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अरक्किल्लम् (arakkillam)

 
पुराणम्
English
अरक्किल्लम् / ARAKKILLAM. (Palace of wax). Both the kaurava and the Pāṇḍava princes lived in hastināpura. The pāṇḍavas became experts in archery, and their exemplary character and conduct made them, so to say, the apple of their eyes to the people. This evoked great jealousy in duryodhana who made up his mind to completely ruin the pāṇḍavas somehow or other. duryodhana, with Dhṛtarāṣṭra's consent, built a new palace at vāraṇāvata. Though many others did not know that the palace was made of wax the pāṇḍavas, from secret information knew the fact. But, they only pretended ignorance. duryodhana and his minister purocana, saw to it that the pāṇḍavas shifted their residence to the waxen palace. duryodhana had planned to set fire to the palace and burn to death the pāṇḍavas. But, the shrewd vidura through his messenger kanaka gave notice of the conspiracy to the pāṇḍavas just in time. One night purocana set fire to the waxen palace, but the pāṇḍavas escaped by a secret passage, which the architect of the palace had made while constructing it, and about which the pāṇḍavas had previous knowledge. The same night a huntsman, with his five children, was also staying in the palace. As they were unconscious with heavy dosage of liquor they could not escape the fire. Those six people, and accidentally purocana too were burnt to death. People, who gathered at the spot, thus saw seven corpses, and the news was broadcast that the pāṇḍavas, including their wife pāñcālī and their mother had been burnt to death. This incident took place one year after the pāṇḍavas had shifted their residence to the waxen palace. (M.B., Ādi Parva, Chapters 141-151).