Sakthi Thamil Changam - English articles                                      

  Kannagi-5

Kovalan and Kannagi reached Madurai city and took abode under a cowhred family. Madhari and her daughter Aiyai made the couple to stay in a small clean house and helped them to relax. Kannagi was provided with vegetables and fruits and she also cooked aster long time , but that was the last meal she prepared for her beloved husband. The poor Kovalan also relished the meals and went into the city to face his end.

Aarapalayam is a very congested place in Madurai. It is one of the busstand area of Madurai near Vaigai river. Inside the busstand there is a large drainage running across the city.

That was the ancient fort canal of Pandiya kings . Next to that still we can see very very crowdy slums of cowhred community people with their cattles. This place is actually called '' Aayar palayam'' meaning residence of cowhred community.

Kovalan and Kannagi must have stayed in any one of the ancistor's family in this Aarapalayam. Silappathikaaram says that this community resided at the outside of Madurai fort near Vaigai river.

So we need to go back to 2 nd century A.D to see the small house where Kannagi stayed and cooked her last meal for her lord.

After killing the king she just wants to leave the city. She was the peak of distress. She reached the Duraga temple which is the Sellathamman temple in Simmakkal. She cried and broke her bangles and rubbed her kumkum and just started walking towards the west all alone , when every body were seeing her. She must have crossed this Aarapalayam area and then must have stepped into Vaigai river bank behind Nagamalai.     

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