A retrospection of the life of Kaṇṇaki in Iḷaṅkō Aṭikaḷ’s Cilappadikāram with modern perspective

Abstract

The Tamils regard the Cilappadikāram as their national epic and this is one of the masterpieces of the word. This is a significant work on women and spirituality with the representation of Kaṇṇaki in this Tamil epic. The epic celebrates the great achievements of Kaṇṇaki against injustice. However, her revenge is not an example to be followed but as a chaste woman she is glorified for her love and fortitude. She is always admired for her courage and through the power of chastity she metamorphoses herself into a goddess. Kaṇṇaki is eulogized as the global symbol of justice. The present paper aims to analyze the character of Kaṇṇaki from the epic Cilappadikāram by Iḷaṅkō Aṭikaḷ. An attempt has also been made in this paper to establish the relevance of the story of Kaṇṇaki in the perspective of modern day women.