The City as a Character: Rajasreesvariyar’s The Daughters of Madurai  as a Symbol of Tradition and Conflict

Author(s)	Prof. Dr. A. SHARAN BALAJI
Country	India
Abstract	This paper discusses the literary portrayal of Madurai. It goes from being a topic of colonial-era descriptive literature to a more complex setting in modern fiction that explores social and cultural conflict. In early English writing, British administrators like James Nelson wrote historical guides and travelogues about Madurai as if it were a strange and interesting historical relic. The Meenakshi Amman Temple has been made a symbol of old Dravidian culture and religious glory by these sources, which go into great detail about the city’s architectural wonders. On the contrary, Madurai is a lively setting for modern writing, especially works by Indian writers who have left India to write in other countries. Rajasree Variyar’s novel The Daughters of Madurai, for example, uses the city’s history and customs to show how bad patriarchy and killing girls as babies are. This change shows that the person is moving from being interested in the city’s landmarks as an outsider to being critical of the city’s social rules on a personal level. This makes it a powerful symbol of both cultural continuity and change.
Keywords	Madurai, childhood experience, past memories and modern life, as insider-outsider paradox
Field	Arts
Published In	Volume 16, Issue 4, October-December 2025
Published On	2025-10-09

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