Thanthondreeswarar Temple, Belur – Kanampulla Nayanmar
Kanampullar,
one of the Nayanmars hailed from a rich family in this same village. He
was a sincere devotee of Sri Thanthondreeswarar. He considered lighting lamps
in this temple as his prime duty and did it with utmost dedication.
He went
through a rough phase and lost all his wealth. Poverty drove him to
Thirpuliswaram and he continued lighting lamps in a Shiva temple there. To earn
his living, he used to cut a kind of grass called Kanampul and sell it in the
market. He spent his meagre income on oil and wicks.
Lord
Shiva decided to test his
devotion. One day his grass was not sold and he did not have enough money to
buy oil and wick to light the lamps. He used his locks of hair as wick in the
lamp and lighted it. Extremely pleased with the supreme devotion of
Kanampullar, Shiva appeared in front of him and he became one with God.
A statue
of Kanampullar holding a lamp can be seen in this temple in front of
Pradhosha Nandi (The Devine Bull). He is the 48th among the Nayanmars.
This adds to the pride of Belur.