From Mortal Woman to Divine Justice: The Cultural and Ethical Significance of Kannagi in Silappadikaram
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63300/kijts05sp042026.15Keywords:
Silappadikaram, Kannagi, Aram, Tamil Epic, Divine JusticeAbstract
One of the great classical Tamil epics that embodies the moral and cultural norms of early Tamil society is the Silappadikaram, known to have been written by Ilango Adigal. It is a tragic story of the wrongful murder of Kannagi’s husband, Kovalan, by the Pandyan king, an event that becomes the starting point of the epic. This paper will discuss how Kannagi transformed from a faithful wife into a symbol of justice and morality.
Initially shown as a patient and faithful woman who tries to endure betrayal by her husband and social hardships, Kannagi becomes a speaker of truth and soon after Kovalan is unjustly killed. Her fight with the king reveals the ineffectiveness of royal justice and ultimately leads to the destruction of Madurai, a symbol of the triumph of morality. This paper focuses on the idea of ‘Aram’(moral righteousness) and its fundamental place in constructing the narrative and moral structure of the epic.
Moreover, this paper discusses the cultural significance of Kannagi, who goes beyond the literary tradition and becomes the image of divine justice and feminine power in Tamil cultural memory.
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