Mangayarkkarasiyar

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Mangayarkkarasiyar (

Sekkizhar as well as in the Tiruthondar Thogai written by the poet-saint Sundarar
.

Birth and Life

Mangayarkkarasiyar was born as a

Pandyan Dynasty King Koon Pandiyan who ruled Madurai. She came to be known as "Mangayarkkarasiyar" (meaning queen of the women in Tamil) on account of being an ideal Queen who commanded great respect and admiration among her subjects.[1]

Devotion to Lord Shiva

She was an ardent devotee of

Shaivite in her country which was becoming increasingly influenced by Jainism. Her husband, the Pandyan King had converted to Jainism and this worried her a lot. The King became a Jain fanatic and even forbade her to wear Thiruneeru
on her forehead. Hindus suffered persecution and Having converted the king, the Jain monks started to wield greater power in the kingdom. She feared that if left unchecked, the spread of Jainism would wipe out
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, she 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.[2]

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 boils 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 Thiruneeru on the king's body. The king was also cured of his hunchback and came to be known as Ninra Seer Nedumaara Nayanar[3](meaning 'one who stands tall and erect' in Tamil).

Sekkizhar as well as in the Tiruthhthondar Thogai written by the poet-saint Sundarar
.

References

  1. ^ "மங்கையர்க்கரசியார்". Dina Malar. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  2. ISBN 9781434334480
    .
  3. ^ "Staunch devotion". The Hindu. 15 May 2009. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2014.

External links

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