Temple of Tora
Aarav’s eyes widened at the sight of the grand fountain at the centre of the city. Victorian stonework rose around it as the bus circled the structure slowly through the evening traffic.
“I can’t believe I’ve never visited this place,” Aarav said without turning toward Sabo, who sat beside him. “Why isn’t this city more popular?”
“They do not want the city to become popular,” Sabo replied through her mask.
Aarav turned toward her, his eyes moving over the red, ragged saree and blouse she wore. Then he leaned forward slightly to look at Kajjo, seated in the row ahead of them.
“Again… why are we dressed like we live on the streets?” he asked.
Sabo sighed. “Are our lives any different?” she asked sarcastically.
Aarav stayed silent.
She continued, “The citizens of this town are mainly divided into two groups. The majority are followers of the Tora. The minority are the people living on the streets, ignored by both the townsfolk and the members of the Tora temple.”
The bus slowed to a halt to let a few passengers get down. Aarav glanced outside at the crowded streets.
“We’ll be living on the streets too?” he asked.
“No. We’ll change our clothes outside the temple and enter from there.”
Aarav’s eyes widened again. “We’re going into the temple? Why?”
The bus began moving once more.
“Like I said, we stay close to the enemy. We observe them. Once the search for us cools down, we move.”
“I still don’t care about them. And I…” He stopped midway and looked down.
“And you’re still afraid of them?” Sabo asked softly.
Aarav did not answer.
“It’s alright,” she said. “Realizing that you’re afraid of them is a good start.”
Aarav turned back toward the window. The city lights reflected faintly across the glass as the bus rolled deeper into the old streets.
“How many more stops until we get down?” he asked quietly.
“Three more,” Sabo replied.
Aarav looked outside at a gold-plated statue of Jeron.
“Who is that? His statue is everywhere in the city,” he asked.
Sabo looked at it briefly. “That’s Jeron, the Chief of the Tora religion.”
Aarav stared at the statue’s face closely as the bus moved on.
The bus finally halted at the third stop. Everyone got down from the bus. Aarav’s mouth fell wide open at the long queue of people dressed in white entering the massive building painted in gold. The passengers who got down with them joined the queue from the back.
“Come with me,” Sabo said, pulling Aarav’s hand as Kajjo walked beside her.
They moved away from the crowd toward a line of shops in front of the gate. Each shop sold items related to the Tora religion — chains, lockets, framed pictures, and white-coloured clothes. Policemen stood every fifty metres, yet none of them paid attention to the three of them.
Sabo stopped at one of the shops and bought six pairs of long traditional tunics with fitted white churidar pants made of cotton material, along with three pairs of loose white cotton t-shirts and trousers. She placed them into her bag and continued walking while Kajjo and Aarav followed her.
Beyond the shops began rows of motels and lodges ranging from ordinary buildings to luxurious hotels. Sabo entered one of the common lodges. Kajjo followed her. Aarav hesitated for a moment before walking in after them.
“What are you people doing here?” a pale, lean woman standing at the reception asked while looking at their clothes with disgust.
“We are looking for a room,” Sabo replied calmly.
“You people? Looking for a room here?” the woman laughed sarcastically.
Aarav gritted his teeth.
“I’m sorry, madam,” Sabo said politely. “We have changed our path to seek peace at the Temple of Tora. We want to make ourselves presentable before entering the temple.”
The receptionist’s expression immediately changed.
“Oh God, I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” she said. “Please show me your identity card.”
Sabo smiled and opened her bag. After searching through it for a moment, she took out a card and handed it over.
“Your name is…” the receptionist looked closer at the card. “Tina Joy, huh?”
“Yes.”
Aarav’s expression changed for a split second before returning to normal.
“Welcome to Monsoon Lodge, Tina Joy. How long will you be staying?” she asked.
“An hour, maximum,” Sabo replied.
“Okay.”
The receptionist began typing on the computer in front of her.
“And who are these people?” she asked without looking up.
“This is my brother, Suman, and my sister, Treesa,” Sabo replied with a smile.
“And their identity cards?” the receptionist asked.
Sabo opened her bag again and searched through it. Mild panic appeared on her face.
“Where is it?” she muttered while searching deeper.
“It’s alright. I know how it is with you people. I’m surprised even you had an identity card,” the receptionist said. “Since you’re about to enter the path of Tora, I’ll ignore it.”
She smiled, opened one of the desk compartments, took out a key, and handed it over to Sabo.
“Room number 202.”
Sabo accepted the key with a smile. “Thanks for understanding.”
She walked toward the staircase while Aarav and Kajjo followed behind her.
“What was that?” Aarav asked as they climbed the stairs.
“That,” Sabo replied, “is a short definition of Gandhara.”
“Why do they treat people living on the streets differently?”
“The people on the streets belong to other religions — Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, and so on. Some of them were residents here before the establishment of the Temple of Tora in this town. Others moved here later but refused to follow the Tora religion,” Sabo explained.
Aarav frowned. “Why isn’t the government taking any action?”
“In this town, they are the government. The police, local bodies, even the district collector — they’re all followers and supporters of the Tora religion.”
“I didn’t know Tora was this powerful.”
“They aren’t,” Sabo replied. “The Pranvars are.”
Aarav looked down as they reached the top of the stairs.
They walked through a short corridor until they reached a door marked 202. Sabo unlocked it and stepped inside.
The room was small but cozy, with shabby white walls and worn-out flooring that showed its age. Two beds stood on either side of the room, covered with plain white sheets and pillows.
“We’ll freshen up and change. We leave sharp at 1:30,” Sabo said, glancing at the watch on her wrist.
Kajjo took two towels, toothbrush, and toothpaste from the bag before heading into the bathroom attached to the room.
Sabo placed the bag on one of the beds and sat down. Aarav pulled a chair beside the study table and sat quietly.
He looked down at his feet. “I’ve travelled all over this country with my mother. I can’t believe there are still places like this that I never knew existed.”
Sabo noticed the gloom on his face. After a brief silence, she decided to change the subject.
“Kajjo mentioned that you’ve been showing remarkable improvement in training.”
Aarav wiped his face and turned toward her. “I don’t know. I’m just trying to keep myself occupied.”
“Have you beaten her even once?”
“Not yet. But I feel like I’m getting close.”
“Good.”
Another short silence followed.
“I have a doubt,” Aarav said. “Why are we training with swords?”
“Ah,” Sabo leaned back slightly. “That’s only for the beginning. It helps your body move better. Training with swords and knives is one of the best ways to build coordination and reflexes. Once that settles in, we move on to other weapons.”
Kajjo came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body, drying her wet hair with another smaller towel. She had the toothbrush stuck on the towel wrapped around her. Aarav immediately stood up from the chair, avoiding eye contact for a moment. He took the toothbrush, toothpaste, and towel from Sabo’s bag before quietly walking into the bathroom.
“I hope we reach the front before the sun melts us,” Aarav said irritably as he stood at the back of the slow-moving queue alongside Sabo and Kajjo.
He looked at the board attached to the wall near the gate.
“Gate 1,” he read aloud. “How many gates does this place have?”
“Four,” Sabo replied while looking toward the temple entrance.
“You’ve visited this place before?”
“Yes. But this is the first time I’m entering through the main entrance,” Sabo said with a faint smile.
Aarav sighed.
Kajjo gently tapped Sabo’s arm and pointed toward the guards standing near the gate.
“Yeah,” Sabo muttered quietly. “I’m worried about that too. Let’s just hope they’re locals and not Pranvars.”
The line continued to move slowly.
Aarav glanced at Sabo’s white outfit. “Forgot to ask. You had three swords, right? Where are they?”
Sabo flinched slightly. “I have them. With me.”
“Where? I didn’t see you carrying them when you came to the beach house either.”
Sabo stayed silent for a moment.
“Don’t worry,” she finally replied. “They’re always with me.”
Aarav raised an eyebrow but decided not to question her further.
As they moved deeper into the temple grounds, the sheer size of the place slowly became clearer. Vast lawns stretched across both sides of the pathway while carefully arranged gardens surrounded marble walkways and fountains.
“The landscape here is very similar to the Palace of Avantaveera,” Sabo said while looking around.
Aarav glanced at her. “Where is that?” he asked casually.
Sabo raised her eyebrows. “You really weren’t listening back then, were you?”
“Which time?” Aarav asked confused.
Sabo fell silent briefly before answering.
“It’s your parents’ birthplace.”
Aarav’s face darkened instantly.
“Oh.” He paused for a second. “What happened to it?”
Sabo did not answer immediately.
“Move forward,” she said instead. “Let’s not hold up the line.”
They continued walking along with the crowd.
Finally, they reached the main entrance. Four guards stood beside the gigantic doorway, though Aarav barely noticed them at first. His attention was completely taken by the enormous doors made entirely of pure gold.
His mouth slowly fell open.
The guards looked toward them. Suddenly, two of them widened their eyes and instinctively stepped forward.
Sabo flinched.
Then, just as suddenly, the guards stopped. They quietly returned to their positions.
Sabo let out a slow breath.
Adhwa… was that you? she asked silently in her mind.
Yes, my dear sister, Adhwa replied calmly.
Sabo gritted her teeth.
So we’re here now. Tell me something — why did you want me to bring him here?
Adhwa chuckled softly.
Maybe it’s just one of my whims.
Stop joking, brother. Tell me the truth.
I simply wanted to observe how he responds.
Respond? To what?
This time, Adhwa gave no reply.
Sabo wiped the sweat from her forehead.
“Are you okay?” Aarav asked with concern.
Sabo forced a smile. “Yeah. It’s just the heat.”
The entrance led into a massive hall built in a perfect square shape. A narrow raised platform ran along the walls while the visitors moved along a restricted pathway separated by long golden chains. Nobody was allowed near the centre of the hall.
At the centre stood a gigantic emerald statue carved into the same figure that appeared across the city.
“Dude really loves himself, huh?” Aarav whispered.
“You have no idea,” Sabo replied.
About three-fourths along the perimeter of the hall stood a man in his seventies on a wooden platform. His facial features were almost identical to the statue’s. He wore a long golden cloak that reflected the light falling from above.
“Is that Jeron?” Aarav asked quietly.
“Yes,” Sabo responded.
Aarav continued staring at him as the line slowly moved forward.
Every visitor who reached Jeron folded their hands and bowed before him. Jeron would gently place one hand on their face, close his eyes for a moment, and then smile warmly.
“You are following the right path, keep moving forward”.
He spoke reassuring words to every visitor, and a smile slowly spread across each of their faces.
Around the halfway point of the hall, another pathway branched away from the main line. Two people dressed in white stood beside it.
“Do you want to learn about the religion of Tora? Please proceed through this path,” they repeated to each visitor passing by.
A few visitors stepped away from the queue and entered through the door ahead.
When they asked Sabo, Aarav, and Kajjo the same question, Sabo immediately replied, “Yes.”
The two smiled politely. “Please proceed through that door.”
Sabo signalled Aarav and Kajjo to follow her.
“Where are we going?” Aarav asked quietly as they crossed the doorway.
“To find our shelter here,” Sabo replied.
As they walked through the corridor, Aarav looked around curiously.
“This place isn’t as famous as the other religious centres in the country. So how does it have these many visitors?”
“They have many small centres spread across the country,” Sabo explained. “Most people hear about Tora through word of mouth. They deliberately avoid media attention because the people running this place want to stay away from the eyes of law enforcement.”
Aarav glanced toward the corners of the ceiling.
“There are no CCTV cameras here?”
“It seems so. Last time I sneaked in here, there were cameras. Maybe they removed them.”
They continued through a long corridor lined with framed photographs. Many showed national and international multi-billionaires standing beside Jeron while receiving blessings from him. Beside the pictures were large quotes describing how meeting Jeron had changed their lives and enlightened them about perseverance, focus, and self-realization.
The corridor finally opened into another hall. A large projection covered the wall ahead, displaying a recorded speech by Jeron.
“…I am not saying I am God. I am not asking you to follow me either,” Jeron spoke in a smooth, infectious tone. “All I ask is for you to realize yourself. Realize your strengths. Realize your weaknesses. The religion of Tora has no gods and no myths. It cannot promise you heaven or threaten you with hell. It only shows you the truth as it is. Because to realize humanity’s true potential, the first thing we must do is escape the web of lies. Observe what you see. Observe what is happening around you, at this very moment. If you can do that…”
Aarav listened intently.
“You’re falling for him already, aren’t you?” Sabo asked with a faint smile.
Aarav immediately shook his head. “N-no. I was just listening.”
“It’s alright,” Sabo replied. “His words — and the way he speaks — are magnetic.”
Aarav lowered his gaze from the projection.
“Yeah…” He paused briefly. “Are you sure about everything you said about this place? He doesn’t sound or look like a bad person.”
Sabo looked down silently for a moment.
“You think so, huh?”
“Yeah.”
Sabo sighed softly. “We’ll see.”
The visitors eventually exited through another door that led into a parallel corridor. Another person dressed in white stood there.
“If you wish to stay here and learn the teachings of Chief Jeron, move to the right. If you wish to return to the main line and receive blessings from Jeron, move to the left.”
Sabo silently signalled Aarav and Kajjo to move right.
They walked along a long corridor. A few people walked ahead of them while a few others followed behind.
“They must have a lot of people every day who want to stay here and learn,” Aarav said curiously. “How do they accommodate everyone?”
“They have enough space,” Sabo replied.
Aarav’s brows narrowed. “How much space are we talking about?”
“On busy days like this, around a hundred guests choose to stay here. Most of them leave after two or three days. The temple can accommodate up to seven hundred people inside the compound. Anyone beyond that gets free accommodation outside with recommendations from the temple members.”
“Wait a minute. The accommodation here is free?”
“Yes. Food too.”
Aarav’s expression shifted to surprise.
“Where do they get that kind of money?”
“You saw those photos of billionaires, didn’t you?” Sabo replied.
“Oh… right.”
Aarav fell silent.
The corridor eventually led into a large room where five counters had been arranged side by side. Young women of different ethnicities sat behind them wearing white clothes. Above them hung a large banner that read:
ROOM ALLOCATION CENTRE
They approached one of the counters. A young Indian woman sitting there smiled warmly and handed them a key.
“Your room is 510. Please use the lifts on the right side of this room.”
They collected the key and walked toward the right side.
An extension of the room held eight elevators arranged opposite each other along the walls. Sabo pressed one of the buttons and they waited quietly.
“Don’t they have any scanners or detectors here?” Aarav asked.
“Right after the main golden entrance door, there’s a multi-function scanner attached to the wall,” Sabo explained. “It scans for everything. It alerts the security if it detects something suspicious… but not us.”
Aarav lowered both corners of his lips and raised an eyebrow, visibly impressed.
One of the elevator doors slid open and the three entered.
When they reached the fifth floor, the doors opened again and they stepped out into a wide corridor. The floor was covered with a red silk carpet while the walls were painted gold.
“I’m getting tired of being impressed,” Aarav muttered while looking around. “This place feels like a palace.”
“Visitors only have access to half of this place,” Sabo replied while inserting the key into a door marked 510. “The other half is restricted to temple members.”
As she unlocked the door, a woman in her thirties walked past them with a little girl around ten years old.
The girl smiled brightly and waved at Aarav.
Aarav immediately turned his head toward the room without responding.
They entered the room and closed the door behind.
(To be continued)
Karun G Nath 
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