It was a dark, moonless night. Only occasional flashes of lightning lit up the sombre scene and caused an eerie dance of jerky and frightening shadows in the cremation ground. Occasionally the silence was broken by the unearthly howling of jackals and laughter of evil spirits. But nothing could daunt the intrepid King Vikram. Once again he made his way to the old gnarled tree where the corpse was hanging. A skull crunched under his feet and a screeching ghost rose from the dust in shuddering frenzy. Unperturbed, he reached the tree and brought down the corpse. Slinging it on his shoulder, he had begun his return journey when the vampire that possessed the corpse said,"O King, I fail to understand why you have embarked on this hazardous venture. You appear to have forgotten even the responsibilities you bear towards your subjects and kingdom! Maybe, you expect some big gains from this endeavour. But be careful lest you lose the hardwon fruits of victory by your own reckless action. This was what happened to Manohar. Listen to his story." The vampire then narrated the following tale.
Long ago, King Veeravardhana ruled the kingdom of Shonapuri. He was a vassal of the emperor of Kanakagiri. Veeravardhana was an ardent devotee of his family deity, Chennakesava.
One day, the king rode out into the forest bordering his kingdom for hunting. He was coming to this area for the first time, and the verdant beauty of the place enchanted him. The mountain peaks that proudly raised their heads amid the lush green woods, the river that snaked its way through the valleys - all added to the nature's magic.
Tired out from the exertions of the morning, the king lay down to rest in the shade of a tree. As he dozed off he had a dream in which Lord Chennakesava appeared and said,"Listen, O King! Once upon a time, my temple stood on the tallest peak of this mountain. But over the centuries, it fell into ruin and disuse, and today no one even remembers it. A banyan tree stands to the west of the ruined shrine. If you dig under it, you will unearth an idol of mine. Take it out and build a new temple atop the peak, enshrining the idol. This will bring prosperity to you and your kingdom. Entrust the task of building the temple to sculptor Manohar of Uttampur village."
