Kundalakesi

E202424

Kundalakesi is an ancient Tamil Buddhist epic poem, now largely lost, that narrates the spiritual transformation of a passionate woman who renounces worldly life to become a nun.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Kundalakesi canonical 2
Kundalakesi (heroine) 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (43)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Buddhist epic ⓘ
Tamil epic poem ⓘ
classical Tamil literature ⓘ
lost work ⓘ
associatedReligion Theravada Buddhism ⓘ
linked to: Theravada
characterType fallen woman turned saint ⓘ
comparativeWork Manimekalai ⓘ
country India ⓘ
culturalContext Tamil Buddhist community ⓘ
didacticPurpose to promote Buddhist doctrine over rival traditions ⓘ
genre epic poetry ⓘ
knownFrom quotations in later Tamil works ⓘ
references in commentaries ⓘ
language Tamil ⓘ
literaryCategory Tamil Buddhist epic ⓘ
literaryForm poem ⓘ
literaryInfluence influenced later Tamil Buddhist narratives ⓘ
literaryTradition Sangam/post-Sangam Tamil literature ⓘ
mainCharacter Kundalakesi (heroine) ⓘ
linked to: Kundalakesi
narrativeFocus spiritual transformation of a woman ⓘ
narrativeMode religious conversion story ⓘ
period ancient Tamil period ⓘ
philosophicalContent Buddhist teachings on karma and rebirth ⓘ
critique of sensual attachment ⓘ
plotElement heroine becomes a Buddhist nun ⓘ
heroine kills her husband in anger in some reconstructions ⓘ
heroine later repents and seeks spiritual guidance ⓘ
protagonistGender female ⓘ
region Tamilakam ⓘ
religiousGenre didactic Buddhist narrative ⓘ
religiousTradition Buddhism ⓘ
scholarlyField Buddhist studies ⓘ
Indology ⓘ
Tamil studies ⓘ
setting ancient South India ⓘ
status largely lost ⓘ
survival only fragments extant ⓘ
textualCondition reconstructed from secondary sources ⓘ
theme conversion to Buddhism ⓘ
impermanence of worldly pleasures ⓘ
monastic life ⓘ
moral reform ⓘ
renunciation of worldly life ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Manimekalai → relatedWork → Kundalakesi ⓘ
Kundalakesi → mainCharacter → Kundalakesi (heroine) ⓘ
linked to: Kundalakesi