Kannagi's Abode in Madurai

The present-day Madurai might evoke our thought on the Goddess Meenakshi alone, thanks to her centrally located gigantic temple. However, the historic city has much more for us to explore and experience. One such not so often tapped subject is the significant connection of the Tamil epic "Silappadhikaram" with this city. This article is to throw some light on one such lesser-known site that is claimed to be related to Silappadhikaram.

For the benefit of starters, let me brief the basic details of the epic first.

Silappadhikaram is one of the five epics of Tamil. It was authored by Ilango Adigal during the Tamil Sangam age (believed to be the 3rd or 4th century CE). The epic depicts the story of a woman named Kannagi who sought justice for the killing of her husband. (I firmly believe that her name should be spelled as Kannaki; however, as the entire state spells it Kannagi, I, too, follow the same, just to avoid confusion.)

Kannagi was from a wealthy family in Poompuhar. She married Kovalan, a merchant. He had extramarital affairs with a dancer named Madhavi. Later, realizing his mistake, Kovalan left Madhavi and rejoined Kannagi. However, he had lost all his wealth by that time.

The couple wanted to start a new life afresh. Hence, they moved to Madurai. Kovalan planned to start a business. He needed investment for the business but had no friend or relative to seek financial help. Hence, he decided to sell his wife's anklet to fund his venture. Perhaps, his misfortune had different plans for him. He was blamed for stealing the anklet of the Madurai Queen. The Pandya King, Nedunchezhiyan, sentenced him to death in haste. The furious Kannagi went to the palace and proved the King was wrong. Realizing his blunder in judgment, the King felt ashamed and left the world.

Still, Kannagi could not control her anger. To retaliate for the unjust death of her husband, she burnt the entire city of Madurai. Then, she went in the western direction (today's Kerala) and attained salvation. The Chera King worshiped her as a Goddess and built a temple there.

Even nowadays, there are few temples in Kerala where Kannagi is worshipped. Even in Sri Lanka, Buddhists, as well as Hindus, worship her. I always wondered why there is no temple for Kannagi in Madurai alone. At last, I found one. This article is about that temple.

In a lane near the busy National Highway in Simmakkal locality, Kannagi's temple is located. However, the presiding deity is not Kannagi, but Chellaththamman.

Let us see what the legend states...

As per Silappadhikaram, a woman called Madhari accommodated Kannagi and Kovalan in her residence in Madurai. It is believed that the temple is located on the same site now. Literally, we can call this temple as the residence of Kannagi.

It is said that the temple was constructed here after Kannagi attained salvation in Kerala. Kannagi's ferocious form caused many fire accidents in the locality. Hence, King Chenbaga Pandya installed Chenbaga Chelli Amman as the presiding deity in the same temple. Being a guardian deity, she protected the city from further mishaps. In due course of time, Chenbaga Chelli became Chellaththamman.

Historically, I don't see any inscription or record found in the temple. Although a significant portion of the temple has been renovated recently, the wall around the sanctum and the adjoining mandapams look very old (maybe the 1400s or 1500s). However, the icons are not that old. They can be dated up to one hundred years old.

The temple faces the east direction. The sanctum enshrines Chellaththamman. She is found seated, and she has eight arms. An Asura is found under her feet. She is a popular guardian deity in Madurai. She is also called Chelli Amman or Vadakku Chelli.

In Maha Mandapa, the icon is Kannagi is found. She holds an anklet in her left arm and a flower in her right arm. She is found seated. Madhari, who accommodated Kannagi, is also seen as a small icon nearby.

Pechi Amman is a village deity. She is also called Perachi Amman. She is generally found in a ferocious form holding a woman on her lap, tearing her stomach, and an Asura under her feet. However, in this temple, she is found not in her typical iconography. She is found in the standing posture facing the presiding deity. (It is similar to Nandi facing Shiv Linga in other temples). The flagstaff and bali peetha are located on her backside.

The bronze image of Meenakshi is kept in a separate shrine in the same mandapa. Ganesha, Subramanya, Nagaraja, Bhairava, Ayyanar, Durga, Karuppa Swami, Meenakshi and Sundaresa Linga are other deities in the temple.

Happy travelling.

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