Legends of the Nayanmars

73

This continued for some years. One day, the King of a

nearby Kingdom, Chenkoor Poraiyan renounced his royal life
for one of Sanyasam and he had no successor. Perumaakothaiyar
was chosen as the most able King to lead this country, by the
learned ministers. However, this did not please the loyal devotee.
He went into the Lord's Sanctum sanctorum to know of his wish.
Lord Shiva gave him his orders to govern the country and also
bestowed on him the power to know others' thoughts. Hence,
he got the name of Kalaritrarivaar.
He made a habit of regularly visiting Lord Shiva's holy
shrine in Thiruvanichakkalam. On one such visit, while his
procession was approaching the temple premises, he observed
a washer man with the holy ash smeared all over his body
walking by. He immediately got down and saluted the shocked
washer man with folded hands telling him that he is his slave.
This rare act of humility indicated to all present that his priority
would always be the devotees of Lord Shiva. His ministers were
astonished to witness this act of complete devotion.
Kalaritrarivaar had this ritual of waking up at dawn and
immersing himself in the service of his Lord Shiva. He would
fetch water, bathe the Lord, adorn him with beautiful garlands,
light the incense sticks and meditate before him. Lord Shiva,
extremely pleased by this, would signal his presence by the
sound of his anklets.
Meanwhile, in the Pandya City of Madurai, there lived a
poor poet named Bhathiranaar, who was an ardent Shiva
devotee. Lord Shiva wanted to help this poor devotee. He wrote
a poem that was addressed to Cheraman Perumal and asked the
poet to take this poem to the King and get rewarded. The poet
did according to the Lord's instructions. The King, on seeing
the divine poem became ecstatic and ordered his ministers to