Manakkanychaara Nayanar
Encyclopedia
Manakkanychaara Nayanar was one of the 63 Nayanmars of the Saivite faith of South India
. He lived in the village of Kancharur in the Chola kingdom during the eighth century CE. He belonged to the Vellala cast and was a hereditory commander in the Chola Military
of Chola Raajym to day referred as Tamil Nadu.
for a child and they soon had a daughter. Nayanar celebrated the birth of this child donating generously to charity. When the daughter attained the marriageable age, Manakkanychaara arranged her wedding with Eyarkon Kalikamar who was also an earnest and sincere devotee of Siva.
Meanwhile, an ascetic appeared before Manakkanychaara who received him with great delight and asked his daughter to bow to the ascetic and receive his blessings. The ascetic saw her flowing hair, and said: ‘Oh Manakkanychaara, I am delighted to see her hair. This can be conveniently made into a Panchavati (the thread that adorns my chest).’ At once, Nayanar took a knife and, without thinking for a moment, cut the hair off his daughter’s head and handed it to the ascetic. In his extreme devotion to the Siva Yogi, he did not even consider the fact that he was disfiguring his only daughter, and that the bridegroom might refuse to accept her. Lord Siva in the form of the ascetic immediately disappeared and blessed Manakkanychaara and his family and restored the hair on the girl's head.
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
. He lived in the village of Kancharur in the Chola kingdom during the eighth century CE. He belonged to the Vellala cast and was a hereditory commander in the Chola Military
Chola Military
The Chola military was a well organised and effective fighting force during medieval times. The imperial Cholas of the Vijayalaya dynasty who ruled parts of South India and Lanka between the tenth and the thirteenth centuries CE were dependent on their army and the navy to Expand and maintain order...
of Chola Raajym to day referred as Tamil Nadu.
Legend
Manakkanychaara had no children for a long time. He and his wife worshipped SivaShiva
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...
for a child and they soon had a daughter. Nayanar celebrated the birth of this child donating generously to charity. When the daughter attained the marriageable age, Manakkanychaara arranged her wedding with Eyarkon Kalikamar who was also an earnest and sincere devotee of Siva.
Meanwhile, an ascetic appeared before Manakkanychaara who received him with great delight and asked his daughter to bow to the ascetic and receive his blessings. The ascetic saw her flowing hair, and said: ‘Oh Manakkanychaara, I am delighted to see her hair. This can be conveniently made into a Panchavati (the thread that adorns my chest).’ At once, Nayanar took a knife and, without thinking for a moment, cut the hair off his daughter’s head and handed it to the ascetic. In his extreme devotion to the Siva Yogi, he did not even consider the fact that he was disfiguring his only daughter, and that the bridegroom might refuse to accept her. Lord Siva in the form of the ascetic immediately disappeared and blessed Manakkanychaara and his family and restored the hair on the girl's head.