Sekkizhar
Encyclopedia
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
(Great Purana), 4253 verses long,recounting the life stories of the sixty-three Shaiva Nayanars
, the poets of Shiva
who composed the liturgical poems of the Tirumurai
. Sekkizhar's work itself became part of the sacred canon.
village in Thondaimandalam. He moved to Chidambaram
in order to compose Periyapuranam. Among all the hagiographic Puranas in Tamil
, the Periyapuranam (or Tiruttondar Puranam) stands first.
Kulothunga Chola II
, then a young king, was a devotee of Lord Siva
Natraja at Chidambaram and continued the reconstruction of the center of Tamil Saivism that was begun by his ancestors. However, he was also enchanted by the Jain epic Civaka Cintamani
a courtly epic of erotic flavor in which the hero Jivaka marries seven damsels and gains a kingdom. In the end he realises the transiency of possessions, renounces his kingship and finally attains Nirvana.
When it is brought to his attention that the king has almost crossed over to Jainism, Sekkizhar is deeply disturbed and he exhorts the king to abandon the pursuit of impious literature and turn instead to the life of the Saiva saints celebrated by Cuntarar and Nambiyandar Nambi
and the king thereupon invited Sekkizhar to expound the lives of the Saiva saints in a great poem. As a saiva saint, Sekkizhar knew about the lives of the saints and after he collected the data he wrote the poem in the Thousand Pillared Hall of the Chidambaram
temple. Sekkizhar would himself sing the Periyapuranam and arouse the latent Chola Saiva zeal and successfully bring the king back in line.
This work is considered the most important initiative of Kulothunga Chola II's
reign. Although it is only a literary embellishment of earlier hagiographies of the Saiva saints it came to be seen as the epitome of Chola literary style. The Periyapuranam is considered a fifth Veda in the Tamil
and it immediately took its place as the twelfth and the last book in the Saiva canon..
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and scholar of Tamil
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...
Shaiva Siddhanta
Shaiva Siddhanta
Considered normative tantric Saivism, Shaiva Siddhanta provides the normative rites, cosmology and theological categories of tantric Saivism. Being a dualistic philosophy, the goal of Shaiva Siddhanta is to become an ontologically distinct Shiva . This tradition was once practiced all over India...
, a Saiva saint contemporary with the reign of Kulothunga Chola II
Kulothunga Chola II
Kulothunga Chola II was a 12th century king of the Chola Dynasty of the Tamil people of South India. He succeeded his father Vikrama Chola to the throne in 1135 CE. Vikrama Chola made Kulothunga his heir apparent and coregent in 1133 CE, so the inscriptions of Kulothunga II count his reign from...
. He compiled and wrote the Periya Puranam
Periya Puranam
Periya Puranam , that is, the great purana or epic, sometimes also called Tiruttontarpuranam is a Tamil poetic account depicting the legendary lives of the sixty-three Nayanars, the canonical poets of Tamil Shaivism. It was compiled during the 12th century by Sekkizhar...
(Great Purana), 4253 verses long,recounting the life stories of the sixty-three Shaiva Nayanars
Nayanars
The Nayanars or Nayanmars were Shaivite devotional poets of Tamil Nadu, active between the fifth and the tenth centuries CE...
, the poets of 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...
who composed the liturgical poems of the Tirumurai
Tirumurai
The word Thirumurai literally means the sacred book. It is a compendium of songs or hymns in the praise of Shiva in the Tamil language...
. Sekkizhar's work itself became part of the sacred canon.
Life
Sekkizhar was born in KundrathurKundrathur
Kundrathur is a village in Kancheepuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Kundrathur Murugan Temple is located in this town. It is a lesser known fact that this town is also home to the Navagraha Temples of Thondai Nadu. The town also has a college, Madha Engineering College which is...
village in Thondaimandalam. He moved to Chidambaram
Chidambaram
Chidambaram is a fast growing industrial city in Eastern part of Tamil Nadu and the taluk headquarters of the Cuddalore district. It is located in 58 km from Pondicherry, 60 km from Karaikal, and 240 km south of Chennai by rail...
in order to compose Periyapuranam. Among all the hagiographic Puranas in Tamil
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...
, the Periyapuranam (or Tiruttondar Puranam) stands first.
Kulothunga Chola II
Kulothunga Chola II
Kulothunga Chola II was a 12th century king of the Chola Dynasty of the Tamil people of South India. He succeeded his father Vikrama Chola to the throne in 1135 CE. Vikrama Chola made Kulothunga his heir apparent and coregent in 1133 CE, so the inscriptions of Kulothunga II count his reign from...
, then a young king, was a devotee of Lord Siva
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...
Natraja at Chidambaram and continued the reconstruction of the center of Tamil Saivism that was begun by his ancestors. However, he was also enchanted by the Jain epic Civaka Cintamani
Civaka Cintamani
Civaka Cintamani is a classical epic poem. It is a Jain religious epic authored by Tirutakkatevar.It belongs to the Sangam tradition of Tamil literature, and is considered one of the five great Tamil epics. In its form, it anticipates the Ramayana of Kambar. Cīvaka Cintāmaṇi was much appreciated...
a courtly epic of erotic flavor in which the hero Jivaka marries seven damsels and gains a kingdom. In the end he realises the transiency of possessions, renounces his kingship and finally attains Nirvana.
When it is brought to his attention that the king has almost crossed over to Jainism, Sekkizhar is deeply disturbed and he exhorts the king to abandon the pursuit of impious literature and turn instead to the life of the Saiva saints celebrated by Cuntarar and Nambiyandar Nambi
Nambiyandar Nambi
Tirunarayur Nambiyandar Nambi was an eleventh-century Shaiva scholar of Tamil Nadu in South India who compiled the hymns of Sampantar, Appar and Sundarar and was himself one of the authors of the eleventh volume of the canon of the Tamil liturgical poetry of Shiva, the Tirumurai.Nambiyandar was...
and the king thereupon invited Sekkizhar to expound the lives of the Saiva saints in a great poem. As a saiva saint, Sekkizhar knew about the lives of the saints and after he collected the data he wrote the poem in the Thousand Pillared Hall of the Chidambaram
Chidambaram
Chidambaram is a fast growing industrial city in Eastern part of Tamil Nadu and the taluk headquarters of the Cuddalore district. It is located in 58 km from Pondicherry, 60 km from Karaikal, and 240 km south of Chennai by rail...
temple. Sekkizhar would himself sing the Periyapuranam and arouse the latent Chola Saiva zeal and successfully bring the king back in line.
This work is considered the most important initiative of Kulothunga Chola II's
Kulothunga Chola II
Kulothunga Chola II was a 12th century king of the Chola Dynasty of the Tamil people of South India. He succeeded his father Vikrama Chola to the throne in 1135 CE. Vikrama Chola made Kulothunga his heir apparent and coregent in 1133 CE, so the inscriptions of Kulothunga II count his reign from...
reign. Although it is only a literary embellishment of earlier hagiographies of the Saiva saints it came to be seen as the epitome of Chola literary style. The Periyapuranam is considered a fifth Veda in the Tamil
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...
and it immediately took its place as the twelfth and the last book in the Saiva canon..