Kannagi

Kannagi is the deified heroine of the Tamil epic Silappadikaram, composed by the poet Ilango Adigal around the 5th–6th century CE. She embodies the ideal of chastity (karpu) and righteous anger. According to the epic, Kannagi was the faithful wife of the merchant Kovalan. After Kovalan was wrongfully executed by the Pandya king of Madurai for allegedly stealing the queen's anklet, Kannagi proved his innocence by breaking open her remaining anklet, which contained rubies (the queen's had pearls). Enraged by the injustice, she cursed the city of Madurai, calling upon the fire god Agni to consume it.

The city was burned, and the king died of remorse. Kannagi then became a goddess of chastity and justice. The Silappadikaram (Canto 30) describes her apotheosis: she ascends to heaven with her husband. In Sri Lanka, she is worshipped as Pattini (from the Tamil 'pattini' meaning 'chaste wife'), and her cult is detailed in the Sinhala text Pattini Hella. The Skanda Purana also references her as a form of the goddess.

Iconographically, Kannagi is depicted as a chaste woman, often holding an anklet or with fire in her hand, symbolizing the destructive power of her chastity. She may also be shown with a serene yet fierce expression. Her worship is prominent in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Sri Lanka, where festivals like Kannagi Puja and the Pattini festival are celebrated. In Hindu cosmology, she represents the power of feminine virtue (satī) to uphold cosmic order (dharma) against tyranny. Her story underscores the theme that injustice, even by a king, invites divine retribution.

Depicted as a chaste woman. Often shown with an anklet. Sometimes depicted with fire in hand (the fire she called to destroy Madurai). Serene yet fierce expression.