Kannaki's Anklet is a near-adaptation of the Shilappadikaram, a masterpiece of the Sangam literature that showcased Tamil life and culture in its full splendour. The epic highlights the trials and tribulations of Kannaki, an ordinary woman, who endures personal adversities but chastises the king for his single act of misdemeanour and injustice. Her anger burns down a city, forcing the goddess of the city to come down to appease her-such was the wrath of a woman wronged! An ordinary woman, with mortal desires, goes on to be revered as Goddess Kannaki in Tamil Nadu, as Kodungallur Bhagvathy and Attukal Bhagvathi in Kerala, and as Goddess Pattini amongst the Sri Lankan Buddhists, while the Sri Lankan Tamil Hindus worship her as Kannaki Amman.