Vijay went through them all swiftly as there was not much official work this day. By 8 o'clock, he finished his official work as well as his breakfast, and he finally decided to go on the grand procession. Vijay along with Kavya embarked on a pair of elephants for a grand procession through the capital, accompanied by the royal guards, and the ministers.

"Long live His Majesty the Emperor!"

"Long live!"

"Long live!"

Screams rang out throughout the capital as the crowd threw flowers at Vijay when he passed through. To the dismay of Kavya, a bunch of beautiful teenage women in alluring clothes screamed Vijay's name. Despite her displeasure, Vijay couldn't help but smile at the attention. Even kids joined in the festive atmosphere, chanting Vijay's name. By the time he reached the end of each street, the carriage on which Kavya was sitting would be filled with flowers, making it awkward for her to move forward. It looked like a pile of flowers travelling on top of an elephant. So, each time at the end of the street, Vijay had to clear out the flowers on his own elephant and get the maids to help Kavya clear out the flowers on her howdah.

The procession went on for a few hours until they made it to the Virupaksha temple, where the atmosphere became even more festive.

Vijay was momentarily mesmerized by the performances from a higher elevation. If he had to describe the atmosphere, it was like what was seen in the Baahubali movie from his past life when the giant statue of Bhallaladeva was about to be established. Excluding the part where the performances were forced in that movie, the cultures and styles shown were the exact same here. Different performances were happening in different parts of the temple grounds.

Kavya was also very happy, clapping at the performances she liked. The crowd enjoyed themselves and joined in the performances. Finally, a grand Homa (ritual fire ceremony) was conducted in the name of Vijay for his well-being and the well-being of the Empire.

After this, several sports matches took place. First, there was a rugby match (American Football), followed by Kabaddi. However, Vijay felt like something was missing—cricket. Although cricket had already been invented by the British in 1611, even before the original owner of this body was born, Vijay decided to introduce modern one-day and T20 cricket to the Empire.

After the sports performances, there were archery and horse riding competitions among the military personnel.

After completing all these events, it was already 5:00 p.m. in the evening. Vijay took a few hours to discuss important matters with the ministers and the prime minister.

Later, he devoted some time to understanding and addressing various matters related to the development of the Raya Group of Industries.

As night fell, the Empire was lit up with oil lamps, resembling scenes from the Diwali festival. Finding it interesting, some European merchants also emulated the lighting of lamps. Initially hesitant, they were reluctant to participate, fearing that these actions were associated with blasphemous ceremonies or praying to some demonic god. However, upon learning that it was in celebration of the birthday of His Majesty Vijay Devaraya, they gladly joined in.

Gifts were presented to Vijay from different European merchants, with the Portuguese and Venetians offering the most luxurious presents. The Portuguese representative presented him with an antique flintlock, specially crafted by master craftsmen in the royal capital of Portugal. Vijay appreciated the gift, noting that the inscriptions on the gun were in both Latin and Sanskrit. On the other hand, the Venetians gifted him a land deed for an acre of land in the centre of the Republic of Venice's capital. Additionally, there was a business license for the Vijay Group of Industries to open a shopfront in the capital.

He was very excited about receiving this deed, because, it would mean that although only a single family was initially allowed, the European market was slowly opening to the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire. He just had to be more calculated and come to pry open this small window opening the European market to the empire. It was then that Vijay would prove how right the words of Pliny the Elder of the Roman Empire in 77 CE were when he called India 'the sink of the world's gold'.

This happened under circumstances where a lot of Roman gold was flowing into India because of India's immaculate products and exquisite jewellery, which captivated the hearts of Roman women. Vijay felt like it would be no different even now.

P.S. Finally, 200 Chapters ended on a good Note, Jai Shri Ram, let's keep Going. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

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