Book Review: Silappatikaram By Ilango Adigal

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Introduction

Genre - Fiction

Language - Tamil (Original)/Translated in English

Characters

Kovalan
Madhavi
Kannaki
Kavunthi
Neduncheliyan
The goldsmith

About the author

Ilango Adigal was a poet, Chera prince, and a Jain monk. He wrote Silappatikaram, which was one of the Five Great Epics of Tamil Literature. He was born in South India during the Chera dynasty and died in 650 AD.

He wrote this epic in the 5th or 6th Century. In the prologue also known as Patikam in Tamil, the author shows himself as the brother of the well-known Chera king Cenkuttuvan. There is no more specific information available about him.

Review:

Silappatikaram also known as literally “The Tale of an Anklet” is a Tamil epic, it was a sensational instance of one of the oldest and earliest pieces of work from the Sangam Poetry (poetry about love), which passed down through oral traditions.

It was often considered a bit feminist, Cilappatikaram is a fascinating piece of literature in which the woman is seen leading the story. More than that, she ends up protecting her husband and “conquering” him back.

Amidst many well-known epics in the world, this is most probably the only one in which the female is shown as a central character. The focus of the story is on the obedience and chastity of Kannagi, also undoubtedly without denying she is the hero of the whole epic. Her character is above speculation and her chastity had the power to solicit the gods, who had another choice than to attend to her.

Kannagi in Tamil refers to ‘virgin’, which gives rise to the contrast of Kannagi with the five women from the two epics, Mahabharata and Ramayana. Her bravery and heroism are portrayed in the story when she doesn’t take her husband’s death as her fate and simply ends up dying.

She went to the king's court and gets her husband’s name to exonerate the false assertions, she punishes the king and the city both of which caused harm to her husband and marital life.

Injudiciously in present times, she is remembered more for her chastity and loyalty than her bravery and courage to question the King's statement and also giving him valid punishment for the same. Cilappatikaram is mainly a reflection of the politics of the older times. Regardless of when the Sanskrit dramas were indulged in praising the Kings and the Gods enthusiastically, this Tamil epic had the courage to heap praise on a usual mortal being and show the guilty of injustice and royalty.

It surely needs much guts and courage to write an epic where you are questioning the injustice of a king. Even if the epic was based on a previously known folktale the author did not take the freedom to change the point, like we have seen such changes take place in many examples in other versions of epics.

Many people aroused questions on Kannagi’s cursing the whole city of Madurai even after her revenge was taken as the King and the Queen had died due to the misjudgment. When the couple Kovalan and Kannagi entered the city, they were also supported by the local people and helped by a few.

It was said that Kannagi was so selfish that she didn't even think once about the people of the city who were innocent and not at any fault and also helped her. without even thinking about it she set the whole city on fire.

Another modern condemnation was that even after Kannagi was left by her husband for a dancing girl, there was no need for her to take him back, as he only comes back to her due to the misunderstanding with Matavi (Dancing girl) He came back only because he was cheated by Matavi and not at all because of self-realization that he was wrong to leave is obedient wife.

The feminists of modern days feel that praising and laying stress on such ‘sacrificing’ strand of women’s character, is inaccurate for the self-esteem of any woman. This leads to greater dissipation by men as they will be chill to know that their wives were and will always there whenever needed regardless of whatever deeds they do.

Whatever the objective of the epic maybe. Adigal listed down the following objectives in the prologue of the epic which were –

No matter if it is about the king, nobody including the king will be spared if he makes an invalid and false judgment.

A loyal woman, with high moral standards will not only be respected but also respected.

No matter how ethical and exemplary life one leads, one can't avoid the fruit of his committed deeds in past and he will always have to face his karma.

The above message is not only for the common man but also for the royal. As karma does not discriminate between the common and the royal. The phrase "As You Sow, So Shall You Reap" is perfect to justify the following statement.

Major Themes In Cilappatikaram