Kopperundevi

Kopperundevi
Cilappatikaram character
Kannagi asking for justice in the court of Neduncheziyan, with Kopperundevi (top right) by his side
First appearance	2nd to 6th century CE
Created by	Ilango Adigal
In-universe information
Spouse	Neduncheziyan
Nationality	Pandya Empire

Kopperundevi is one of the major characters in the Tamil epic Cilappatikaram written by Ilango Adigal (2nd to 6th century BCE). She is portrayed as the wife of Pandya king Neduncheziyan, and becomes indirectly responsible for the death of Kovalan, the husband of the titular character Kannagi.

Literature

Cilappatikāram ("the Tale of an Anklet"), is the one of the Five Great Epicss in Tamil literature. ^[1] It is attributed to a Ilango Adigal, a Chera prince turned monk, and was probably composed between 2nd to 6th centuries CE. ^{[2] [3]} The epic consists of 5,730 lines, ^[4] and narrates the tragic story of Kannagi and her husband Kovalan. ^{[5] [6]}

Story

The first part of Cilappatikāram describes the city of Puhar in the Chola Empire, where the pair of Kovalan and Kannagi reside. After Kovalan loses his wealth through his illicit relationship with the dancer Madhavi, he returns to Kannagi and the couple decide to move to Madurai in the Pandya Empire. The Pandyas are led by king Neduncheziyan and his wife Kopperundevi. ^[7]

Kopperundevi is described as a dignified and chaste woman, and extols the virtues expected of a royal woman in classical Tamil literature. When Kovalan attempts to sell one of the two anklets of Kannagi to raise money, the royal goldsmith, who had earlier stolen an anklet belonging to the queen Kopperundevi, finds the that anklets are similar, and falsely accuses Kovalan of stealing the queen’s anklet. Enraged by the act, the king Neduncheziyan orders Kovalan’s arrest and execution without a fair trial. ^[8]

After Kovalan is executed, Kannagi appears in the royal court, trying to prove her husband’s innocence and demanding justice. She breaks open her remaining anklet to reveal that her anklet contained rubies whereas queen Kopperundevi's missing anklet contained pearls. When the king realised the truth and his mistake, he kills himself due to remorse. The queen, Kopperundevi, unable to bear the grief and shame caused by the unjust execution, also dies soon afterward. ^[9]

Role

Although Kopperundevi appears only briefly in the epic, her anklet becomes the main trigger of the central conflict of the story line. She suffers a tragedy not because of her own making, and is one of the tragic characters of the epic, along with Kannagi. ^[10]

References

1. Parthasarathy 2004, p. 1-3.
2. Sastri 2002, p. 397.
3. Alain Danielou 1965, p. viii. sfn error: no target: CITEREFAlain_Danielou1965 (help)
4. Parthasarathy 2004, p. 5-6.
5. Zvelebil 1973, p. 174–175.
6. Pollock 2003, p. 296–298.
7. Parthasarathy 1993, p. 73–90.
8. Dikshitar 1939, p. 217–221.
9. Dikshitar 1939, p. 247–251.
10. Chellappan 1985, p. 61, 124.

Bibliography

• Bhanu, Sharada (1997). Myths and Legends from India – Great Women. Chennai: Macmillan Publishers. ISBN   978-0-333-93076-2.
• Chellappan, Kasiviswanathan (1985). Shakespeare and Ilango as Tragedians. University of Michigan.
• Danielou, Alain (1965). Shilappadikaram (The Ankle Bracelet) by Iḷaṅkōvaṭikaḷ. New Directions Publishing. ISBN   978-0-8112-0001-1.
• Dikshitar, V. R. Ramachandra (1939). The Silappadikaram. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-9-390-03592-2.
• Parthasarathy, R. (1993). The Cilappatikaram of Ilanko Atikal: An Epic of South India. Columbia University Press. ISBN   978-0-231-07848-1.
• Parthasarathy, R (2004). The Cilappatikāram: The Tale of an Anklet (Iḷaṅkōvaṭikaḷ). Penguin Books. ISBN   978-0-14-303196-3.
• Pollock, Sheldon (2003). Literary cultures in history: reconstructions from South Asia. University of California Press. ISBN   0-520-22821-9.
• Sastri, Nilakanta (2002) [1955]. A History of South India (Reprinted ed.). New Delhi: Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-195-60686-7.
• Zvelebil, Kamil (1973). The Smile of Murugan: On Tamil Literature of South India. Brill Publishers. ISBN   978-9-004-03591-1.