Alli Arasani: the warrior queen who married Arjuna

Variant

A Tamil queen ruled with an all-women government and Arjuna was her secret husband.

Alli is found on a flower after a putrakameshti yaga, trained in arms like Meenakshi, defeats the usurper Neenmugan and rules with an all-woman administration (hence 'Alli Rajyam'). She secretly marries Arjuna and bears a son, Pulandiran. Told in Alli Natakam, Alli Arasani Malai and the ballad Alli Kadai, performed as therukoothu and villu pattu. The article parallels her to Chitrangada.

Who: Alli, Arjuna, Pulandiran, Neenmugan

Bound to

Pavalakodi and Minnoliyal: more queens for Arjuna same-story-other-version

Places: Madurai/Pandya country, Tamil Nadu

Where this comes from

regional-literary · Janata Weekly / The Wire: 'Different Strokes: Women in the Tamil Mahabharatas' Alli Natakam; Alli Arasani Malai; Alli Kadai

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