Nayanmars/Nayanars – an introduction

Nayanmars/Nayanars – an introduction

The Nayanars/Nayanmars were a group of 63 saints (also saint poets) in the 6^th to 8^th century who were devoted to the Hindu god Shiva in Tamil Nadu. They, along with Alwars, influenced the Bhakthi movement in Tamil Nadu. The collection of hymns by many devotees is called “Panniru Thirumurai”.

63 Nayanars

image source: google images

Nayanmars - An Introduction

Stories of all Nayanmars

List of all Nayanmars

These Thirumurais were composed over a number of years by devotees who lived during different periods and there was no information about any palm scriptures of the same. Many hyms were sung in temples regularly and hearing one, King Raja Raja Cholan was ecstatic.

He wanted to find out more about such compositions and also if any written records were available. He requested Nambi Andar [his minister &priest] to help him find these who in turn requested the Polla Pillayar of Thirunaraiyur to let them know the location of these scriptures.

On hearing from Lord Ganapathi that the original palm scripts of the hymns were kept locked in a chamber in the Chidambaram temple. The King and Nambi Andar Nambi proceeded to Chidambaram. On opening the chamber, they were shocked to see that most of the palm leaves were eaten away by white ants and they could recover only some of it.

Chidambaram Temple

image source: Google images

The list of the Nayanars was initially compiled by Sundarar (Sundararmurthi). In his poem, Tiruthonda Thogai, he sings, in eleven verses, the names of the Nayanar saints up to Karaikkal Ammeiyar, and refers to himself as "the servant of servants". The list was expanded by Nambiyandar Nambi during his compilation of material by the poets for the “Thirumurai” collection [1-11], would include Sundarar himself and Sundarar's parents. 

Naalvar- Appar, Sundarar, Manikavasagar, Thirugnanasambandar

image courtesy: google images

Thirumurais 1, 2 and 3 are the verses sung by Thirugnana Sambandar called Thevaram. It is also called Thirkkadai kaapu.

Thirumurais 4, 5 and 6 are the hymns sung by Thirunavakarasar (Appar) called Thevaram.

Thirumurai 7 is by Sundaramurthy Nayanar also called Thevaram. It is also called Thiruppaatu.

Thirumurai 8 is the Thiruvasagam and Thirukkovaiyar by Manickavasagar.

Thirumurai 9 consists of the verses of Thiru Maligai Thevar  and eight others Senthanar , Karuvur Thevar ,  Poonthuruthi Kaadanambi, Kandaraathithar,    Venaatuadigal , Thiruvaaliamudhanaar , Purutothama Nambi , Sethirayar  and it is called Thirvisaippa and Thiruppallaandu.

Thirumurai 10 is the Thirumandiram by Thirumoolar.

Thirumurai 11  by Lord Thiru Aaalavaiudayar  (Lord Shiva) himself and eleven others Karaikal Ammaiyar, Iyadigal Kadavarkon, Seraman Perumal,  Nakeerar, Kalladar, Kabilar, Baranar, Ilamperuman Adigal , Athiraavadigal , Patinathu adigal. This Thirumurai also includes the hymns sung by Nambi Andar Nambi who compiled all of the above. This is also called Prabhandam.

Thirumurai 12 is the Periya Puranam  by Sekkizhar. This was written very much later compared to the compilation of the first eleven Thirumurais and documents the devotion and the life of 63 Nayanmars to their Lord.  This was initially called Thiruthondar Puranam and later came to be called as Periya Puranam and considered as the twelth Thirumurai.  

Nayanmars - An Introduction

Stories of all Nayanmars

List of all Nayanmars

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA

THIRUCHITRAMBALAM

The Princess and the Frog

In a distant kingdom lived a king with three lovely daughters in a magnificent castle. The youngest princess loved to live a simple life, enjoying the beauty of Mother Nature. However, she had a golden ball in her possession which was her favourite. She would play with it to pass her time.

                                  image courtesy: Google images

     

Behind the castle, there is an abandoned well. No one goes there. The princess however loves to play there as she would be alone. One day, she was playing with her golden ball near the well. But it slipped and fell inside the well. The princess started crying. She had lost her favourite ball. Just then …

“I can help you get the ball.” Said a voice.

“Who was that?”, wondered the princess.

“Over here”, said the voice. When the princess looked down, she saw a frog!

“How will you get the ball? You are a frog?” exclaimed the astonished princess.

The frog then said that he would get the ball back, only if the princess would take care of him, let him eat from her plate and sleep on her bed. The princess readily agreed, for she wanted the ball. Within a moment, the frog dived in the well, and was back with ball in his mouth. Without even thanking him, the princess ran away to the castle.

That evening, when the princess was having dinner with her family, the princess heard a scratching noise from the door. When she opened it, she found the frog.

“Oh no!” muttered the princess.

“Well princess, you forgot your promise and I am here to remind you of it .” said the frog.

The king was puzzled and asked for an explanation. The princess narrated the entire incident.

“Well dear, a promise can never be broken, so you will have to take care of your friend.” said the king.

The princess unwillingly agreed and fed the frog all evening. In the process, she lost her appetite. She got off from the table and went straight into her room, where she quickly undressed and got ready for bed. However, the frog was already on her bed.

                                 image source: Google images

“Get off the bed!” screamed the princess.

“Well, there is one way you could get rid of me” said the frog. “If you give me a kiss on my lips, I shall never disturb you again.”

“Disgusting,” thought the princess. However, she wanted to get rid of the frog so badly, she closed her eyes and quickly kissed the frog’s slimy lips.

Just that instant, there was a blinding flash in her room and in place of the frog stood a handsome young prince. He explained that a wicked witch had cast a spell on him and turned him into a frog and the only way the spell could be broken was the kiss of a young princess.

So the princess and the prince married and lived happily ever after.

The End.

Rewritten by my daughter

Harshini Anandakumar

Dot – The Little Princess

Once upon a time in an anthill lived a princess named Dot. Her sister Pink was the queen of the anthill. She was a good queen but worried a lot. Even though she tried not to, but the circumstance at the anthill made her worry a lot.

                                  image source: google images

There were big, mean grasshoppers, who would come to collect most of the grain they harvested every year leaving nothing for them to eat.

Dot had a friend name Flik. He was an inventor. He once made a telescope with water and a rolled up leaf.

                                    Source: google images

One day as the grasshoppers came, everyone ran inside the anthill. Flick was left outside. He accidently knocked over the entire offering of grain into the river. The grasshoppers were very angry. But the ants sent them away by telling they would give more grain next time.

Flik felt bad and hence went to find warrior bugs to protect the anthill. But he accidentally brought circus bugs. So, he made everyone make a bird with leaves and twigs. They thought they could scare the grasshoppers away and it worked. But suddenly the wind was strong and it blew the leaves away. The grasshoppers were very angry.

One of the circus bugs brought a real bird to scare the grasshoppers away. The anthill did not face any problems ever since.

The End.

Rewritten by my daughter

Ishanvi Anandakumar

Thiru Kungiliya Kalayar Nayanar

Thiru Kungiliya Kalayar was born in Thirukadavoor/Thirukayur located on the river banks of Cauvery.  It is one of the famous villages in the Chola Kingdom where the well-known temple of Lord Shiva – Sri Amritha Ghateshwarar and his consort Goddess Abirami is situated.

Nayanmars - An Introduction

Stories of all Nayanmars

List of all Nayanmars

                                    Image source: Google images

Kungiliya Nayanar was a Brahmin and a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva.  His wife was also equally devoted to Lord and they lived a righteous life.  He carries a pot of sambrani/incense [Kungiliyam – is the gum from the kungiliyam tree which is a natural incence] – a substance burned for pleasant fragrance with him.   He made it a regular practice to keep burning incense for its fragrance before lord Shiva and treated it as a service.  He served the devotees of Lord with great passion.  He spent a large part of his wealth in the service to Lord.  Gradually, he found it difficult to meet the minimum daily expenses in the family.  He sold all his properties and nothing remained, still he continued his sincere service to Lord.

                                     Image source: Google images

One day, seeing the unending poverty at home Kungiliya Kalayar’s wife handed Kalayar with her Mangalya Sutra/Maangalyam (A sacred chain worn by married woman) which was only thing left with her.  Kungiliya Kalayar without any hesitation went to the market to sell the sacred chain of his wife, in order to get some rice, vegetables to wave off the hunger of their children.

 The most compassionate Lord wanted to test the devotion of Kungiliyar and spread his glories to this world.  Lord disguised in the form of an incense seller and appeared before Kungiliya Kalayar.  Seeing the incense with an exceptional fragrance, Kungiliya Kalayar totally forgot any of the requests his wife has made for the purchase of provision.  He instantly, gave the Mangalya Sutra to the incense seller and returned with sacks of sambrani/kungiliyam.  He marched towards the temple and started to burn the kungiliyam in front of lord Shiva.

                                     Image source: Google images

Kungiliya Kalayar’s wife patiently waited for her husband to return home with the provisions.  The whole day passed without any news of him.  She put the children to sleep and continued waiting for her husband. She continued to pray for her husband’s safe return.  On that night, Lord Shiva appeared in her dream and blessed her with all the prosperity for their sincere devotion to Lord.  She abruptly woke up from the sleep and was amazed to see all kinds of richness in their home.  The whole house was transformed into an expensive and attractive looks. Once again, she wholeheartedly sang praising the glory of Lord.  She rushed to cook an elaborate and delicious meal for the whole family and waited for her husband’s return.

Nayanmars - An Introduction

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Kungiliya Kalayar who was in the temple immersed at the devotion to Lord, suddenly heard a divine voice instructing Kungiliya Kalayar to return home and have an elaborate meal with his family.  Kungiliya Kalayar was not aware of the hours he had spent before the deity, started to follow the divine instruction.  When he reached home, he was astounded to see the splendid beauty and its grandeur with the grace of Lord.  Soon, the devotees of Lord assembled and sang praising the glory of Lord.  Kungiliya Kalayar and his wife served them with utmost respect and honour.  He continued his divine service to Lord with the enormous wealth.  He firmly believed that the wealth belongs to almighty Shiva and it should be utilized only to the service of Lord.

Kungiliya Kalayar made a visit to the temple of Lord Aruna Satesar, Thiruppanandal.  This is the temple where Thadaka - daughter of a demon worshipped Lord Shiva for an offspring.  Seeing her unparalleled devotion, Lord Aruna Satesar worshipped in the form of Lingam made a sharp bend for Thadaka so that she could decorate the Lingam with the flower garlands.   Many of the villagers tried to straighten up the Lingam with their mighty force; unfortunately none of them were successful. 

The King was deeply distressed at this and desired to set straight the Lingam.   Kungiliya Kalayar genuinely concerned about the King and wanted to eradicate his agony.  He tied a rope on his neck and the other end on the Lingam; he gently pulled out and straightened the curve of the Lingam.   Everyone was amazed at the devotion of Kungiliya Kalayar and deities showered flowers upon him.  Kungiliya Kalayar continued his divine service to Lord and finally attained the Abode of Lord Shiva.

Birthplace: Thirukadavoor/Thirukadaiyur

Star: Aavani Moolam

Nayanmars - An Introduction

Stories of all Nayanmars

List of all Nayanmars

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA

THIRUCHITRAMBALAM

Thiru Poosalar Nayanar

Thiru Poosalar is the eight century Nayanar saint and is counted 58^th in the list of 63 Nayanmars. Poosalar was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva and always desired to build a beautiful temple for the alimighty.

Thiru Poosalar hailed from a town called Thiruninravur. He was a great devotee of Lord Siva and longed to build a temple for his Lord, though he was a very poor man. He roamed far and wide to get the required funds, but his efforts were not fruitful. He was desperate and distressed beyond words.

Nayanmars - An Introduction

Stories of all Nayanmars

List of all Nayanmars

Suddenly a thought struck him. "Why do I not attempt to build a temple for my Lord in my heart?" He determined to do so. He studied the Agama Sastras and consulted knowledgeable Sivacharyas. The thought got shape in his mind to build a grand temple for the lord almighty.

image source: google images

He gathered requisite materials in his mind. He approached rich donors and collected huge amounts from them-all in his mind. Expert architects were approached who formulated designs, plans and drawings. He collected artisans, renowned sculptors, labourers and tools. He did not even leave small details, however trivial it might appear on first sight! His thoughts were occupied only with the construction of a grand temple for the Lord and determined to complete the task with great devotion.

On an auspicious day, the corner (foundation) stone was laid according to the rituals. With infinite love and meticulous care he had the temple built brick by brick, stone by stone, pillar by pillar, sculpture by sculpture, day and night, unseen by anyone.

Layer by layer, from the base to the top, the temple was nearing completion. He planned the huge Rajagopuram, other four towers, one each for the four directions, North, East, West and South. He supervised the construction devotedly. The rounded dome, the ancillary pillars, pavilions, shrines and the sacred kalasams were all made ready, worked on the wall sides and niches. Shrines for the Divine Mother, the Lord's Consort, Vinayaka, Muruga, main deity, Durga were completed. Walls and prakarams were laid. The temple tank was dug and filled with clean water fit for abihsekham (anointing)

At last, the temple was fully completed. It was grand, mighty and a rare sight to behold! He consulted the priests, discussed with them in great detail and fixed an auspicious date for the Mahakumbhabhishekam (consecration) of the temple. ..

The Kadava king of Kanchi who was also a great devotee of Lord Shiva had built a magnificent temple of granite, marble, red and black stones. The king decided to perform the Kalsabhishekam on the same date, on which Poosalar had mentally chosen for the installation of the Lord in his temple.

image source: google images

The Lord wanted to show the king the superiority of Poosalar’s great devotion. So, the Lord appeared in the king's dream the night before the sacred consecration date. The king was thrilled. But, the Lord asked him to postpone the installation ceremony in his temple. The Lord explained that He had to be present at the installation and consecration ceremony fixed by His dear devotee Poosalar of Thiruninravur on that same date! That was far more important!

Nayanmars - An Introduction

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The king woke up from sleep and was intensely eager to have the darshan of the devotee mentioned by the lord and also to have a look at the great temple built by Poosalar, which he considered to be more superior to the temple he built.

                                                       image source: google images

The King moved on to Thiruninravur in search of the temple. The king could not find any temple and so he enquired about the whereabouts of Poosalar. The King spotted Poosalar in the town and asked him about the temple. He also told him about the words of the Lord in his dream.

Poosalar was in tears. He was deeply touched by the grace of the Lord. He told the king that the temple he built was in his mind. The king was surprised to hear this. He admired Poosalar’s devotion and fell at his feet and started to worship him. Poosalar installed Lord Shiva in his heart/hridayam temple and continued to worship till he attained Lord Shiva’s abode.

The King later on built a temple in Thiruninravur – Hridayaleeswarar Temple( the lord who resides in heart) and made the dream of Poosalar Naayanar come true.

                                 Hridayaleeswarar Kovil - Thiruninravur

                                 image source: Google images

Nayanmars - An Introduction

Stories of all Nayanmars

List of all Nayanmars

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA

THIRUCHITRAMBALAM

28. Tiruneelanakka Nayanar

Tiruneelanakka Nayanar  was a Nayanar saint, venerated in the Hindu sect of Shaivism. The life of Tiruneelanakka Nayanar is described in the Periya Puranam by Sekkizhar (12th century), which is the Tamil account of the 63 Nayanars. Tiruneelanakka Nayanar is the twenty-eighth in the list of 63 Nayanars. 

Nayanmars - An Introduction

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                                image courtesy :google images

 Tiruneelanakka Nayanar was born in Sattamangai (Thirusathamangai/Satthamangkai), currently called Seeyathamangai, is in Nagapattinam district in Tamil Nadu. The Ayavantheeswarar temple dedicated to the god Shiva, stands in this town. Tiruneelanakkar was born in a family of Brahmins whose duty was to recite the vedas and perform the rituals as per the text. As an expert in the Vedas, he was a staunch devotee of Shiva and served his devotees, by washing their feet and welcoming them to his home.

Once on the day of Poornima (the full moon day), Tiruneelanakka and his wife went to Ayavantheeswarar temple. While Tiruneelanakka was performing his daily ritual worship of the lingam (the aniconic form of Shiva worshipped as the central icon in temples), a spider fell from his web on the lingam. The wife blew away the spider, wherein some saliva could have fallen on the lingam. In some versions, she goes a step further and spits on the spot where the spider falls. This action was in accordance with the tradition of spitting on a part of a child where the spider fell so as the poison of the spider does not spread in the body.

     image courtesy: Google images

Tiruneelanakka considered her action as an insult and asked the wife what she had done. She replied she just blew away the spider as per tradition. The infuriated Brahmin said that she had contaminated the lingam by her saliva, as per Agamic scriptures and she should have removed the spider by some other means. The Brahmin offered rituals to purify the lingam and apologized to the god. Further, he abandoned his wife in fury.

Nayanmars - An Introduction

Stories of all Nayanmars

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While the wife spent her night in the temple, Tiruneelanakka went home and slept. Shiva appeared in Tiruneelanakka's dream. While a part of the body was normal, rest of it was swollen by the spider's poison. Shiva remarked that his normal area was where Tiruneelanakka's wife had blown/spat. Tiruneelanakka realized that devotion (love) was superior to rituals. In the dawn, he went dancing to the temple and worshipped Ayavantheeswarar. He returned with his wife. Tiruneelanakka continued to serve Shiva and his devotees with love.

Having heard of the child saint Sambandar's glories, Tiruneelanakka visited to meet him in person. Tiruneelanakka heard that the Nayanar Sambandar accompanied by another Nayanar Tiru Nilakanta Yazhpanar and an entourage of devotees were coming to Sattamangai. Tiruneelanakka decorated Sattamangai for welcoming Sambandar and hosted him at his home. He honoured Sambandar with due respect. Tiruneelanakka made numerous arrangements for Sambandar to spend the night at his house.

Sambandar also suggested that Yazhpanar and his wife - who were travelling minstrels and composed music to Sambandar's hymns - be given accommodation. The caste-conscious host was uneasy inviting the Shudra (low-caste) couple of Tiru Nilakanta Yazhpanar and his wife home. After insistence by Sambanar, the host gave them a place to sleep near the homa kunda, the fire altar used for sacrifices. The fire of homa kunda shone brightly in the night, giving testimony to the couple's devotion. Tiruneelanakka discerned that devotion is superior to caste barriers too.

                                                      

Sambandar

image courtesy: google images

Sambandar accompanied Tiruneelanakka to the Ayavantheeswarar temple and composed a hymn in honour of the god and his host Tiruneelanakka Nayanar. Tiruneelanakka wanted to accompany Sambanar on his travels, but the child saint instructed Tiruneelanakka to stay in Sattamangai and serve Ayavantheeswarar and his devotees.

After few years, Sambandar invited Tiruneelanakka Nayanar to his wedding in Thirumana Nallur (presently known as Achalpuram). Tiruneelanakka officiated as the presiding priest of the wedding ceremony. After the wedding, Sambandar, his bride and the wedding party went the Shivaloka Thyagar temple of Shiva, in Thirumana Nallur. Sambandar prayed to Shiva, seeking salvation. Shiva appeared as a blazing flame and granted his wish. Then Sambandar, his bride and all the wedding guests, including Tiruneelanakka Nayanar merged in the Light of Shiva.

Nayanmars - An Introduction

Stories of all Nayanmars

List of all Nayanmars

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA

THIRUCHITRAMBALAM