Kovalan
| Kovalan | |
|---|---|
Kovalan (right) with his wife Kannagi | |
| First appearance | Cilappatikaram |
| Created by | Ilango Adigal |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Merchant |
| Spouses | Kannagi |
| Children | Manimekalai (with Madhavi) |
| Home | Puhar, Early Chola Kingdom |
Kovalan is a central character in Ilango Adigal's Cilappatikaram, one of the Five Great Epics in Tamil literature.
Literature
Cilappatikāram ("the Tale of an Anklet"), is the one of the Five Great Epicss in Tamil literature.[1] It is attributed to a Ilango Adigal, a Chera prince turned monk, and was probably composed between 2nd to 6th centuries CE.[2][3] The epic consists of 5,730 lines,[4] and narrates the tragic story of Kannagi and her husband Kovalan.[5][6]
Narrative
Kovalan is the son of a wealthy merchant Machattuvan, in the Chola port city of Puhar. He marries Kannagi, who is described as a virtuous and devoted woman. While their married life initially appears happy, Kovalan later becomes attracted to the courtesan and dancer Madhavi. He becomes captivated by her beauty, and enters into an extra marital relationship with her. He spends most of his wealth on her, and the relationship creates tensions with Kannagi.[7]
Kovalan has a misunderstanding with Madhavi, and after losing most of his wealth, he realises his mistake and returns to his wife Kannagi. Kannagi forgives him despite his earlier betrayal, and the couple decides to leave Puhar and travel to the Padnya capital of Madurai to start a new life.[8]
At Madhurai, Kovalan attempts to sell one of the two anklets of Kannagi to raise money. The royal goldsmith, who had earlier stolen an anklet belonging to the queen Kopperundevi, finds the that anklets are similar, and falsely accuses Kovalan of stealing the queen’s anklet. Enraged by the act, the king Neduncheziyan orders Kovalan’s arrest and execution without a fair trial.[9][10]
After Kovalan is executed, Kannagi appears in the royal court, trying to prove her husband’s innocence and demanding justice. She breaks open her remaining anklet to reveal that her anklet contained rubies whereas queen Kopperundevi's missing anklet contained pearls. When the king realised the truth and his mistake, he kills himself due to remorse. The queen, Kopperundevi, unable to bear the grief and shame caused by the unjust execution, also dies soon afterward.[11]
In films
| Year | Title | Language | Actor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Kannagi | Tamil | P. U. Chinnappa |
| 1964 | Poompuhar | Tamil | S. S. Rajendran[12] |
| 1968 | Kodungallooramma | Malayalam | Prem Nazir[13] |
| 2016 | Paththini | Sinhala | Uddika Premarathna[14] |
References
- ^ Parthasarathy 2004, p. 1-3.
- ^ Sastri 2002, p. 397.
- ^ Alain Danielou 1965, p. viii.
- ^ Parthasarathy 2004, p. 5-6.
- ^ Zvelebil 1973, p. 174–175.
- ^ Pollock 2003, p. 296–298.
- ^ Parthasarathy 1993, p. 73–86.
- ^ Parthasarathy 1993, p. 87–90.
- ^ Dikshitar 1939, p. 217–221.
- ^ Bhanu 1997, p. 7-9.
- ^ Dikshitar 1939, p. 247–251.
- ^ "Poompuhar". The Indian Express. 26 September 1964. p. 3.
- ^ "Kodungallooramma". Malayala Sangeetham. Archived from the original on 17 March 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
- ^ "Pathini Sinhala Film by Sunil Ariyaratne". Sandeshaya. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
Bibliography
- Bhanu, Sharada (1997). Myths and Legends from India – Great Women. Chennai: Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 978-0-333-93076-2.
- Danielou, Alain (1965). Shilappadikaram (The Ankle Bracelet) by Iḷaṅkōvaṭikaḷ. New Directions Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8112-0001-1.
- Dikshitar, V. R. Ramachandra (1939). The Silappadikaram. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-9-390-03592-2.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - Parthasarathy, R. (1993). The Cilappatikaram of Ilanko Atikal: An Epic of South India. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-07848-1.
- Parthasarathy, R (2004). The Cilappatikāram: The Tale of an Anklet (Iḷaṅkōvaṭikaḷ). Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-303196-3.
- Pollock, Sheldon (2003). Literary cultures in history: reconstructions from South Asia. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-22821-9.
- Sastri, Nilakanta (2002) [1955]. A History of South India (Reprinted ed.). New Delhi: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-195-60686-7.
- Zvelebil, Kamil (1973). The Smile of Murugan: On Tamil Literature of South India. Brill Publishers. ISBN 978-9-004-03591-1.