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Parent Category: Vedic Literature

Category: Silapathikaram - Kannagi

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Kannagi - 3

Kovalan and Kannagi were born in Poompuhar city. They belong tovery rich merchant family. Their parents were very close friends. They celebrated Kovalan - Kannagi's wedding in most luxurious way. The young couple were placed in separate house for living and guided by parents for trade and earnings.

Unfortunately Kovalan met the beautiful dancer Madhavi and started loving her. Both of them entered into a separate new life. Even they got a child called Manimekalai.

Kovalan was very much interested in performing arts and at the same time he was very possessive in character. He did not like Madhavi's dance consorts during festivals and slowly he started developing hat redness towards her.Madhavi was helpless because she was the royal dancer and she needs to obey the king.

Slowly Kovalan lost his wealth and he too did not concentrate in trade. One fine evening he left Madhavi and came to Kannagi. Kannagi who was just living in solitude welcomed him and advised him to accept her silambu [ anklet ] to sell and invest in new business.

Kovalan was very much upset about his life and he felt guilty to face his parents and in-laws. So along with Kannagi he left to Madurai city immediately without informing any one.

They were guided by a Jain monk called Kavundi adikal. She made them to take abode under a cowherd woman called Madhari. Kovalan left Kannagi and saw the various areas of Madurai city and came back. Then he took one of her anklet and left to see some goldsmiths to sell.

Mean while the Pandiyan queen's anklet was missing. There was chaos in the palace. The royal gold smith was the real thief who took the anklet. By fate Kovalan also met the royal goldsmith and the game started. The anklets look alike generally. So Kovalan was blamed as the thief and informed to the king. The king asked his soldiers to kill Kovalan if he was the real thief.

Without analyzing the goldsmith made the soldiers to kill Kovalan. The news spreaded all over the city and Kannagi came to know this. First she was very emotional, later she analyzed the problem and left to see the king with the another anklet.

The case was argued between the king and Kannagi. The king said that  the queen's anklets has pearls within it. Kannagi said that her anklets has gems. So the anklet taken away from Kovalan was brought and Kannagi just broke that anklet. She also broke its pair which she was holding. After seeing the gems the king felt bad for his injustice and he died because of heart attack. The  queen also died.

Then Kannagi cursed the Madurai city to be burnt and walked all along the bank of Vaigai river and reached the western ghats near Kambham [ a place near Kerala and Tamilnadu border . It is a valley in western ghats ] . There after 14 days  she died. The great heroic deed performed by Kannagi  got spreaded across the countries and she became a goddess of virtue and braveness. The tribal people who welcomed her in the ghats started worshipping her.

When the Chera king Sengukkuvan and his queen Venmol visited the ghats for summer , the history was explained to them. Elango adikal [ Chera king's younger brother] and Seethalai chathan [ a poet ] decided to write Kannagi's life history as a beautiful literature. Mean while the Chera king marched towards noth India and brought a granite from Himalayas and carved Kannagi's idol out of it. On the western ghats her memorial temple was erected.

Meanwhile Elango adikal traveled across  the entire Tamil country and collected in formations about the varous aspects of arts, culture, traditions, religion and wrote the enchanting Tamil epic Silappathikaaram. His friend Seethalai chathan wrote the life history of Manimekalai [ Kovalan's daughter].

So we are in search of  Kannagi's foot prints across the country. Now we are in Madurai.

Dr.Madeswaran

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Parent Category: Vedic Literature

Category: Silapathikaram - Kannagi

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Kannagi-4

Every inch of Madurai city is embedded with a history and legend. If we start digging the roads of Madurai city we can write new history and literature . Kannagi's life has made very strong impact in Tamil nadu and Kerala state. Madurai city is still reflecting her sad tunes.

The long wide roads are making us to remember Kannagi. After her husband's death she just rushed towards king's palace through these roads. Where was the king's palace. May be near the Meenakshi temple.

While walking along the streets of Madurai still I am able to hear the following dialogues spoken by Kannagi.

 '' Let all the noble women of this Madurai listen to me! They must understand that their king is not honest to his people. Let them be aware about their country. Because of the Madurai king I am experiencing the worst tough time in my life like death sentence to a criminal.

My poor husband got punished by Madurai king without any court proceedings. But he is not a thief. I am going to see him alive now. Otherwise let all the great noble women of Madurai city abuse me.''

Listening to these words people in Madurai were put into mental stress and sorrow ness. They were even scared to see her. They thought that she was a goddess who has entered into Madurai to punish the king.

It was evening, slowly the sun rested in the west. Elango adikal says that the sun could not bare the tragedy that has happened in Madurai city and went to hide behind the western ghats.

When ever myself and Pradheep went to the city we were just imagining all these happenings and searching for the footprints of the great noble woman. We want to know where Kannagi and Kovalan stayed in Madurai? The place where he was killed , any temple for Kannagi? We just lived in dreams and devotion to Kodungalloor devi to show her foot prints.

One fine Monday , I was waiting for Pradheep in University office . There was a big show case with the sample copies of all the publications. I just looked into them. My eyes saw a book called '' Puhar mudhal Vanji varai''. It was written by Dr. Govindharasanar, a great Tamil scholar.

This book was my Bible for Kannagi study. I believe he was the incarnation of Elango adikal. The book was in my hand within few minutes. I just bunked the classes and read the entire book and started peeping into Pradheep's  tissue culture lab to come soon.

Yes the book has recorded every important places in connection with Kannagi. The great professor Dr. Govindharasanar has just spend his entire life to explore and excavate all places and monuments linked with Kannagi.

Throughout the night our 361 number room was filled with talks and mini research talks about Kannagi. We have to wait for next day evening to leave to the city. Next day we both went to Simmakkal near Madurai railway station.

We peeped into small streets of oil stores . There we saw the Sellath amman temple. It is a local goddess of Madurai. But it is having a legend which is sleeping in the  research books of Dr. Govindharasanar.

The temple is small. It is having an idol of Durga devi with 8 hands killing Mahisha sura. The idol looks very old and anger. Out side of the sanctum , on the right hand side we saw the small stone idol of Kannagi in sitting posture. She has folded her one leg and sitting like a new bride and holding an anklet. She has the hair style which is very very related to Madurai area. Why she is here? Let us go to next article.

Dr.Madeswaran

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Parent Category: Vedic Literature

Category: Silapathikaram - Kannagi

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Kannagi-5

Kovalan and Kannagi reached Madurai city and took abode under a cowhred family. Madhari and her daughter Aiyai made the couple to stay in a small clean house and helped them to relax. Kannagi was provided with vegetables and fruits and she also cooked aster long time , but that was the last meal she prepared for her beloved husband. The poor Kovalan also relished the meals and went into the city to face his end.

Aarapalayam is a very congested place in Madurai. It is one of the busstand area of Madurai near Vaigai river. Inside the busstand there is a large drainage running across the city.

That was the ancient fort canal of Pandiya kings . Next to that still we can see very very crowdy slums of cowhred community people with their cattles. This place is actually called '' Aayar palayam'' meaning residence of cowhred community.

Kovalan and Kannagi must have stayed in any one of the ancistor's family in this Aarapalayam. Silappathikaaram says that this community resided at the outside of Madurai fort near Vaigai river.

So we need to go back to 2 nd century A.D to see the small house where Kannagi stayed and cooked her last meal for her lord.

After killing the king she just wants to leave the city. She was the peak of distress. She reached the Duraga temple which is the Sellathamman temple in Simmakkal. She cried and broke her bangles and rubbed her kumkum and just started walking towards the west all alone , when every body were seeing her. She must have crossed this Aarapalayam area and then must have stepped into Vaigai river bank behind Nagamalai.     

Dr.Madeswaran

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Parent Category: Vedic Literature

Category: Silapathikaram - Kannagi

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The great Vanji .

When we were exploring various  places linked with Kannagi, one day after seeing my eagerness one of  my folklore arts professor called me and gave a cover. There was a big book inside that cover. It was Mr. Indhuchoodan's '' The secret chamber''.

The book is an encyclopedia  about Kannagi. The book narrates the every minute information about Kodungalloor Bahavathy temple dedicated to Kannagi. The book talks in detail about a particular spot inside the temple complex called '' the secret chamber''. The author declares that the secret chamber contains the precious jewels, costumes and body remains of Kannagi. The book has to be read with lot of patience.

When I read this within a night and narrated every thing to Pradheep, it was Onam festival in Kerala. So Pradheep planned to leave earlier to Kodungalloor . I left 2 days later and when landed in Kodungalloor, I felt that I have reached moon.

The research mind has made my eyes to see every spot in and around Kodungalloor with divinity and respect. Before 2000 years the 3 great south Indian dynasties Chera - Chola and Pandiyas have made the nation as a great civilization in this world. Thrir capital cities were Vanji - Poompuhar and Madurai. Out of this Poompuhar has washed away by the sea. Only Madurai is existing with its old pride. Vanji the modern Kondungalloor  is also still living with lot of legends burried in books and palm leaves . The ancient Tamil Chera country has evolved as melodious Malayalam language Kerala Bhoomi after 15th century.

The modern Malayalam has the richest  literary back ground from early Christian centuries . Malayalam language is the melodious girl  born to Tamil and Sanskrith languages. The ancient Tamil language of Cheras has produced  Silappathikaaram literature. The author Elango adikal and his brother Chera Chenguttuvan has lived in Kodungalloor.

Ottrai mulaichi amman:

The poet has recorded all the important areas of Vanji city. He has mentioned about the most sacred Shiva temple '' Thiru vanji kalam''. We had a visit to this temple. On the way we saw the small temple dedicated for Kannagi . There is small idol with only one breast . The idol is named and celebrated as '' Ottrai mulachi amman''. , meaning '' the goddess with one breast''. Kannagi tore her right side breast out of ferocious anger and threw on the streets of Madurai and cursed the city to get burnt. The name of the idol itself highlights the importance given to Kannagi by Chera kings.

The secret most spot:

Than all these my interest was to see the secret chamber. It is a very small granite slab closed chamber within the Kodungalloor sanctum . The chamber can be seen only from outside. There is a very small door , but always closed. There is a colorful dress  hanging at the door step. Rituals are done mainly to this area where a metal symbol to denote Goddess is placed. It is called as ''artha meru'' which depicts the geometrical dimensions of Goddess . To the left we can see the life size wooden idol of the Mahakali -- Sree Kodungalloor amma alas Kannagi.

Kannagi as Mahakali:

The greatest heroic deed happened in Madurai city became very famous all over Tamil countries. The king of Madurai was one of the most powerful ruler. He has conquered 7 great kings as a one man army show in a battle. He was well known for his pride and honesty. When Kannagi killed him she became the incarnation of Durga [ Goddess of destroying all evils]. So Chera has installed her as Kali form.

The idol is made of jack tree wood. Kannagi processes 8 arms. Let us see to her right side from the top. She holds a cobra, anklet, bell and skull . From the top left she holds a trident, palm leaf manuscript which depicts her life Silapathikaaram. Then she also holds the slayed head of king Pandiya Nedum chelian. There are so many versions about this idol. She also holds a long huge sword. Her left leg is hanging and right leg is folded and resting on an altar. The face is very very smashy, no expression because of oil smearing.

But the entire idol of Kannagi is decked with pure golden jewels and shields. The face is covered with a smiling golden mask with broad eyes, and tall crown. Her ears bears the head of a lion and an elephant to show her power.

The entire breast is covered with various jewels and chains. They all belong to Kannagi. After her death her parents have offered them to the idol. The waist is decorated with long  saree. Very often people offer her dress, lamps, garlands, swords and anklets.

Just  to her front we can see one more arthameru. There are many lamps. Six pure golden lamps are also there. There is a Shiva shrine next to her. There is small hall adjacent to her shrine where the 7 goddesses who helped Kali for her army get seated.

More than this there is nothing special inside the complex. But our mind has infinite imaginations and legends and emotional feelings about the great woman .

Shetrabalar:

Out side of the temple we can see a small shrine inside which there is a gigantic stone idol of a guard called '' shetrabala''......meaning local guard of the city. There is a belief that this idol was brought from Poompuhar city by Chera kings. This idol was known as '' Sathuka bootham''. This is demi god which was in Poompuhar. The god will tie and pull people who talk lies and go beyond honesty.

Very ancient idol of Kannagi:

Lets us take a round the temple. One of the most important spot is the Vaisoori devi ... goddess of small pox. The shrine is very small, opened at the top. There is a stone idol of Goddess without one breats and the face is smashed because of time. The head holds locks of hair spreaded all over her shoulder. She has 2 hands. They are just placed on the laps. People get turmeric powder and just trew on her along with pepper.

I can just relate this idol with the original the  stone idol  carved by Chera and got installed in Kambham valley. This may be the very ancient idol got worshipped by citizens of Kondungalloor. So one can just get seated under the big trees and go back to the ages when great historical events happened after Kannagi's death. Let us go to Thirukanna mathil akam.

Thirukanna mathil akam :

This is very near to Kodungalloor. This is the place where Elango adikal stayed and lived as a Jain monk and did his great epic. Today it is a small busy town in Kerala. Elango adikal has mentioned the place as '' Guna vaa il kottam'' meaning , '' the place to the west of Vanji city''. Pradheep's sister resides here. She is very much gifted to live in a such historical place .

So after going all around these places we both rested in his uncles home. Suddenly Pradheep came near me and whispered. Ho God? We just waited for every one to rest, Pradheep planned to climb over the shafts in his grand parents home.

For what?

Dr.Madeswaran