The famous Tamil epic, the Silappadhikaram, was composed by the poet named Ilango about 1,800 years ago. It tells about a merchant called Kovalan who lived in Puhar and fell in love with a courtesan named Madhavi. He neglected his wife Kannagi. Later, he and Kannagi left Puhar and went to Madurai where he was falsely accused of theft by the court jeweller of the Pandya king. The king sentenced Kovalan to death. Kannagi, who still loved him, was full of grief.