The temple town of Devgarh was a strange place. Faith was everything there. People didn’t think much. They just followed old rules. Mahant Maheshwaran was the big man, the head priest. Everyone treated him like a god. They bowed to him, listened to him, believed he spoke for the heavens. But inside the temple, away from their eyes, he wasn’t holy. He was just a man who loved power. He wanted to control everything.
Raghav grew up in that temple. He was an orphan, left on the steps as a baby. Maheshwaran raised him, but not kindly. Raghav wasn’t a son to him. He was a servant, a nobody, someone to order around. As a kid, Raghav only knew hard rules. He heard strict words. He felt heavy hands that hit more than they helped. The beatings hurt, but they weren’t the worst part. When Raghav turned fifteen, something worse happened. That’s when the hate started growing inside him.
One night, Maheshwaran took him to a dark room in the temple. No one else could go there. It was a secret place. If Raghav messed up, Mahant punished him there. He used a wooden stick, smeared with sandalwood paste from the temple. Mahant called it holy punishment. He beat Raghav hard, leaving marks on his skin. That night, Raghav saw the real Maheshwaran. The Gods didn’t care. The temple didn’t help. So, Raghav promised himself something. He’d ruin Maheshwaran one day. Not with a knife or a fight, but with something smarter.
Three years passed. Raghav stayed quiet. He followed orders. He smiled when he had to. He kept serving. And while he waited, he found Maheshwaran’s weak spot, his wife, Kavya.
Kavya was special. Everyone in town thought she was perfect. She prayed a lot, smiled softly, and seemed so pure. She married Maheshwaran when she was seventeen. Now, ten years later, she was still by his side. But he never touched her. He didn’t love her like a husband should. To him, she was a pretty thing to show off. A symbol of purity. Something too good to use. Kavya wanted kids. She wanted a real marriage. But Maheshwaran always said no. He told her she wasn’t ready. He said her faith needed more tests. She was trapped, not loved.
Raghav saw it all. He knew she wasn’t a wife. She was more of a prisoner. And he decided he’d help her escape.
Then came his chance. Kavya wanted to visit a temple far away - Garbharakshambigai Temple in Tamil Nadu. She wanted to pray for a baby, something Maheshwaran wouldn’t give her. At first, Maheshwaran didn’t like it. He didn’t trust the world outside Devgarh. He didn’t want her going alone. But Raghav stepped in. He spoke carefully.
“Mahant ji, she’s going to pray to Lord Shiva,” he said, keeping his head low. “It’ll make her even more loyal to you.” Then he added, “Let me go with her. You know I’m safe. Who else can you trust?”
Maheshwaran looked at Raghav. He saw the same weak boy he’d beaten for years. He didn’t see danger. So, he said yes.
But Maheshwaran was careful. He didn’t want any man near Kavya. He didn’t want anyone looking at her. So, he paid for a whole train coach, a fancy one, First-Class AC with four berths. No strangers would be there. No one would sit close to her. She’d stay pure, locked away, just how he kept her in Devgarh.
The story will go slow. It will build up little by little. Kavya is the good wife now. But things will get dark. Raghav hates a lot. He’s wild inside. He’ll trick Kavya. He’ll make her feel low. He’ll turn her into something dirty, something used. Maheshwaran, her husband, the big priest, will be shamed too. Other weird and nasty stuff might happen too. Raghav wants to break her because of his past. He’s mad. But later, he might see Kavya didn’t hurt him back then. He might start to like her. Maybe love her. But he’ll still dominate her.