74

Legends of the Nayanmars

give all the precious jewels he had in his treasury to the poet.
The grateful poet, however, took only the bare minimum,
required to sustain his life style and went back to Madurai and
spent his life composing verses on Lord Shiva.
The happiest moment of the King's day was when he would
hear the Lord's anklets on the completion of his morning ritual.
One day, as usual, he waited for the Lord to notify his presence,
but was disappointed when he couldn't hear the anklets' sound
after several moments passed since his puja completion. He
became agitated that there had been an amiss in his ritual
proceedings and assumed that Lord Shiva was displeased with
him. He immediately took out his sword and proceeded to take
his own life. Lord Shiva appeared that instant and assured him
that the cause of the delay was not because of his faulty rituals,
but that he was so immersed in the song of a devotee named
Vaanrondaar of Thillai that he forgot about the King.
The relieved King, wanted to hear the heavenly music that
had enthralled Lord Shiva himself and so, set off towards Thillai
Nadu in search of Vaanrondaar. He reached the Chola town of
Thillai and worshipped Lord Shiva. He was so enamored on
seeing the Lord there that he composed a beautiful verse on
Lord Shiva named Ponvannathu Andhaadhi. He then decided
to visit the holy Shrines of Lord Shiva situated in various places
like Seergali, Thiruvarur and Naagai Kaaronam.
His sole purpose in visiting Thiruvarur is to get a glimpse
of the great Nayanar saint Sundaramurthi Nayanar. This great
saint welcomed the King with great pleasure and personally
took him to the sanctum sanctorum of the Lord in the holy
Thiruvarur temple. Kalaritrarivaar, captivated by the beauty of
the Lord sang the poignant verse, Thirumummani Kovai.
Sundaramurthi Nayanar invited him to his home and was treated
with utmost respect by his wife Paravaiyar.