Abstract:
The rise of the literary writing in Jaffna whether it is in Tamil or English is not purely
a literary phenomenon. It is a socio religious phenomenon as much, rather the fulfilment of a
socio cultural need. It is related with social, political, religious and economic conditions. For
the 'Third World Woman' in a Post colonial content the identity issue is indeed central. But the
status of South Asian women is associated with Hindu beliefs and myths and it is said that the
Sakti-power of the women like the goddess Sakti is not only sacred but dangerous and kept
under the male control as well. Discourses on Tamil womanhood in Sri Lanka emphasis the
role of woman in her family, society and country and these are categorised based on gender,
religion and ethnicity as a woman, Hindu and a Tamil. This paper aims to examine and
analyse the selected writings of Jaffna Tamils in English to discover the power of Tamil
women and how it has been related to patriarchal ideology. This presentation explores the
dual image of woman within the Hindu mythology as depicted by Jaffna Tamil writers using
critical analysing method with a theoretical background. The critical analysis of the stories
portrays that the power of Tamil women is in line with patriarchal ideology of submission and
suppression and this analysis gives the conclusion that the Tamil Hindu women who are
bound by chastity as pillars of the family through their power in relation to the characters
described by the writers in their stories and the representation of these women as guardians of
Tamil culture and tradition.
