Intro to the Journal of Abhavi

It is summer vacation and my family has decided to visit Badami in the northern part of Karnataka, India. We take the long flight to the Goa international airport, stay in Goa for a night and then rent a car to drive the rest of the way to Badami. When we arrive, we spend the rest of the day looking around the city before heading to our hotel.

In the morning, my brother and I wake up early. We plan to visit the different temple caves Badami is known for. We gather snacks, water bottles and our phones and then take the bus towards Lake Agastya. At the bus stop we read a sign displaying information about the lake such as where the name came from. The sign informs us of the great brahmin Agastya who defeated evil demon brothers in the city of Vatapi, now called Badami. The sign also has a large arrow directing tourists to the carved out temples. The path towards the caves is a well-worn dirt walkway. We walk along this path until we find the first temple cave. It is huge! We walk up the stone carved steps, pass the giant round pillars and enter the cave itself to look around. Carvings are everywhere. The walls are full of statues of different figures and scenes carved right into the stone wall itself. I look up and see paintings among even more carvings. Though I do not know enough to recognize the intricate figures and scenes within the temple, they amaze my brother and me. We look at everything within the cave and then we walk back outside and continue to the next cave along the path. We explore that one just as thoroughly and then continue to the next one.

We spend a few hours exploring the main cave systems and then we walk along the path until we make it to the far side of Lake Agastya. There is another cave here. It is smaller than the main temples we were in earlier. We go inside and find a statue with no face. I look closer and notice jagged edges where the face must have broken off. Or was it purposely removed? The statue is adorned with jewels and sits cross-legged on what seems to be a ledge or maybe a large box. I approach the carving and run my fingers along a spot right below the statue that is slightly lighter in color. This area is slightly raised, just barely enough to get a grip with my fingertips on the raised portion and tug slightly. It moves! I pull gently until I see what looks like long brittle pages woven together by an old string.

I call my brother over and his eyes widen at my discovery. It must be very old; however, it seems to be in very good condition. My brother and I very carefully take it out and open it to reveal the writing inside. Then the ancient language on the pages shimmers so brightly we have to close our eyes. It stops and we open our eyes to see that it now appears to be written in English! We look at each other with wide eyes and raised brows and then turn back to it and start reading.

Journal of Abhavi

You may have heard of Ilvala and Vatapi, the rakshasa brothers who are well known for tricking and killing many brahmins. They met their end when my teacher, the great brahmin Agastya, visited them and realized what they were doing and reduced them to dust. Agastya taught me much about these brothers: their beginning, their growth and struggles, and their end. Their end is the only part of the true story told even now, only a few decades after their deaths. Ilvala and Vatapi's story is not the epic tale of vanquished evil as it is remembered but is actually a tragedy. They did not start with evil deeds. In fact, they had a vision of a better world that I wish to work towards as well. I wonder if you, who are reading this now, will have already seen the fruits of my labor and of all the people who have worked towards this vision.

To truly understand what I mean, you will have to read the entries within these pages. This, that you have in hand, holds several moments of the brothers' lives. I have written their story here because I fear it and its message will be lost to time. If you dare to learn the truth behind the birth of evil in their hearts and the vision they had been working toward, keep reading. Otherwise put my journal back under the statue of Ilvala, older brother of Vatapi and previous king of this city.