Amidst the contemporary buzz on Vakil New Street, sits a quaint little temple that nurtures history from a millennium ago. It is said that one of the most illustrious Tamil women whom people still hold in reverence and awe, lived here 1,400 years ago.
Memories of Kannagi who epitomises chastity and justice invade the sacred air inside Chellathamman Temple, as the priest Logu Pillai pensively tells her story – brewed in love, betrayal, melancholy and revenge! “This was where Kannagi took shelter under Madiri Adigal, an old Jain nun, while her husband Kovalan went to sell the emerald anklet in the market,” narrates Logu Pillai.
The sanctum-sanctorum contains a stone idol of Kannagi, sitting with an anklet in her left hand and Madiri Adigal is immortalised in the form of smaller idol next to her. Legend holds that Goddess Meenakshi descended on earth to appease the enraged Kannagi and save the city from getting burnt to ashes. “This means, at that point of time, Kannagi was more powerful than the Gods. That was the value for truth and justice,” suggests the priest, while a bunch of 10 college students from the city listen to him in rapture.
Under the umbrella of Srishti Madurai, like-minded students have come together to form ‘Kannagi Study Circle’, through which they aim to understand the various philosophies connected to the fable and the literary work of Silapathikaram . The students see Silapathikaram as a connecting point for Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. “The book talks about basic principles of all these religions and depicts a time when the three co-existed in the Tamil country. The later part of Silapathikaram , called Manimekalai , describes Buddhist ideologies in detail,” observes Gopi Shankar, a research scholar. Above all, Silapathikaram brings out the power of the common man, unlike epics that praise kings and the nobles.
“Till date, Kannagi is seen as a revolutionary, who broke the codes of the system and questioned the king directly. She didn’t plead for justice. She demanded it. She burnt down the city to avenge the wrong caused to her,” adds Gopi. “The parable of Kannagi is famous across Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka and neighbouring Kerala. There are even folk traditions to the story. She is worshipped as Pattini devi in different parts of Southern India,” says Mahima. “We see Kannagi as a bridge between the three religions and the three kingdoms of Chola, Chera and Pandya. We also view her as a symbol of female power and women empowerment. Ages ago, as a single woman she brought the whole Pandya country to a grinding halt,” adds Teresa.
That Ilangovadigal, the author of Silapathikaram , is a Jain monk holds significance too. “Jainism that came from North India was widely adopted by the locals here and it evolved into a unique culture and religion. Tamil Jainism has composite values taken from Jainism and native Tamil philosophies,” says Iniyan, a member of the Study Circle. Apart from Chellathamman Temple, the students have visited the numerous Jain beds and sites around the city, including Keelakuyilkudi, Arittapatti, Keezhavalavu and Maangulam. Of all the places, Samanatham is the most important, they say.
“The villagers directed us to a sandy mound where they believe that thousands of Jain monks were massacred thousands of years ago,” recounts John Marshall, a Post-graduate student of his visit to Samanatham village, near Madurai. “Though there are literary references to this event, there’s no monument in memory of those saints.” He says that Samanatham was actually called ‘Samanar Ratham’ (The blood of jains). “Periyapuranam, a Bhakti work by Sekhizhar, narrates the incident in detail. The Tamil Jain community, which contributed so much to Tamil literature, has almost vanished over the years. But the philosophies they propagated continue to live.”
