Heads
During battles, the heads of some fighters are chopped off. The heads are conveyed to victorious leaders as if they were trophies. Rushdie explains, "After the people from the north had routed Kampila Raya's forces and killed most of his army, they grabbed hold of the phony king and chopped off his crownless head. Then they filled it with straw and sent it north for the pleasure of the Delhi sultan." The king's chopped head verifies that the sultan has won the battle. The enemies' heads are the most important body part, which is why they would be conveyed over very long distances. The princes derive pleasure from having a collection of heads.
Blood and Fire
Goddess Pampa affirms that the despite the destruction of life in the kingdom, there will be a restoration. The fire and blood are emblematic of the destruction that has befallen the city. The goddess declares, "From blood and fire…life and power will be born. In this exact place, a great city will rise, the wonder of the world, and this empire will last for more than two centuries." The goddess' declaration surmises that she is not impressed with how the empire was destroyed. Accordingly, she intends to revive it. The goddess addresses Pampa directly and tells her that she will be instrumental in ensuring that the women in the empire will not be eradicated in the same way that it happened in the past.
Monkeys
Monkeys are associated with Lord Hanuman. There is a Monkey Temple that appears during the creation. Rushdie writes, "This was forever afterward known as the Underground Temple, because it had emerged from a place beneath the earth's surface, and also as Monkey Temple, because from the moment of its rising it swarmed with long-tailed gray temple monkeys." Rushdie adds that despite the monkeys at Monkey Temple epitomizing goodness, there are vicious monkeys later in the plot that must be confronted. Therefore, the motif of monkeys plays a twofold role.
