Ilamaiyakkinar Temple,
Chidambaram – Legends
Thiruneelakanta Nayanar:
Thiruneelakanta Nayanar was
a Nayanar saint,
venerated in the Hindu sect of Shaivism.
He is generally counted as the second in the list of 63 Nayanars. The life of
Thiruneelakanta Nayanar is described in Periya
Puranam written by Sekkizhar (12th
century), which is a hagiography of the 63 Nayanars.
Thiruneelakanta Nayanar born in Chidambaram,
famous for its Thillai Nataraja Temple dedicated
to the god Shiva,
patron of Shaivism. He was born in the Kuyavar caste of
potters. He made earthenware pots and other containers. He was a devout
devotee of Shiva and distributed clay bowls to devotees of Shiva, free of cost.
He and his wife specially revered the Neelakanta (Thiruneelakanta, "Blue Throated
one") form of Shiva, who drank the Halahala poison.
Once, Thiruneelakanta Nayanar
enjoyed pleasure with a prostitute. The news reached the wife before he reached
home. The enraged wife fulfilled all her duties but did not allow her husband
to touch her. When he tried affectionately touch her to placate her, she
refused his advances and said 'Would you touch us (me) .... Thiruneelakanta.'
While the wife meant that her husband does not touch her, she used a pronoun,
which also meant "us". Thiruneelakanta could be interpreted as the
name of the husband or god Shiva. Traditionally, a Hindu married woman
does not address her husband by his name.
It is not clear by what she
meant, but her husband took the meaning that she refrained him from touching
all women ("us") by the name of the god Neelakanta. The Nayanar
pledged not to touch any woman from that day, even in his thoughts. While the
wife carried out all the responsibilities of a wife to Thiruneelakanta Nayanar,
they never touched each other. They lived in different quarters in the house
and fulfilled Tirunilakanta's vow in secret. The couple became old. Once, Shiva
disguised himself as a Shaiva Yogi (mendicant). He was welcomed and
worshipped by Thiruneelakanta Nayanar.
Upon inquiry by the aged
potter about what he can do for the ascetic, the ascetic gave him his precious
earthen begging bowl and told the potter to keep it safe till he returns. The
yogi left; Thiruneelakanta kept the bowl in a safe location. After a long time,
the yogi returned and demanded his begging bowl. Thiruneelakanta looked for the
bowl in the place he kept it and then searched the whole house in vain. Lord Shiva
had actually made the begging bowl disappear. The worried Nayanar prostrated
before the mendicant and told him that he had lost the bowl and offered to
replace it with a new clay bowl. However, the agitated ascetic refused and
accused the potter of stealing his precious bowl.
Upon much persuasion, the
ascetic ordered Thiruneelakanta to take a dip in the temple tank and swear by
taking his hand on the head of his son. When the potter told the yogi that he
was childless, the ascetic suggested that he do so by swearing on his wife's
head. But, Thiruneelakanta refused to do so, due to his vow, the incensed left
and appealed to the Brahmin priests of the temple for justice. The
Brahmin court heard both sides and ordered the potter to swear his innocence in
the holy tank. Thiruneelakanta and his wife entered the temple pond, each
holding an end of a bamboo stick. The ascetic objected and suggested the potter
hold his wife's hand.
Ultimately, the potter
revealed the whole story - which was concealed from the world till then - about
his private life and his vow to the assembled Brahmins and the ascetic. The old
couple immersed themselves in the holy waters and emerged as a young couple as
they rose up. The awestruck Brahmins looked in disbelief. The ascetic
disappeared. In the sky, Lord Shiva appeared with his consort Parvati and
blessed the couple. Pleased by the couple's devotion and sexual restraint, Lord
Shiva took them to his abode Kailash,
where they are said to have lived ever young.
One of the most prominent
Nayanars, Sundarar (8th
century) venerates Thiruneelakanta Nayanar in the Tiruthonda Thogai, a
hymn to Nayanar saints, calling him "the blessed potter" and the
first Nayanar mentioned in the hymn and the only one whose caste affiliation is
stated. While describing the Nayanars, Nambiyandar
Nambi (11th century) says that Thiruneelakanta
Nayanar observed sexual abstinence with his wife and as an aged man, regained
his youth with his wife by "God's grace". A maxim by
Sivadevayya, also known as Visweswara Siva Desika, the guru and
minister of the Kakatiya king Kakati Ganapati Deva (1199-1260),
part of his lost Telugu Satakam (a poem with more
than hundred lines) Siva-devadhimani Satakamu says that one must be
like Siriyala in
childhood, Sundarar in youth and Gundaya (Thiruneelakanta Nayanar) in old age;
if one has no faith in Shiva then "his birth is burden and life is
futile". Gopalakrishna Bharati (1810–1896)
wrote a short opera named Tirunilakantha Nayanar Charitram on his life.
Thiruneelakanta Nayanar is
worshipped in the Tamil month of Thai,
when the moon enters the Visakha nakshatra (lunar
mansion). He is depicted with folded hands. He receives collective worship as
part of the 63 Nayanars. Their icons and brief accounts of his deeds are found
in many Shiva temples in Tamil Nadu. Their images are taken out in procession
in festivals. In Chidambaram, west of the main Nataraja Temple lies the temple
tank called Ilamai Theertham (tank of youth)
or Ilamai Nayanar Theertham (tank of the young Nayanar) or Vyagrapada
Theertham, which is believed to the site of the test of Thiruneelakanta Nayanar
by Shiva.
The Ilamaiyakkinar temple
dedicated to Shiva stands on the banks of the tank. The temple is said to be
built by the devotee Vyagrapada, long before Thiruneelakanta
Nayanar's times and was also as Tiruppuleeswarar. After the
Thiruneelakanta incident, the form of Shiva was renamed as Ilamayakkinar. The
temple has a shrine for the Thiruneelakanta Nayanar and his wife Ratnasalai.
The Thai Visakha day is believed to be the day of Thiruneelakanta Nayanar's
test of devotion. The day is marked by a temple festival when the tale of the
Nayanar's test are ritually enacted in the temple tank. Separated couples or
couples with disputes in the marriage are prescribed to pray in the temple for
a happy married life.
Tiruppuleeswarar:
Vyagrapada desirous of seeing
Lord Nataraja’s dance, came to Chidambaram. He established a Sivalingam at the
banks of the Theertham, erected a hut nearby and carried on his penance. Sage
Vyagrapada, by the grace of Lord Siva had tiger’s legs. Since he worshipped the
Lord, Siva came to be known as Tiruppuleeswarar.
Kanampulla Nayanar:
Kanampulla Nayanar was a Nayanar saint,
venerated in the Hindu sect of Shaivism.
He is generally counted as 46th in the list of 63 Nayanars. Periya
Puranam (13th century CE) and Thiruthondar
Thogai (10th century CE) describe him as a great
devotee of the Hindu god Shiva. Kanampulla Nayanar was a grass cutter;
selling the special Kanampul grass used for lamp wicks in Shiva
temples. Because of this Kanampul has become associated with his
name. Kanampulla Nayanar was born into a farming family in Pullirukkuvelur or Irukkuveloor, located at Sirkazhi Taluk, Nagapattinam District, Tamil
Nadu.
As a farmer, Kanampulla
Nayanar spent all his money in lighting the lamps in various Shiva temples. The
Nayanar saint sang hymns to Shiva and served the deity and his devotees. Due to
his devotional practices, Kanampulla Nayanar's wealth quickly eroded; he moved
to Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram,
where he earned a living by cutting and selling Kanampul grass. With the
money he earned, the saint purchased ghee (clarified
butter) to light lamps in the Shiva temple.
Legend has it that Shiva
decided to test Kanampulla Nayanar's devotion. Due to a famine, he was unable a
to sell grass, but the Nayanar saint wanted to continue to serve Shiva by
lighting lamps in his temple. He prepared a wick from the dry grass and burnt
it, but it soon extinguished. In despair, he offered his own hair for burning.
He extended his head near the lamp and spread his hair to be burnt. Pleased by
the Nayanar's deep devotion, Lord Shiva appeared before him and released him
from the cycle of rebirth. His Guru Pooja is
conducted on the Tirukarthikai Day. Kanampulla Nayanar is said to have lit
himself as a lamp and merged with Lord Shiva here. Same story is applicable to
Chidambaram Temple also.