Page 330 - Proceedings book

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writing these novels. Amarathunga (2011) has mentioned that this novel is not just a

historical story, but it is research that she has conducted while integrating the past and
the present times. When she was writing the present novel, she visited Sri Lankan

Museum, the palace and the temple of the tooth. Moreover, Amarathunga has shared
the based story of writing the present novel in the preface of the novel, Kumārihāmi I

as follows,

Every time, when I stepped into the Bank of Ceylon branch which is situated
in Kandy, I was fascinated by the painting of Ehelepola Kumārihāmi and her

three children. This painting was specifically instilled in my mind. Later,
writing this novel was specifically based on above memory. (Amarathunga,

2011)

In the same preface, Priyanka Amarathunga has mentioned about the comments and
the reviews that she had received from her readers. Specifically, the readers

mentioned that they were able to learn more information about Ehelepola
Kumārihāmi that they have never learnt before. Moreover, such comments have been

motivated her to continue her writing career.

1.2 Problem Statement

In the Collins dictionary, the term, ‘marginalize’ defines treating someone or
something as if they are not important. Nigam (2014) mentioned that ‘women’ being

women are marginalized in the patriarchal world. Ehelepola Kumārihāmi lived during
a powerful patriarchal world where the Kandy was reigned by the powerful men.

During her period, Ehelepola Kumārihāmi identified as a woman who had been

marginalized because she has been subjected to pound own children through her
hands which caused the heaviest psychological trauma to a woman or to a mother.

She had been severely punished due to her rejection of sexual harassment of the king,
Sri Wickrama rajasinghe. Not only that, but she has also been unfairly killed by the

aforementioned king due to her husband’s fault. In his article, ‘Ehelepola Kumārihāmi

– a heroic figure’ which is written by Senarathne (n.d) has mentioned that Ehelepola
Kumārihāmi should be a unique icon of women in Sri Lanka because she was the first

woman to reject openly the sexual harassment by the authority and heavily paid
because of this contribution. She had been portrayed as a heroine in the Sri Lankan

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