Wedding of Kannaki and Kovalan
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Wedding of Kannaki and Kovalan |
Reduced to penury, their only chance was to make a living in the Pandyan capital Madurai. Thither went both.
A few days later, Kovlana asked Kannaki for some money to go to Madura to begin a new life, and requested her to accompany him, but she hesitated and asked Kovalan to go alone so that she would join him later. Reaching the outskirts of the city, Kannaki found shelter in the cottage of a cowherdess.
Kannaki, not having enough money to give to Kovalan, removed one of her gold anklets and gave it to him to sell and find the money. Kovalan, taking the golden anklet of his wife, wended his way to the busy jewellery market to affect a sale of the anklet.
Kovalan took the anklet and met the King's wily goldsmith. To him Kovalan showed the anklet. The goldsmith, who had already stolen the Queen's identical golden anklet, struck on a practical plan to accuse Palanga of the theft of the Queen's anklet.
A week later there was news in the country that someone had stolen the gold anklet of the Queen, and the Pandyan King Nedunjeliyan expressed his wish to reward anyone who would find the anklet or give information of its whereabouts. The goldsmith having heard of the news, rushed to the palace, showed the anklet he had purchased from Kovalan and told the King how he came to possess it.
As the anklet resembled to the one lost, the king immediately summoned Kovalan to the palace.
In no mood to hold a formal enquiry, the King ordered the execution of Kovalan. Not satisfied with his explanation, directed the royal executioner to butcher him.
The news of Kovalan's execution reached the ears of Kannaki. Raving mad, she rushed to see her husband lying dead in a pool of blood. Her rage fell in all its fury on the King. The righteous accusation weighed so much on the King that, denounced as a murderer, he died on the spot.
