Silappathikaram

Silappathikaram is the very first epic in Tamil that is believed to be written post Sangam times. Ilangovadigal, a jain saint, is the author. The epic in poems and prose was an avant guarde work that had ordinary people as its central characters. The story moves through all the three Tamil countries of the time – Chola, Pandya and Chera. Ilangovadigal’s understanding of the three terrains and cultures is astounding.

There is hardly anyone who does not know the story of Silappathikaram. It is about Kannaki, daughter of a rich merchant of Puhar, married to Kovalan, son of another rich merchant. Kovalan leaves wife Kannaki for Madhavi, a courtesan danseuse. The differences that crop up between them in a few years makes Kovalan go back to Kannaki. They both leave Puhar and reach Madurai to start a new life from scratch. Kovalan’s attempt to sell Kannaki’s silambu gets him into trouble and he is branded the thief of the Queen’s silambu and is executed without a trial. Kannaki’s rage at the injustice makes the king and queen lose life and sets Madurai afire. She leaves Madurai and goes westwards and on top of a cliff is lifted up to heaven by Kovalan and others that is witnessed by common people. The story of Kannaki moves the Chera King Chenguttuvan to build a temple for Kannaki at the spot where she ascended to heaven.

The story is simple and narrated straight. But the nuances of the cultural and artistic dimensions of the Thamizh society of early first millennium and the ethical principles of life are delineated in the work so beautifully and artistically that it ranks as one of the foremost classical works in the world of literature.

Sangak Koodam is organizing a course on Silappathikaram for world audience shortly and it will be taught by none other than Dr. Ku Ve Balasubramanian.