Kannagi Through the Ages: From the Epic to the Dravidian Movement

Kannagi and Silappatikaram are important parts of the cultural landscape of Tamil Nadu - the story has been told in many genres of literature and continues to be told. Every narrative, however, carries the imprint of the times it was released in. This book aims to understand the ways in which representations of Kannagi in the epic Silappatikaram differ in every new narrative. Looking at portrayals of Kannagi in plays, commentaries and folk narratives, the book looks how representations of gender and culture have evolved over time. Focusing on the interrelationships between a text and a society, as well as, between society and the way it molds the category of "woman" at different times through symbols and icon, the author analyses the social, cultural and political processes that contributed to the emergence of Kannagi as an icon of Tamil culture and epitome of Tamil womanhood.