Kattappa’s Defence

Hi everyone!

I’ve been working on my novels, as promised. So, I hadn’t much time or content to write because I’d also simultaneously working on my next book idea (which is very damaging to the current book, if you ask me). So really, I hadn’t much to report except hush-hush information for which blogging about would be the bad option. But, I recently found a post so remarkably stupid, that I had to land here and defend what is probably my most favourite movie saga ever, the Bāhubali Saga.

I had come across this post on Facebook and Google Chrome suggested sites.

The link can be found here.

To summarise the accusation,

Kattappa was watching the messengers from Mahishmati asking for Devasena’s hand in marriage to the Queen Mother’s ‘son’.
There was a covered sword right behind the speaker, the one that Sivagami sent belonging to Bhallaladeva.
Kattappa should have realised that this was obviously not Amarendra’s sword, because he knew that the horse-head hilt sword was with him throughout their journey.
Kattappa should have realised then that Sivagami had asked for Devasena to marry her other son, not Amarendra.

The Defence

This is going to be in parts so that the dumbest of the dumb can comprehend the story.

Technicalities

Most of the readers and watchers had had these reasons figured out.

Amarendra had two swords as seen in the movie itself. A different sword was presented to him with great ceremony as a child. Both him and Bhalla got those. The sword Sivagami sent with her messenger was Bhalla’s. And Kattappa technically assumes that it is the one that Amarendra had left behind.
Kattappa assumed the usage of the Raja Kadgha, the ornamental swords that princes carry, especially in the royal court, in the matter of Kshatriya Vivah (i.e.) the type of wedding conducted when the groom is unavailable. And since he knows that Amarendra’s Raja Kadgha was not with them, he assumed that Sivagami sent his Raja Kadgha.
We know the existence of this Raja Kadgha by several examples : the sword presented as a child, the one held up to defend Devasena’s honour when Sivagami orders her arrest as she refuses to marry Bhalla, the one that cut off Sethupathi’s head, and the one that he lays at his mother’s feet as they move out of the Fortress.

I will still maintain that these are technicalities only. I am willing to even ignore these strategic displays of different swords during the course of the movie. Amarendra could have been portrayed as using his horse-head hilt all the time, and I’m going to pretend that there weren’t any scenes involving his other sword.

The Real Reasons

Let us assume that Kattappa did NOT see that sword which was brought for the Kshatriya Vivah (like it is shown in the actual footage, the sword is covered). In normal cases, no royal orders a Kshatriya Vivah to be conducted unless a case of emergency is comprehended. Kattappa would also assume that the Queen Mother of Mahishmati had such respect for an intended bride as to ask for her hand in marriage, and not force an in-absentia wedding. And since he never heard the messenger actually voice a Kshatriya Vivah, that conclusion would never have been reached.
Another important fact which would have blocked the thought of a Kshatriya Vivah would be because the ceremonies of that Vivah are reserved for emergencies only, mainly when the warrior groom is away fighting a dangerous war. Even if he had had doubts about which son was the intended groom, as the Royal Slave, Kattappa would have known that Sivagami would never order a Kshatriya Vivah for either of her sons. Because neither were off fighting or comprehending any kind of danger. She had only done so because she had a guilty conscience for having undermined her older son. She had been feeling low as a mother that she had refused him the throne. Also, a feeling of insecurity had prompted such an order.
If one assumes that Kattappa DID see that sword, owing to reasons stated above, it would have been perceived as one of the gifts for the bride.
If we think that Kattappa saw that sword AND thought it was Amarendra’s Raja Kadgha, it is perfectly valid. Again, the rules of Kshatriya Vivah state that it is to be performed when the groom is away in war. Hence, he would be carrying his war sword with him. Hence, the Kshatriya Vivah would be conducted with his ornamental Raja Kadgha only.

There you go. That was all I could think of. And to hell with those idiotic haters! If I could stop you right from where I am, I would strangle you guys through my computer screen!!! Argh!

Love and lots of hate for some people,

Priya.