Manimekhari Story Analysis

Prologue and Epilogue to Silapatikaaram, The first Tamil epic

Saint Ilango Adigal, younger brother of Cheran Chenguttuvan and second son of King Cheraladhan of Chera kingdom, renounces his royalty and resides permanently in the Kottam that is a hermitage of Kunavayil, in the east face of Vanci. Once the hill-people, Kuravas came in a group before Saint Ilango and inform him,

“A chaste woman who had lost one of her breasts and came to the shade of Vengai tree , very rich in golden flowers. The king of devas appeared, to show her beloved husband and took her to heaven before us. It was an wonderful event. Be gracious this.”

At that time, the Sangam poet and the author of the epic of Manimekhalai, Madurai Koolavanigan Seethalai Saatanaar is
The action of previous birth is completed now. In your previous birth, the wife of merchant Sangaman of Singapuram of undying fame laid a curse upon your husband and yourself. O woman, having the beautiful tress of hair, you will see your husband after fourteen days from now; not in his human form, but in the divine form. I heard this. So we shall compose a poem with stanzas; illustrating the three noble truths.
1. The anklet is the pivot of the story that illustrating the inexorable nature of fate.
2. The glorification of chaste woman.
3. Justice or Dharma becoming the avenging death of those violating the political code.
As these truths centre round the anklet of artistic beauty, the poem Paattudai Seyyul can be named as Silapatikaaram. This story relates to all the three kings, it is only proper, O venerable saint, that you should write it.’
In response to the request of Seethalai Saattanaar, author of the epic Manimekhalai, The saint Ilango Adigal composes a poem, consisting with thirty cantos.
1. The song of benediction. The epic begins with natural things worship like the Sun, the Moon, the Rain, and the King.
2. The parents arrange a separate house for living of the hero Kovalan and the heroine
The story of the praise offered to.
30. The boon obtains form, the Goddess of chastity.
The thirty stories which narrate in poetic form ( Urai yidai yitta Paattudai Ceyiyul) by Ilango Adigal are heard by Koolavanigan Seethalai Saattanaar of Madurai.
Epilogue of Silapatikaaram
These events were happened after the death of Kovalan, the hero of epic.
From that day onwards the Pandyan Kingdom lost its nature and deprived of rains and famine stricken.
The diseases concerned with heat and small balls are removed. Vetrivel Chezhiyan was reigning at Korkai, he propitiated the chaste woman Kannagi by sacrificing with one thousand goldsmiths, and celebrated a festival when there was a downpour causing fertility to the land. There upon the kingdom regained fertility to the land and got relief from the distress and diseases. Hearing this, Kongunattu’s Ilam Kolar instituted festivals in honour of the chaste woman. On hearing this, Ghajabahu, the king of Ceylon that encircled by the sea, built a shrine for the chaste woman where daily sacrifices were performed. He built a stage for propirating then constructed a temple for Kannagi, in his town. This deity of chaste woman would remove their distress and offering blessings. He initiated annual festivals commencing with the moth of Adi. Then the rains poured a lot and increased the fertility of land so as to produce more