Kannagi

Kannagi
Statue of Kannagi in Chennai
First appearanceNaṟṟiṇai
In-universe information
GenderFemale
SpousesKovalan
HomePuhar, Early Chola Kingdom

Kannagi, sometimes spelled Kannaki, is the titual character of the Tamil in Ilango Adigal's Cilappatikaram, one of the Five Great Epics in Tamil literature. She is described as a chaste woman who stays with her husband Kovalan despite his adultery. The epic further describes the couple's attempt to rebuild their marriage after her unrepentant husband had lost everything, how he is framed for a crime that he did not commit, and Kannagi's quest for justice. She later curses the entire Pandya city of Madurai, which is burnt to the ground as a consequence of her curse. In Tamil folklore, Kannagi has been deified as the symbol of chastity, and she is worshipped as a goddess in certain regions in South India and Sri Lanka.