சிலப்பதிகாரம் முன்னெடுக்கும் நீதியும் சமத்துவமும் / Uphold of Justice and Equality in Silapathikaram

Among various epics that have appeared in the world, there is a special place for the Tamil epic “Silapathikaram”. Even the epics all around the world talk about women; “Silappathikaram” is the first Epic to have women as the chief character and heroine of the story. The records of Silappathikaram are the proof of a legendary woman who confronts the king for justice for her dead husband. Ilangovadigal is the author of the epic. In the epic, he tells the story of Kannagi. One can see that most of the characters are brought forward by Ilangovadigal to highlight justice. Though worshipping Kannagi as a goddess is the aim of Silappathikaram, the idea of living morally and upholding justice against anyone, even the king will lead to the level of the highest deity, conveyed in a great manner. It is seen that the Moovendargal (Three Kings) are treated as equals and their pride is highlighted. It can be seen that Ilangovadigal also had the principle of equality, equal to justice in “Silappathikaram”. He was determined that there should be unity at various levels such as unity among Moovendargal, unity within religions, and unity within worship. Moreover, the most important factor that keeps the structure of the family intact is the women, through a very subtle logic, and he has advised here and there that equality between men and women is necessary. Hence, this article aims to learn about justice and equality as depicted in “Silapathikaram”.