Restricted Woman in Girish Karnad's Naga-Mandala

Girish Karnad has emerged as a living legend in contemporary Indian English
Drama. The male dominance is apparent in all the plays of Girish Karnad. In his
plays the women characters became pawns in the games that the male characters
play and are relegated to background. In ‘Nagamandala’ he not only exposes male
chauvinism, the oppression of women, the great injustice done to them by men
and patriarchal culture but also stealthily de ates the story of Rani. In the Indian
tradition, the woman is forced to love her husband even though he is not to be her
aspiration. Appanna visits Rani only in noon to have his lunch. The picture of Rani,
shut in old and huge house for most part of the day and night, alone. He warns
her not to talk to anyone other than him in a server indictment of male-dominated
Hindu society. Appanna suspects his wife of adultery asks her to take snake ordeal
to prove her chastity. Rani’s trial reminds us of Sita in The Ramayana and it shows
the af nities with traditional Indian values.