Dr. Malathi de Alwis at York University. Picture by Mahesh Abeyewardene
Pattini-Kannaki Amma is a goddess shared by both Hindu and Buddhist traditions in Sri Lanka. Yet many Sri Lankans are unaware that she is a shared goddess.
“Invoking the Goddess” a new photo exhibition hopes to shed that estrangement while capturing the complexity and diversity surrounding the way she is worshipped.
Sri Lankan photographer Sharni Jayawardena’s and Socio-Cultural Anthropologist Malathi de Alwis decided to embark on a journey to tell the story of how Pattini-Kannaki Amma is revered across Sri Lanka.
The project was originally set to focus on five temples, but the journey took them to all nine provinces in Sri Lanka.
The photo exhibit was well-received in Colombo, Jaffna, Batticloa and India. Last week, it made a stop in Canada at York University, where students had a an opportunity to speak with Dr. Malathi de Alwis as she gave them a personal tour of the photo exhibit.
Pattini-Kannaki Amma’s story relates to how she took revenge on the Pandyan King of Madurai, for a mistaken death penalty imposed on her husband Kovalan, by cursing the city (Silapathikaram , 100-300 CE).
Photo from exhibit, Pattini devotee. Picture by Sharni Jayawardena
“As a sorrowing yet resilient woman who punishes but also offers succour to multitudes, Kannaki-Pattini is a symbol of hope to the many war widows and women-headed households now constituting a large percentage of the population,” says the official website of the exhibit.
The exhibit was presented by the York University community, specifically the Crossroads Community and Environmental Arts Workshop and the Centre for Feminist Research, and co-sponsored by the Centre for Refugee Studies, the York Centre for Asia Research, the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies, and the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation.
