Ujjayini, 1180 CE
Rudradatta lived in a narrow lane behind a row of pottery workshops, far enough from the main market that the noise of merchants and bullock carts reached his house only as a distant murmur. Eshaan found the place after asking twice for directions. The first man had pointed him toward a temple, while the second had insisted that the old copyist lived near a well that had been filled in years ago. By the time Eshaan reached the correct lane, the sun was already high.
The house was modest, with a small courtyard enclosed by a waist-high wall. A neem tree grew beside the entrance, and several palm-leaf bundles had been placed on a raised platform to dry. An elderly woman sat near the doorway, sorting lentils in a shallow basket. When Eshaan introduced himself and explained that he had come with permission from the royal archive, she studied him for a moment before calling inside.
