Kannagi

Fictional character

Kannagi

Kannagi Statue in Marina Beach, Chennai

Protagonist of Cilappatikāram

This article is about a legendary person. For other uses, see Kannagi (disambiguation).

Kannagi (Tamil: கண்ணகி), sometimes spelled Kannaki,[1] is a legendary Tamil woman who forms the central character of the Tamil epic Cilappatikāram.[2] Kannagi is described as a chaste woman who stays with her husband despite his adultery, their attempt to rebuild their marriage after her unrepentant husband had lost everything, how he is framed then punished without the due checks and processes of justice.[1] Kannagi proves and protests the injustice, then curses the king and city of Madurai, leading to the death of the unjust Pandyan king of Madurai, who had wrongfully put her husband Kovalan to death. The society that made her suffer then endures retribution as the city Madurai, in consequence, is burnt to the ground because of her curse.[1]

In Tamil folklore, Kannagi has been deified as the symbol – sometimes as a goddess – of chastity, with sculptures or reliefs in Hindu temples iconographically reminding the visitor of her breaking her anklet or tearing her bleeding breast and throwing it at the city.[3][4]

## Text

[edit]

The Kannagi story first appears in the Sangam era poem Narrinai 312.[2] A more extended version appears in the Cilappatikāram.[1]

## Legend

[edit]

Kannagi with her husband Kovalan.

Kannagi was the daughter of the merchant and ship captain Manayakan from Puhar. She marries the son of Macattuvan, Kovalan, whose family were sea traders and had the sea goddess Manimekalai as patron deity.[5][6] Later, Kovalan met a dancer Madhavi and had an affair with her, which prompted him to spend all his wealth on the dancer. At last, penniless, Kovalan realized his mistake and returned to his wife, Kannagi. Kovalan hoped to recoup his fortunes by trading in Madurai and selling the precious anklet of Kannagi.[citation needed]

Madurai was ruled by the Pandyan king Neṭuñceḻiyaṉ I. When Kovalan tried to sell the anklet, it was mistaken for a stolen anklet of the queen. Kovalan was accused of having stolen the anklet and was immediately beheaded by the king without trial. When Kannagi was informed of this, she became furious, and set out to prove her husband's innocence to the king.

Kannagi came to the king's court, broke open the anklet seized from Kovalan and showed that it contained rubies, as opposed to the queen's anklets which contained pearls. Realizing the error, the king committed suicide in shame, after having caused such a huge miscarriage of justice. Kannagi uttered a curse that the entire city of Madurai be burnt. The capital city of the Pandyas was set ablaze, resulting in huge losses. However, at the request of the goddess Meenakshi, she calmed down and later attained salvation. The story forms the crux of the Cilappatikāram.[7]

## Worship

[edit]

Kannaki Amman

Goddess of Chastity[8]

Representation of a deified Kannaki

Tamil language| கண்ணகி அம்மன்
Affiliation| Shaktism, Pattini, and Bhagavati
Symbol| Anklet, Neem leaves
Mount| Lion or Tiger in form of Shakti
Consort| Kovalan

As Kannaki Amman, she is eulogized as the epitome of chastity and is worshiped as a goddess in select regions. She is worshiped as a goddess in Sri Lanka and in Southwestern India, known as Pattini in Sinhalese Buddhism,[9] Kannaki Amman by the Sri Lankan Tamil people, and as Kodungallur Bhagavati and Attukal Bhagavati in the Indian state of Kerala. Keralites believe Kannaki to be an incarnation of the goddess Bhadrakali, who reached Kodungallur and attained salvation in the Kodungallur Bhagavathy Temple.[10][11]

### Tamil Nadu

[edit]

the Cilappatikāram, and its sequel, Maṇimēkalai, offer evidence that Kannaki was praised as a goddess even during the lifetime of Maṇimēkalai, the daughter of Kovalan and Madhavi. Cilappatikāram tells about the Kannaki worship of another Pandyan King "Vetrivel Cheliyan", for relieving the land from the drought and curse of her on Pandya Nadu.[12] However, the cult of Kannagi does not seem to have had any firm historical foothold in present-day Tamil Nadu, nor does it have any significant presence in modern religious practice.

Some theorise that Kannaki's worship in Southeastern India might have been assimilated in the more common worship of the Dravidian folk religion's rain goddess, Mariamman.[13] Others rely on a peculiar and individual interpretation of the Cilappatikāram, which states that the city of Madurai was destroyed on a Friday in the month of Ādi,[14] to support this idea. A statement that can induce some modern readers to interpret it with a certain symbolism, in view of contemporary beliefs in southeast India, where the Fridays of that month are days associated with the cult of Mariamman.

Few temples, like the Thyagaraja Temple, Tiruvottiyur, the Mathura Kaliamman Temple, Siruvachur and the Mangala Devi Kannagi Temple in Idukki (Kerala) or Theni (Tamil Nadu) district, are places of worship with connections to the Kannagi myth and cult.

### Kerala

[edit]

Kodungallur Bhagavathy Temple

The Kannaki cult, perhaps initiated by the Chera dynasty of Kerala, is still preserved in the form of the Bhagavati cult.[15] The famous Bhagavati Temple at Kodungallur, which was the former capital of Cheras, remembers its ancient interaction with the Kannaki cult in its Sthala Puranam.[16][17] Though the deity of the temple is still observed as Bhadra Kali, she is often praised by the devotees as Kannaki and Muthumari in Kodungallur.

Attukal Bhagavati Temple, Moothanthara Karnaki Amman Temple and so many Goddess Bhagavati temples are believed to be located on the journey of Kannaki to Chera Nadu (Kerala) after the burning of Madurai.[18]

Goddess Kannagi's idol in Thambiluvil.

### Sri Lanka

[edit]

Main articles: Pattini and Vattappalai Kannaki Amman Kovil

According to folklore, after the burning of Madurai, Kannagi traveled to Kerala and eventually arrived at the island of Pungudutheevu, near the ancient Manipallavam, now known as Nainativu. She visited approximately 25 sites in Sri Lanka, mostly along the east coast, and finally reached Vattapalai. Disguised as an old woman, she asked some boys herding buffaloes for food. They offered her Pongal made from buffalo milk instead of cow milk. She then requested a lamp lit with sea water. The boys, fearing she was a witch, sought help from the village. When the villagers arrived, Kannagi asked one of the boys to comb her hair, revealing a miraculous sight of 1,000 eyes in her head. She then ascended to heaven, declaring herself as Kannagi of Poompuhar and instructed the villagers to perform the same ritual each year on the day of Vaikasi. This tradition continues today, with both Sinhalese and Tamils participating in the festival by offering Pongal and lighting sea water lamps. King Gajabahu I recognized Kannagi as Pattini, making her a guardian deity of Sri Lanka for both communities.

Palampoddaru

Neelapola

Vantharumoolai

Thandavan Veli

Araiyampathy

Mahilady Theevu

Puthukudiyirupu

Cheddipalayam

Kalawaanchikudy

Eruvil

Kallaaru

Thurai Neelavanai

Kalmunai

Veeramunai

Karaitivu

Akkaraipatru

Kolavil

Pattimedu

Thambiluvil

Vatrapalai

Pungudutheevu

Vannaangkulam

class=notpageimage|

Places Visited by Kannagi in Sri Lanka

#### Tamil Hindus

[edit]

Sri Lankan beliefs on Kannaki are intermediate to Cilappatikāram and common Sri Lankan Beliefs. Eastern Sri Lankan and Vanni Tamils praises her as "Kannakai Amman". There are many evidences in Yalpana Vaipava Malai, chronicle of Jaffna Kingdom, confirming the widespread popularity of Kannaki worship during the rule of the Aryacakravarti dynasty (1215–1624) in Northern Sri Lanka. The author of the Sri Lankan epic on Kannaki equivalent to the Cilappatikāram, the Kannaki Vaḻakkurai, recited in eastern Kannaki Amman temples, is believed to be written by the Jaffna king Jeyaveera Cinkaiariyan (1380–1410).

The Kannagi cult was especially popular among the coastal folk who considered her as their guardian deity since she was the daughter of a rich sea trader of Kaveripattinam. Since most of the coastal folk were converted to Catholicism during the Portuguese rule, most of the Kannaki shrines became churches of Our Lady.[19] The remaining temples of Kannaki were transformed in the 19th century into notably Raja Rajeshwari and Bhuvaneshvari temples by activists from the Jaffna-based Saiva movement, under the leadership of Navalar.[20] Arumuka Navalar actively fought against veneration of what he considered to be “a Jain merchantess”.[20] Kannaki Amman was also gradually seen as an incarnation of Shakti.

Kannaki is mainly praised once in a year during the Vaikasi month (May–June) of Tamil Calendar in Batticaloa and Ampara Districts. The Festival is called Catangu and Katavu Tirattal. Kalyanak Kāl Naduthal (Planting Wedding Pillar), Vaḻakkurai Pāduthal (Reciting the verses of "Kannaki Vaḻkkurai"), Kulirthi Paaduthal ("Singing Cooling verses") are common rituals of the festival. The festival days differ from temple to temple from three days to seven days. At the end of the festival, the sanctum of Kannaki temple is closed and it will be only opened when the nest Cadangu begins.

#### Sinhalese Buddhists

[edit]

Main article: Pattini

Goddess Pattini

Although the hierophant of Kannaki is fully transformed into the Bhagavati cult in Kerala and virtually absent in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka still preserves the Kannaki cult in its own form. The Sinhaleses praise her as Pattini. Their stories of that goddess also differ from those of the Cilappatikāram and see her as an avatar of the Buddha.[21] She was born as a mango in the garden of the Pandyan king. She was neglected by him and kept in a boat at sea and grew up in Chola country. She eventually slew the evil Pandyan king[22] and was hired as one of the guardian gods of Lanka by the Buddha.

The grant festival of Sri Lanka, the Esala Perahera, initially included only Kannaki, Vishnu, Kataragama, and Natha. The holy tooth relic of Buddha was annexed in the procession during the period of Kirti Sri Rajasinha of Kandy Kingdom. (1747 - 1782) according to the request of Upali Thera, a Buddhist monk from Konbaung Burma.[23]

Polkeliya "coconut fight", Gammaduwa "village rituals", and ankeliya "horn play" are the main three aspects of the Pattini cult. There are well-known devales at Kandy, Nawagamuwa and Panama for Pattini Deviyo.

## In popular culture

[edit]

A Tamil epic film Kannagi directed by R. S. Mani released in 1942. This was the first Tamil film based on the epic Silapadhigaaram.

A similar movie named Poompuhar released in 1964.

A Malayalam film Kodungallooramma directed by Kunchacko starring Prem Nazir, K. R. Vijaya, Adoor Bhasi and Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair was released in 1968.

A statue of Kannagi holding her anklet, depicting a scene from Cilappatikaram was installed on Marina Beach, Chennai. It was removed in December 2001 citing reasons that it hindered traffic.[24][25] The statue was reinstalled in June 2006.[26][27]

A Sinhala film called Paththini was released on 5 May 2016 in Sri Lanka. The role of the goddess Paththni or Kannagi was played by Pooja Umashankar.[28]

## See also

[edit]

* Lady Meng Jiang
* Vattappalai

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d E.T. Jacob-Pandian (1977). K Ishwaran (ed.). Contributions to Asian Studies: 1977. Brill Academic. pp. 56–59\. ISBN 90-04-04926-6.
2. ^ a b Kamil Zvelebil 1973, pp. 51–52.
3. ^ E.T. Jacob-Pandian (1977). K Ishwaran (ed.). Contributions to Asian Studies: 1977. Brill Academic. pp. 56–61\. ISBN 90-04-04926-6.
4. ^ Iḷaṅkōvaṭikaḷ (1993). The Tale of an Anklet: An Epic of South India. Columbia University Press. pp. 318–327 with note 86 on page 366. ISBN 978-0-231-07849-8.
5. ^ Huskin, Frans Husken; Meij, Dick van der (2013). Reading Asia: New Research in Asian Studies. Routledge. p. 119\. ISBN 9781136843846.
6. ^ Kantacāmi, Cō Na (1978). Buddhism as Expounded in Manimekalai. Annamalai University. p. 185.
7. ^ Bhanu, Sharada (1997). Myths and Legends from India - Great Women. Chennai: Macmillan India Limited. pp. 16–19\. ISBN 0-333-93076-2.
8. ^ Superdiverse Diaspora: Everyday Identifications of Tamil Migrants in Britain. Springer. 31 October 2019. ISBN 9783030283889.
9. ^ R.K.K. Rajarajan (2016) Dance of Ardhanārī as Pattinī-Kaṉṉaki: With special reference to the Cilappatikāram. Berliner Indologische Studien, Berlin, Vol. 13/14, pp. 401-14. ISBN 978-3-447-05676-2. https://www.academia.edu/2955548/Dance_of_Ardhanari_as_Pattini-Kannaki_with_special_reference_to_the_Cilappatikaram and R.K.K. Rajarajan (2012) Dance of Ardhanārī. A Historiographical Retrospection. In Tiziana Lorenzetti and Fabio Scialpi eds. Glimpses of Indian History and Art. Reflections on the Past, Perspectives for the Future. Roma: SAPIENZA Università Editrice, pp. 233-270. ISBN 978-88-95814-85-8. https://www.academia.edu/3740760/Dance_of_Ardhanārī._A_Historiographical_Retrospection
10. ^ Shankar Radhakrishnan HAI Bubbling over with devotion The Hindu news.
11. ^ R.K.K. Rajarajan (2016) Masterpieces of Indian Literature and Art - Tears of Kaṇṇaki: Annals and Iconology of the ‘Silapathikaram ’. Sharada Publishing House, New Delhi. Pages xix + 412, photos 143, ISBN 978-93-83221-14-1. https://www.academia.edu/30222114/Masterpieces_of_Indian_Literature_and_Art_-_Tears_of_Kaṇṇaki_Annals_and_Iconology_of_the_Cilappatikāram_
12. ^ Silappatikaram, Vanji Kantam
13. ^ T. Madhava Menon(2000), "A Handbook of Kerala" p.229
14. ^ Silappatikaram, Katturai Kaathai, Line 133-136
15. ^ Bertold Spuler (1975) "Handbook of Oriental Studies, Part 2" p.111
16. ^ The Illustrated Weekly of India, Volume 111, Issues 13-25 p.33
17. ^ Chummar Choondal (1980) "Kerala Folk Literature", p.37
18. ^ Biju Mathew (2013)Pilgrimage to Temple Heritage pp.50,51,62,292
19. ^ Ph.D. Ragupathy, Ponnampalam (1987). Early Settlements in Jaffna: An Archaeological Survey. University of Jaffna: Thillimalar Ragupathy. p. 217.
20. ^ a b Pfaffenberger, Bryan. “The Political Construction of Defensive Nationalism: The 1968 Temple-Entry Crisis in Northern Sri Lanka.” The Journal of Asian Studies 49, no. 1 (1990): 88.
21. ^ Richard Francis Gombrich, Richard Gombrich, Gananath Obeyesekere (1988) "Buddhism Transformed: Religious Change in Sri Lanka" pp.30,31
22. ^ Gananath Obeyesekere (1990) "The Work of Culture: Symbolic Transformation in Psychoanalysis and Anthropology" p.28,46,129
23. ^ "Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka" (2004)Volumes 47-48, p.86
24. ^ "Presidency College ground ideal for Kannagi statue: panel". The Hindu. Chennai. 16 June 2002. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
25. ^ "Kannagi statue to be reinstalled on Jun 3: Governor". One India News. OneIndiaNews.com. 24 May 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
26. ^ Menon, Jaya (16 May 2006). "On Marina beach, Karunanidhi keeps date with Kannagi". Indian Express. indianexpress.com. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
27. ^ Tiwari, Binita (23 August 2007). "Kannagi's statue adorned Marina Beach". Newstrack India. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
28. ^ "Pathini Sinhala Film by Sunil Ariyaratne". Sandeshaya. Retrieved 2 May 2016.

Bibliography

* Kamil Zvelebil (1973). The Smile of Murugan: On Tamil Literature of South India. BRILL. ISBN 90-04-03591-5.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kannagi.

* R.K.K. Rajarajan (2000) Dance of Ardhanārī as Pattinī-Kaṉṉaki: With special reference to the Cilappatikāram. Berliner Indologische Studien, Berlin, Vol. 13/14, pp. 401-14. ISBN 978-3-447-05676-2.
* R.K.K. Rajarajan (2012) Dance of Ardhanārī. A Historiographical Retrospection. In Tiziana Lorenzetti and Fabio Scialpi eds. Glimpses of Indian History and Art. Reflections on the Past, Perspectives for the Future. Roma: SAPIENZA Università Editrice, pp. 233-270. ISBN 978-88-95814-85-8.
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