Shilappadigaram (also known as "the Jeweled
Anklet") - The most famous epic poem in Tamil language.
It is usually attributed to the poet Ilangovadigal (2nd
century), although it was probably certainly penned centuries later.
The poem serves as a metaphor for numerous fundamental
topics that have pervaded Hindu society, including the necessity for a monarch
to govern justly and a wife's strength obtained by her love to her husband.
Kannaki and her husband Kovalan are the central characters
in the novel.
Kovalan squanders the family's fortune by selling
practically all of their assets in his lust for a dancer.
His only surviving treasures are one pair of her golden
anklets when he ultimately returns to his wife.
The couple chooses to go to Madurai to sell the anklets and
restore their family as merchants with the money.
However, disaster happens when they arrive in Madurai.
A dishonest jeweler had stolen an identical pair of anklets
from the queen of Madurai the night before the couple's arrival, and when
Kovalan attempts to sell the anklets, the same jeweler accuses him of being the
thief.
Kannaki learns of Kovalan's execution and enters the city,
wearing the second anklet as a show of his innocence.
She has a meeting with the king, who dies of regret when he
learns the devastation he has brought about.
Kannaki, still enraged, cuts off her left breast, curses the
city, and hurls the breast into the street, where it bursts into flames,
consuming the city.
Kannaki's curse is eventually lifted by Madurai's patron
goddess, and Kannaki dies a few days later.
The strength of a woman's loyalty to her husband is said to
be one of the elements at work here.
Kannaki eagerly accepts Kovalan back when he returns,
despite the fact that he has squandered all of their money via infidelity.
She is prepared to give up her every resource to aid him.
The depth of her dedication allows her to create extensive
damage with a single curse, and the strength of this power is still a source of
faith for many Hindus today.
See Sarah Mitter's Dharma's Daughters, 1991, for a more
in-depth look at the topics in this play, as well as a broader look at Hindu
women's representations.
Also see Tamil epics and Tamil language.
