>Marcocapelle at 09:40, 24 May 2021

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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2018}}
'''Kulachirai Nayanar''' was a minister of the [[Pandyan]] king, [[Koon Pandyan]], and one of the 63 [[Nayanars]] mentioned in the ''[[Periya Puranam]]''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Staunch devotion|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-miscellaneous/Staunch-devotion/article16596554.ece|work=The Hindu|language=en}}</ref>

== Birth and Life ==
Kulachirai Nayanar was born into a noble family in [[Manamelkudi]] in the Pandyan Kingdom. He became the Prime Minister of the Pandyan King [[Koon Pandiyan]]. He was well known for being hospitable to [[Shaivite]] saints and poets.<ref>{{cite web|title=குலச்சிறை நா‌யனார் - 63 நாயன்மார்கள்|url=http://temple.dinamalar.com/news_detail.php?id=1934|publisher=Dina Malar|accessdate=20 February 2014}}</ref>

== Devotion to Lord Shiva ==
He was an ardent devotee of [[Shiva|Lord Shiva]] and remained a staunch [[Shaivite]] in [[Madurai|his country]] which was becoming increasingly influenced by [[Jainism]]. The [[Koon Pandiyan|Pandyan King]] converted to [[Jainism]] and became a Jain fanatic, forbidding his Queen [[Mangayarkkarasiyar]] to even wear [[Vibhuti|Thiruneeru]] on her forehead. Having converted the king, the Jain monks started to wield greater power in the kingdom. Hindus in the kingdom suffered persecution and indignation. The Queen feared that if left unchecked, the spread of Jainism would wipe out [[Shaivism]] entirely from [[Madurai]]. He was the only solace of [[Mangayarkkarasiyar]] who still remained a staunch [[Shaivite]]. The Prime Minister sympathized with the Queen and they were both deeply concerned about the spread of [[Jainism]] and the atrocities committed by the Jain monks in [[Madurai]].

The Queen and the Prime Minister were struggling to find a way to get rid of [[Jainism]] and bring [[Shaivism]] to its prior prominence in the kingdom. But their efforts were in vain because of the King's fanaticism. During this time, the queen heard news that [[Appar]] and [[Sambandar]] had committed a miracle in the [[Vedaranyeswarar Temple]] by opening and closing the temple doors with their devotional verses. Having failed in all her attempts, the Queen made up her mind to seek the help of [[Appar]] and [[Sambandar]]. She dispatched the Prime Minister to invite [[Appar]] and [[Sambandar]] to [[Madurai]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Nair|first=Kunhi Krishnan|title=Sages Through Ages : India's Heritage|year=2007|publisher=Bloomington, IN : AuthorHouse, ©2007|page=67|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f9y9kd3FePgC&pg=PA67&lpg=PA67&dq=mangayarkarasiyar&source=bl&ots=pB3hEtcdHd&sig=noEGtd9JSD__SPEy9I0M2an_dRc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=kCYFU6WOGMyNrgfG94HIDA&ved=0CEUQ6AEwBzgK#v=onepage&q=mangayarkarasiyar&f=false}}</ref>

[[Appar]] and [[Sambandar]] accepted the Queen's request and came to Madurai. They faced a lot of obstacles from the Jain monks on their way but successfully overcame them. King [[Koon Pandiyan]] had been ailing from incurable [[boil]]s for a long time and also had a hunchback. He got the name Koon Pandiyan because of his hunchback. The Jain monks tried their best to cure the King with their medicines but to little avail. [[Sambandar]] cured the king of his boils by singing hymns and applying [[Vibhuti|Thiruneeru]] on the king's body. The king was also cured of his hunchback and came to be known as Ninra Seer Nedumaara Nayanar<ref>{{cite web|title=Staunch devotion|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-miscellaneous/staunch-devotion/article282567.ece|publisher=The Hindu|accessdate=20 February 2014}}</ref> (meaning 'one who stands tall and erect' in [[Tamil language|Tamil]]).

[[Sambandar]] had earned the King's devotion and the King immediately reconverted to [[Shaivism]]. With the King's reconversion, [[Jainism]]'s influence diminished considerably and [[Shaivism]] regained its prior prominence in the kingdom. For their role in the spread of [[Shaivism]], the Queen, the Prime Minister and the King were each individually included in the list of [[Nayanmars]] and their tales were rendered in the hagiographic poem [[Periyapuranam]] compiled by [[Sekkizhar]] as well as in the Tiruthhthondar Thogai written by the poet-saint [[Sundarar]].

==See also==
* [[Nayanmars]]
* [[Shivism]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Pandya dynasty}}
{{Nayanars}}
{{Shaivism}}

[[Category:Nayanars]]
[[Category:People from Madurai]]
[[Category:Pandyan dynasty]]

Kulachirai Nayanar - Revision history

>Marcocapelle at 09:40, 24 May 2021