Soundaryeswarar Temple, Thirunaraiyur – Legends
Polla
Pillaiyar:
Nambi Andar Nambi, who collected and saved the sacred
Thevaram hymns from pests and edited them, while young, was watching his father
offering Nivedhanas to Polla Pillayar – Vinayaka. He wanted to know
whether the Lord would accept only the nivedhana offered by his father and not
his. The time came to Nambi to take charge of the priesthood of the
temple. He offered Nivedhana to Pillayar and insisted him to consume the
offer. But Pillayar was silent and Nambi began to weep. He dashed his
head at the feet of Vinayaka and cried. Pleased with his Bhakti, Vinayaka
accepted the Nivedhana of Nambi and consumed it.
King Rajaraja Cholan did not believe this miracle and
came with different Nivedhana and asked Nambi to offer it to Lord
Vinayaka. Pillayar was smilingly silent. Nambi sang the Irattai Mani
Malai hymns with a touching prayer. Polla Pillayar ate the Nivedhana in
the presence of all. The indebtedness to Nambi by the Saivite devotees is
endless as we would have lost the treasure of our Thevaram Bhakti literature to
pests but for the painstaking efforts of Nambi. The idol of Nambi and king
Rajaraja also are in the temple.
Thirunaraiyur:
Sage Durvasa known for his temperament was on an intense
penance to have the darshan of Lord Shiva. A Gandharva from the celestial
world caused hindrance to Rishi’s penance. The Rishi cursed him to become
a Narai-crane. He also refused to accept his apology and suggest a relief.
The Gandharva appealed to Lord Shiva for relief. Lord said that he would
be relieved of the curse if he performed abishek to him with Ganga water
fetched each day from Kasi. As a bird, he flew to Kasi each day as fast as
he could, fetched Ganga Water in his mouth, performed abishek and got the
relief. As Narai the crane bird was granted salvation here, the place is
named Narayur – Thirunaraiyur.
Nambiyandar
Nambi:
This Shivasthalam is famous for the shrine of Polla
Pillaiyar who blessed a small boy by name Nambiyandar Nambi with
divine knowledge. According to legend, the Chola King First Rajarajan was
informed by Polla Pillaiyar the whereabouts of Thevara Paadal. Even
though Thirunavukkarasar, Sambandar and Sundarar composed the Thevara Pathigams
during 7th to 9th Century AD, the inscriptions of the same were lying buried
inside Chidambaram Temple. Chola King First Rajarajan with the help of the
blessed boy Nambiyandar Nambi saw to it that the Thevara Paadal were recovered
and preserved. Apart from what were destroyed by white ants, the remaining Thevara
Paadal (Pathigams) were indexed and arranged in proper order and what we know
today of Thevara Paadal were thus recovered from destruction by the blessings
of Polla Pillaiyar, whose
shrine inside Tirunaraiyur Shiva Temple is well known.
The credit of compiling and classifying this colossal
collection of Tamil Thirumurais. He compiled the works of the 3 saints into the
1st through 7th Thirumurais; Manikkavacakar's Tiruvasagam & Thirukkovayar
into the 8th. He included Thiruvisaippa and Tiruppallaandu in
the 9th & Tirumular’s Thirumanthiram in the
10th. Tirumukhappaasurm and other works were included in the 11th Thirumurai.
With the aid of a descendant of the musical Nilakanta Yaazhpaanar he assigned
and fitted Panns to the Thevaram Hymns, (after worshipping Shiva at Erukkattampuliyur). Nambi is also credited with several other literary and
devotional works.
People
worshipped Lord Shiva here:
A Narai (stork), Surya and others are believed to have
worshipped here.
