The Cult of the Goddess Pattini

Kannagi
Kannagi Statue in Marina Beach, Chennai

Kannagi is a legendary Tamil woman who forms the central character of the Tamil epic Silapathikaram (100-300 AD). The story relates how Kannagi took revenge on the Pandyan King of Madurai, who had wrongfully put her husband to death, by cursing the Madurai thoonga nagaram.Silapathigaaram is written by Ilango Adigal.

Kovalan was the son of a wealthy merchant of Vaishya community known as Nagarathar community in Puhar, who married Kannagi. Kovalan met a dancer Madhavi and had an affair with her, which prompted him to spend all his wealth on the dancer. Kovalan hoped to recoup his fortunes by trade in Madurai, by selling the precious anklet of Kannagi. At last, penniless, Kovalan realised his mistake and returned to his wife Kannagi.

Madurai was ruled by Pandya king Nedunj Cheliyan I. When Kovalan tried to sell the anklet, it was mistaken for a stolen anklet of the queen. Kovalan was accused of having stolen the anklet and was immediately beheaded by the king without trial. When Kannagi was informed of this, she became furious, and set out to prove her husband's innocence to the king.

Kannagi came to the king's court, broke open the anklet seized from Kovalan and showed that it contained rubies, as opposed to the queen's anklets which contained pearls. Realizing the fault, the king committed suicide in shame, after having delivered such a huge miscarriage of justice. Kannagi uttered a curse that the entire city of Madurai be burnt. The capital city of Pandyas was set ablaze resulting in huge losses. However, at the request of Goddess Meenakshi, she calmed down and later, attained salvation. The story forms the crux of Silapathikaram written by poet Ilango Adigal.