Kannappa Nayanar
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Kannappa Nayanar or Kannappan (Tamil
: கண்ணப்ப நாயனார்) was one of the 63 Nayanmars or holy Saivite saints, the staunch devotees of Lord Shiva
. The Periyapuranam compiled by Sekkizhar
and also the Tiruthhthondar Thogai by the poet-saint Sundarar enlists the 63 Nayanars.
Kannappa Nayanar was born in a tribal family in and around the temple town of Sri Kalahasti, in present day Andhra Pradesh
. He was named Thinnan or Dheeran or Boya Tinnadu by his parents.
He hunted in the forest around Sri Kalahasti and the hills - Sripuram and Mummidi-cholapuram.
It is said that he poured water from his mouth on the Shiva lingam
which he brought from the nearby river Swarnamukhi. He also offered the Lord whatever animal he hunted, including swine flesh. But the Lord accepted his offerings since Thinnan was pure at heart and his devotion was true.
But to complicate matters further, he noticed that the other eye of the linga has also started oozing blood. So Thinnan thought that if he were to pluck his other eye too, he would become blind to exactly know the spot where he has to place his own second eye over the bleeding second eye of the lingam. So he placed his great toe on the linga to mark the spot of the bleeding second eye and proceeded to pluck out his other and only eye.
Moved by his extreme devotion, Shiva appeared before Thinnan and restored both his eyes.
"Nillu Kannappa" ("Stop Kannappan!")
He made Thinnan as one of the Nayanmars and henceforth he would be called as Kannappan or Kannappa Nayanar.
- Arjuna
. Arjuna worshipped Siva for seeking the Pasupatha Astra (a divine weapon) and failed to recognize Shiva when He appeared before Arjuna in the form of a hunter. Thus, due to this reason, Arjuna had to be born as Thinnan/ Kannappa, the hunter and adore the Lord before attaining final liberation. This belief is not adopted by all Hindus though.
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
: கண்ணப்ப நாயனார்) was one of the 63 Nayanmars or holy Saivite saints, the staunch devotees of Lord Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
. The Periyapuranam compiled by Sekkizhar
Sekkizhar
Sekkizhar was a poet and scholar of Tamil Shaiva Siddhanta, a Saiva saint contemporary with the reign of Kulothunga Chola II. He compiled and wrote the Periya Puranam , 4253 verses long,recounting the life stories of the sixty-three Shaiva Nayanars, the poets of Shiva who composed the liturgical...
and also the Tiruthhthondar Thogai by the poet-saint Sundarar enlists the 63 Nayanars.
Aliases
- Boya Tinnadu
- Thinnappan
- Tinnappan
- Thinnan
- Kannappan
- Kannappa Nayanar or Nayanmar
- Kannan
- Bhakta Kannappan
- Boya Kannappa
- Bedara Kannappa
- Dheeran
- Kannabeswara
Kannappa Nayanar was born in a tribal family in and around the temple town of Sri Kalahasti, in present day Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
. He was named Thinnan or Dheeran or Boya Tinnadu by his parents.
He hunted in the forest around Sri Kalahasti and the hills - Sripuram and Mummidi-cholapuram.
Thinnan's devotion
Thinnan was a staunch devotee of the Vayu linga of SriKalahasti which he found in the forest while hunting. Being an illiterate and of a low-caste birth, he did not know how to properly worship Lord Shiva.It is said that he poured water from his mouth on the Shiva lingam
Lingam
The Lingam is a representation of the Hindu deity Shiva used for worship in temples....
which he brought from the nearby river Swarnamukhi. He also offered the Lord whatever animal he hunted, including swine flesh. But the Lord accepted his offerings since Thinnan was pure at heart and his devotion was true.
Dheeran
One day, Lord Shiva tested the unshakable devotion of Thinnan. With his divine power, He created a tremor and the roof-tops of the temple began to fall. All the sages ran away from the scene except for Thinnan who covered the linga with his body to prevent it from any damage. Hence he was named thereafter as Dheeran.Kannappan
In another incident (thiru vilayadal of Lord Shiva), one day Thinnan or Dheeran noticed that one of the eyes of the Shiva linga was oozing blood and tears. Sensing that the Lord's eye had been injured, Dheeran proceeded to pluck his one eye out with one of his arrows and placed it in the spot of the bleeding eye of the Shiva linga. This stopped the bleeding in that eye of the linga.But to complicate matters further, he noticed that the other eye of the linga has also started oozing blood. So Thinnan thought that if he were to pluck his other eye too, he would become blind to exactly know the spot where he has to place his own second eye over the bleeding second eye of the lingam. So he placed his great toe on the linga to mark the spot of the bleeding second eye and proceeded to pluck out his other and only eye.
Moved by his extreme devotion, Shiva appeared before Thinnan and restored both his eyes.
"Nillu Kannappa" ("Stop Kannappan!")
He made Thinnan as one of the Nayanmars and henceforth he would be called as Kannappan or Kannappa Nayanar.
Kannabeswara
On the southern hill of the Kalahasti Temple, there is the shrine of Kannabeswara in his memory (Kannappa = Thinnan, eswara = Shiva which means "Kannappa, the devotee of Shiva").Reincarnation of Arjun
Some Saivite traditions believe that Kannappa was the reincarnation of the PandavaPandava
In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu , by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Their names are Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Although, Karna is told by Lord Krishna that according to the laws and ethics he is the first son of Kunti making...
- Arjuna
Arjuna
Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...
. Arjuna worshipped Siva for seeking the Pasupatha Astra (a divine weapon) and failed to recognize Shiva when He appeared before Arjuna in the form of a hunter. Thus, due to this reason, Arjuna had to be born as Thinnan/ Kannappa, the hunter and adore the Lord before attaining final liberation. This belief is not adopted by all Hindus though.
See also
- Kalahasti templeKalahasti templeSrikalahasti Temple is located in the town of Srikalahasti, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is one of the most famous Shiva temples in South India, and is said to be the site where Kannappa, one of the 63 Saivite Nayanars, was ready to offer both his eyes to cover blood flowing from the...
- NayanarsNayanarsThe Nayanars or Nayanmars were Shaivite devotional poets of Tamil Nadu, active between the fifth and the tenth centuries CE...
- AdivasiAdivasiAdivasi is an umbrella term for a heterogeneous set of ethnic and tribal groups claimed to be the aboriginal population of India. They comprise a substantial indigenous minority of the population of India...
- Bedara Kannappa (A Kannada film, meaning "Hunter Kannappa" about his life).
- Bhakta KannappaBhakta KannappaBhakta Kannappa is a 1976 Telugu film directed by Bapu. It is based on the life of Saiva devotee, Kannappa Nayanar. The film is the remake of Kannada film Bedara Kannappa, the first film of legendary actor Dr. Rajkumar...
is a 1976 Telugu film made about his life.