Kovalan ( ta, கோவலன்) is a central character in Ilango Adigal's ''

Silappatikaram ''Cilappatikāram'' ( ta, சிலப்பதிகாரம் ml, ചിലപ്പതികാരം,IPA: ʧiləppət̪ikɑːrəm, ''lit.'' "the Tale of an Anklet"), also referred to as ''Silappathikaram'' or ''Silappatikaram'', is the e ...

,'' one of the ancient

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

epics The Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) is a set of software tools and applications used to develop and implement distributed control systems to operate devices such as particle accelerators, telescopes and other large sci ...

Family

Father : Machattuvan
Wife :

Kannagi Kannagi ( ta, கண்ணகி) sometimes spelled Kannaki, is a legendary Tamil woman who forms the central character of the Tamil epic ''Cilappatikaram''. Kannagi is described as the chaste woman who stays with her husband despite his unfai ...

Lover : Madhavi
Daughter :

Manimekalai ''Maṇimēkalai'' ( ta, மணிமேகலை, ), also spelled ''Manimekhalai'' or ''Manimekalai'', is a Tamil-Buddhist epic composed by Kulavāṇikaṉ Seethalai Sataṉar probably around the 6th century. It is an "anti-love story", a s ...

(Mother: Madhavi)

Narrative

Puharkkandam Kovalan, the son of a wealthy merchant, Machattuvan, married

, the daughter of another merchant, Manayakan. At the time of his marriage, he was sixteen years old. They lived together happily in the city of Kaveripattinam, until Kovalan met the courtesan Madhavi and fell in love with her. In his infatuation, he completely forgot his wife and spent his time and parental wealth with Madhavi. During the annual festival in the honour of

Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...

, there was a misunderstanding between Kovalan and Madhavi. As a result, the penniless Kovalan returned to Kannagi, who welcomed him whole-heartedly. Realising his mistake, he decided to start a new life by migrating to

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...

with Kannagi. Accompanied by a

Buddhist nun Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

, they started their journey towards Madurai city at the stroke of first light. Maduraikkandam After many days, they reached the city of Madurai. In the middle of the journey, Kovalan sent word to his parents about his intentions of starting a new life in a new city. Upon arrival, impressed by the grandeur of Madurai city, Kovalan set out to sell one of Kannagi's

anklet An anklet, also called ''ankle chain'', ''ankle bracelet'' or ''ankle string'', is an ornament worn around the ankle. Barefoot anklets and toe rings historically have been worn for at least over 8,000 years by girls and women in Indus Valley, in ...

s (Tamil: Silambu), the only left-over asset they owned, with which he intended to start a business. Kovalan entrusted the anklet to be sold to the palace's chief jeweller, who promises to fetch him good money from King

Nedunjeliyan I Nedunjcheliyan I ( c. 270 BCE) (Tamil: நெடுஞ்செழியன்) was a Pandya king.He was also known as Arya Padai kadantha Nedunjezhiya Pandiyan Archaeological evidence His name is present in the Mangulam inscriptions of 3rd ...

. The king, who is tricked by the chief Jeweller, ordered to behead Kovalan without a trial, on account of stealing the Queen's anklet. Thereby, Kovalan dies in the city of Madurai.

Family

Narrative

In films

References

Further reading