Sivaprakasar Jeeva Samadhi Temple, Nallathur, Cuddalore
Sivaprakasar Jeeva Samadhi Temple is a Hindu Burial Shrine of Siva Prakasa Desikar located at Nallathur Village in Cuddalore District of Tamilnadu. The Temple is located very close to Pondicherry.
Siva Prakasar
Siva Prakasar (also Siva Prakasa or sometimes Siva Prakasa Desikar), was a Tamil poet and philosopher lived during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was called as Thurai Mangalam Sivaprakasar, Karpanai Kalangiyam, Sivanuputhi chelvar. He had contributed more than thirty-four Tamil books for the Tamil Literature, the most well-known of which is the Nanneri, a work dealing with moral instruction. He is also well known for translating early Kannada works into the Tamil language. and for creating his own poetry.
Life:
Siva Prakasar, the real poet who was blessed as 'Sivanuputhi chelvar' by the grace of God. He is acclaimed as 'Karpanai Kalangiyam' by renowned scholars of Tamil – speaking world. He compiled "Neerotta Yamaha Anthathi" to defeat an arrogant Poet. Those Venpa verses will not make both lips to touch. He also wrote " Yesu matha niragaranam " (The Refuting the Religion of Jesus) after defeating Christian heretics Roberto Nobili and Beschi in polemical debates. The latter work is lost to the posterity due to the perfidy of the missionaries who lost the verbal contest.
Family Background:
Sivaprakasar was born in a town called Kanchipuram in Thondaimandalam in Tamil Nadu, South India into an orthodox Saiva Tamil (Desikar) family around the middle of the 17th Century. Sivaprakasar father was a respected spiritual leader. His father Kumara Swamy Desikar was the Archaka and Dikshitar for the People of Thondai Mandalam. His father left his family and gone to Thiruvannamalai with his disciples. There he planned to become a Sage. But it failed. God made him to get married. Kumara Swamy Desikar got three sons and a daughter. Siva Prakasar was the first child. And his siblings were Karunai Prakasar, Velaiyar and Gnambikai ammal.
His sister Gnambikai married Perur Santhalinga Swamigal. After some time, Perur Santhalinga Swamigal became Sage and sent away Gnambikai to her brother. There were no children for them. Karunai Prakasar married Kamakshi. And he wrote more than five books in Tamil. Seegalathi sarukkam, Ishtalinga Agaval. He demised at the age of Eighteen at Thiruvengai. So, there were no children for Karunai Prakasar. Velaiyar married Meenatchi Ammal. He got a son named Sundaresanar. Velaiyar wrote more than seven books.
Mayilathula, Nallur Puranam, Mayilai thirattai Mani Malai, Ishta Linga kaithala Malai, Kumbakona Sarangathevar history as Veera singhathana puranam, Gugai Namachivaya Desikar history as Namachivaya leelai and Krishnan history as Parijatha leelai. And attain mukthi motcha at Perumathur at the age of seventy-two. Sundaresanar married Karpagammal. He settled down his family in Valavanur. They got a son named Swaminatha Desikar. Swaminatha Desikar converted himself to Christianity, changed his name as Susai and married Gnasounthari.
Learning:
To learn Tamil Grammar, Siva Prakasar along with his brothers Karunai Prakasar, Velaiyar went to Thirunelveli and found Valliyur Thambiran as their master. This teacher accepted him as his student after Sivaprakasa Swamigal had demonstrated his exceptional proficiency in this subject. The pandit taught him everything he knew, but when Sivaprakasa Swamigal tried to pay for his tuition fees, he refused, saying that he would like to have the payment in a different sort. This pandit had been having a bitter feud with another scholar. Sivaprakasa Swamigal's teacher said, 'Go to this man, defeat him in a contest of Tamil prosody, and as a condition of his defeat, make him prostrate to me.
Sivaprakasa Swamigal accepted the assignment, located the rival scholar, and challenged him to compose spontaneous verses, on a specified topic that they would both pick, that had no labial sounds in them. That is to say, the verses had to be composed without any letters such as 'm’ and 'p’, which are sounded by putting the lips together. The scholar was unable to compose even a single verse with this restriction, whereas Sivaprakasa Swamigal managed to produce thirty-one Venpas on the prescribed theme. The rival scholar accepted defeat and went to prostrate before Sivaprakasa Swamigal's grammar teacher. To defeat the arrogant Poets, he sang “Tiruchendur Neerotta Yamaha Anthathi”.
The Journey to Pommair Palayam:
Sivaprakasa Swamigal travelled widely all over Tamil Nadu. Santhalinga Swamigal met him along his way. They planned to visit Mailam Murugan Temple. There they met Sivagnaana Balaya Swamigal. Siva Prakasa Swamigal became the First and Prime disciple of Sivagnaana Balaya Swamigal.
Great poet Sivaprakasar, who was blessed as ‘Sivanuputhichelvar’ by the grace of Aadhi Sivagnaana Balaya Swamigal has composed thirty-two volumes of poetry in praise of Lord Shiva and Sri Sivagnaana Balaya Swamigal. In the following five works of significance, he explains us the wisdom of his guru, which he had experienced personally.
Thurai Mangalam:
Then he went to Thurai Mangalam stayed along with Annamalai Reddiyar, a donor and devotee of Saiva Siddhanta. He started a mutt in so many places particularly in Thurai Mangalam nearby Vaali Kandapuram. He worshipped Lord Shiva in Vridhachalam Pazhamalai Nathar Temple.
Final Years:
He attains Mukthi Moksha in Nallathur near by Pondicherry, while he was thirty-two.
Contribution to Tamil Literature:
Translation Works:
Prabhulinga Leela is a 15th-century Virasaiva work, written in Kannada and comprising 1,111 verses. It was originally composed when a Virasaiva scholar, Chamarasa, was challenged to produce a work that was greater than either the Mahabharata or the Ramayana. Shortly afterwards Chamarasa had a dream in which Lord Veerabhadra, the son of Lord Siva, asked him to write a long poem on the 12th century ad Virasaiva Lingayat movement leaders like Basava, Allama Prabhu and others.
The result was Prabhulinga Leele which is a biographical anthology of vachana verses praising Lord Siva in myriad ways. Chamarasa subsequently composed Prabhulinga Leele in eleven days, after which he presented it at the court of the king Devaraya II in 1436, where it was approved by both the monarch and the scholars who had challenged him. This Kannada work was translated into Tamil by Sivaprakasa Swamigal as "Prabhulinga Leelai".
Tamil Works:
Siva Prakasar's Literary works include:
· Tiruchendil Neerotta Yamaha Anthathi
· Nanneri
· Thiruvengai Kalambagam
· Thiruvengai Kovai
· Thiruvengai Ula
· Thiruvengai Alangaram
· Thirukoova Puranam
· Seekalathi Puranam
· Periya Nayaki Ammai Nedunkazhi nedilasiriya virutham
· Periyanayaki Ammai Kalithurai
· Naalvar Naan Mani Maalai
· Ishtalinga Maalai
· Kaithala Maalai
· Niranjana Maalai
· Sathamani Maalai
· Sona Saila Maalai
· Pitchadana Nava Mani Maalai
· Siva Nama Mahimai
· Kurunkazhi Nedil
· Nedunkazhi Nedil
· Sidhantha Sigamani
· Vendantha Sudamani
· Pazhamalai Anthathi
· Thala Venpa
· Kocha Kalippa
· Tharukka Pari Bashai
· Prabhu Linga Leelai (Translated from Kannada)
· Yesu Matha Niragaranam (The Refuting the Religion of Jesus)
Books about Sivagna Bala Swamigal, Pommapura Adheenam:
· Sivaprakasa Visagam
· Sivagna Bala Swamigal Thaalattu
· Sivagna Bala Swamigal Thirupalli Ezhuchi
· Sivagna Bala Swamigal Pillai Tamizh
· Sivagna Bala Swamigal Nenjuvedu Thoothu
· Sivagna Bala Swamigal Kalambagam
Connectivity
The Temple is located at about 500 meters from Nallathur Arch Bus Stop, 1 Km from Nallathur Bus Stop, 1 Km from Embalam Market Bus Stop, 1.5 Kms from Manakuppam Bus Stop, 10 Kms from Villianur, 15 Kms from Ariyankuppam, 10 Kms from Singirikudi, 11 Kms from Thavalakuppam, 18 Kms from Puducherry Main Bus Stand, 20 Kms from Puducherry Railway Station, 22 Kms from Puducherry Airport, 10 Kms from Villianur Railway Station, 29 Kms from Villupuram, 28 Kms from Villupuram Railway Station, 19 Kms from Cuddalore, 23 Kms from Cuddalore Port Railway Junction, 160 Kms from Chennai Airport and 178 Kms from Chennai.