Kannagi(Tamil:கண்ணகி), sometimes spelledKannaki,[1]is alegendaryTamilwoman who forms the central character of the TamilepicCilappatikāram.[2]Kannagi is described as a chaste woman who stays with her husband despite hisadultery,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 unjustPandyan king of Madurai,who had wrongfully put her husbandKovalanto death. The society that made her suffer then endures retribution as the cityMadurai,in consequence, is burnt to the ground because of her curse.[1]
| Kannagi | |
|---|---|
 Kannagi Statue inMarina Beach,Chennai |
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
editThe Kannagi story first appears in theSangam erapoemNarrinai 312.[2]A more extended version appears in theCilappatikāram.[1]
Legend
edit
Kannagi was the daughter of the merchant and ship captain Manayakan fromPuhar.She marries the son of Macattuvan,Kovalan,whose family were sea traders and had the sea goddessManimekalaiaspatron deity.[5][6]Later, Kovalan met a dancerMadhaviand 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 inMaduraiand selling the precious anklet of Kannagi.[citation needed]
Madurai was ruled by the Pandyan kingNeṭuñceḻiyaṉ 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 containedrubies,as opposed to the queen's anklets which containedpearls.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 goddessMeenakshi,she calmed down and later attained salvation. The story forms the crux of theCilappatikāram.[7]
Worship
edit| Kannaki Amman | |
|---|---|
Goddess of Chastity[8] | |
 Representation of a deified Kannaki | |
| Tamil language | கண்ணகி அம்மன் |
| Affiliation | Shaktism,Pattini,andBhagavati |
| Symbol | Anklet,Neem leaves |
| Mount | LionorTigerin form ofShakti |
| Consort | Kovalan |
AsKannaki Amman,she is eulogized as the epitome of chastity and is worshiped as a goddess in select regions. She is worshiped as a goddessPattiniinSri LankainSinhalese Buddhism,[9]and as Kannaki Amman by theSri Lankan Tamil people,and as Kodungallur Bhagavati andAttukal Bhagavatiin theSouth Indianstate ofKerala.Keralites believe Kannaki to be an incarnation of the goddessBhadrakali,who reachedKodungallurand attained salvation in theKodungallur Bhagavathy Temple.[10][11]
Tamil Nadu
edittheCilappatikāram,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 onPandya Nadu.[12]
Kannaki Amman's worship involves her identification with theDravidian folk religion's rain goddess,Mariamman.[13]Cilappatikāram states that Mariamman is none other than Kannaki by stating that Kannaki burnt Madurai on the Friday of theĀdimonth.[14]which is identified as the month of Mariamman's veneration inTamil Nadu.
However, several temples, likeThyagaraja Temple, Tiruvottiyur,still commemorate the goddess as Kannaki Amman.Mathura Kaliamman Temple, Siruvachurand theMangala Devi Kannagi TempleinIdukki districtare the other few temples where their connection with Kannaki is still remembered.
Kerala
editThe Kannaki cult, perhaps initiated by theChera dynastyofKerala,is still preserved in the form of theBhagavaticult.[15]The famousBhagavati TempleatKodungallur,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 asBhadra Kali,she is often praised by the devotees as Kannaki and Muthumari in Kodungallur.
Attukal Bhagavati Temple,Moothanthara Karnaki Amman Templeand so many GoddessBhagavatitemples are believed to be located on the journey of Kannaki to Chera Nadu (Kerala) after the burning of Madurai.[18]
Sri Lanka
editAccording 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.
Tamil Hindus
editSri Lankan beliefs on Kannaki are intermediate to Cilappatikāram and common Sri Lankan Beliefs.Eastern Sri LankanandVanniTamils praises her as "Kannakai Amman". There are so many evidences inYalpana Vaipava Malai,chronicle ofJaffna Kingdomconfirms that Kannaki was also popular during the rule of theAryacakravarti dynasty(1215–1624) inNorthern Sri Lanka.The author of the Sri Lankan epic on Kannaki equivalent to theCilappatikāram,theKannaki Vaḻakkurai,recited in eastern Kannaki Amman temples, is believed to be written by theJaffna kingJeyaveera 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 ofKaveripattinam.Since most of the coastal folk were converted toCatholicismduring thePortuguese rule,most of the Kannaki shrines became churches ofOur Lady.[19]The remaining temples of Kannaki were transformed into AgamicRaja RajeshwariandBhuvaneshvariTemples as Kannaki was considered as a ln incarnation of Shakti by the activists ofSaivamovement of 19th Century in Jaffna in the leadership ofNavalar.[20]
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
Although the hierophant of Kannaki is fully transformed into the Bhagavati and Mariamman cult in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, respectively,Sri Lankastill preserves the Kannaki cult in its own form. The [Sinhalese praise her as Pattini. Their stories of that goddess also differ from those of theCilappatikāramand see her as an avatar ofthe 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 inChola 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, theEsala Perahera,initially included only Kannaki,Vishnu,Kataragama,andNatha.The holy tooth relic of Buddha was annexed in the procession during the period ofKirti Sri Rajasinha of KandyKingdom. (1747 - 1782) according to the request of Upali Thera, aBuddhist monkfromKonbaung Burma.[23]
Polkeliya"coconut fight",Gammaduwa"village rituals", andankeliya"horn play" are the main three aspects of the Pattini cult. There are well-known devales atKandy,Nawagamuwa andPanamafor Pattini Deviyo.
In popular culture
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ATamilepic filmKannagidirected by R. S. Mani released in 1942. This was the first Tamil film based on the epic Silapadhigaaram.
A similar movie namedPoompuharreleased in 1964.
AMalayalamfilmKodungalloorammadirected byKunchackostarringPrem Nazir,K. R. Vijaya,Adoor BhasiandThikkurissy Sukumaran Nairwas released in 1968.
Astatue of Kannagiholding her anklet, depicting a scene fromCilappatikaramwas installed onMarina 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]
ASinhala filmcalledPaththiniwas released on 5 May 2016 inSri Lanka.The role of the goddess Paththni or Kannagi was played byPooja Umashankar.[28]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^abcdE.T. Jacob-Pandian (1977). K Ishwaran (ed.).Contributions to Asian Studies: 1977.Brill Academic. pp. 56–59.ISBN90-04-04926-6.
- ^abKamil Zvelebil 1973,pp. 51–52.
- ^E.T. Jacob-Pandian (1977). K Ishwaran (ed.).Contributions to Asian Studies: 1977.Brill Academic. pp. 56–61.ISBN90-04-04926-6.
- ^Iḷaṅkōvaṭikaḷ (1993).The Tale of an Anklet: An Epic of South India.Columbia University Press. pp. 318–327 with note 86 on page 366.ISBN978-0-231-07849-8.
- ^Huskin, Frans Husken; Meij, Dick van der (2013).Reading Asia: New Research in Asian Studies.Routledge. p. 119.ISBN9781136843846.
- ^Kantacāmi, Cō Na (1978).Buddhism as Expounded in Manimekalai.Annamalai University. p. 185.
- ^Bhanu, Sharada (1997).Myths and Legends from India - Great Women.Chennai: Macmillan India Limited. pp. 16–19.ISBN0-333-93076-2.
- ^Superdiverse Diaspora: Everyday Identifications of Tamil Migrants in Britain.Springer. 31 October 2019.ISBN9783030283889.
- ^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.ISBN978-3-447-05676-2.https://www.academia.edu/2955548/Dance_of_Ardhanari_as_Pattini-Kannaki_with_special_reference_to_the_Cilappatikaramand 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.ISBN978-88-95814-85-8.https://www.academia.edu/3740760/Dance_of_Ardhan%C4%81r%C4%AB._A_Historiographical_Retrospection
- ^Shankar Radhakrishnan HAI Bubbling over with devotionThe Hindu news.
- ^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,ISBN978-93-83221-14-1.https://www.academia.edu/30222114/Masterpieces_of_Indian_Literature_and_Art_-_Tears_of_Ka%E1%B9%87%E1%B9%87aki_Annals_and_Iconology_of_the_Cilappatik%C4%81ram_
- ^Silappatikaram, Vanji Kantam
- ^T. Madhava Menon(2000), "A Handbook of Kerala" p.229
- ^Silappatikaram, Katturai Kaathai, Line 133-136
- ^Bertold Spuler (1975) "Handbook of Oriental Studies, Part 2" p.111
- ^The Illustrated Weekly of India, Volume 111, Issues 13-25 p.33
- ^Chummar Choondal (1980) "Kerala Folk Literature", p.37
- ^Biju Mathew (2013)Pilgrimage to Temple Heritage pp.50,51,62,292
- ^Ph.D. Ragupathy, Ponnampalam (1987).Early Settlements in Jaffna: An Archaeological Survey.University of Jaffna: Thillimalar Ragupathy. p. 217.
- ^"The journal of Asian studies - Volume 49, Issues 1-2" (1990)p.88
- ^Richard Francis Gombrich, Richard Gombrich, Gananath Obeyesekere (1988) "Buddhism Transformed: Religious Change in Sri Lanka" pp.30,31
- ^Gananath Obeyesekere (1990) "The Work of Culture: Symbolic Transformation in Psychoanalysis and Anthropology" p.28,46,129
- ^"Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka" (2004)Volumes 47-48, p.86
- ^"Presidency College ground ideal for Kannagi statue: panel".The Hindu.Chennai. 16 June 2002. Archived fromthe originalon 25 January 2013.Retrieved9 October2011.
- ^"Kannagi statue to be reinstalled on Jun 3: Governor".One India News.OneIndiaNews.com. 24 May 2006.Retrieved9 October2011.
- ^Menon, Jaya (16 May 2006)."On Marina beach, Karunanidhi keeps date with Kannagi".Indian Express.indianexpress.com.Retrieved9 October2011.
- ^Tiwari, Binita (23 August 2007)."Kannagi's statue adorned Marina Beach".Newstrack India.Retrieved9 October2011.
- ^"Pathini Sinhala Film by Sunil Ariyaratne".Sandeshaya.Retrieved2 May2016.
- Bibliography
- Kamil Zvelebil (1973).The Smile of Murugan: On Tamil Literature of South India.BRILL.ISBN90-04-03591-5.
External links
edit
- 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.ISBN978-3-447-05676-2.
- 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.ISBN978-88-95814-85-8.
- All about Kannaki and Pattini