Cheraman Perumal Nayanar (literally meaning Chera king the Nayanar) was a

bhakti ''Bhakti'' ( sa, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity".See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. It was originally used in Hinduism, referring to d ...

poet-musician and religious teacher (one of the sixty-three

nayanars The Nayanars (or Nayanmars; ta, நாயன்மார், translit=Nāyaṉmār, translit-std=ISO, lit=hounds of Siva, and later 'teachers of Shiva ) were a group of 63 Tamil Hindu saints living during the 6th to 8th centuries CE who were d ...

) of

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

Shaiva Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangin ...

tradition in medieval south India. The Cheraman Perumal's friendship with Chundara, one of the 'Three Nayanars', is celebrated in the bhakti tradition. The legend of the Cheraman Perumal is narrated in the hagiographic '

Periyapuranam The ''Periya‌ purāṇa‌m'' (Tamil: பெரிய‌ புராண‌ம்), that is, the ''great purana'' or epic, sometimes called ''Tiruttontarpuranam'' ("Tiru-Thondar-Puranam", the Purana of the Holy Devotees), is a Tamil poetic ...

''','' composed by Chekkizhar, a courtier of Chola Kulottunga II, in mid-12th century AD. The collection is based on an earlier work by

Nambiyandar Nambi Thirunaraiyur 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 litu ...

(10th-11th centuries AD).

Thiruvanchikulam Siva Temple Thiruvanchikulam Siva Temple (medieval Thiruvanchaikkalam Temple) is a Hindu temple situated in Kodungallur in Thrissur district of Kerala state, India. Constructed in the Kerala style of architecture, the temple is believed to have been bui ...

Kodungallur Kodungallur (; also Cranganore, Portuguese: Cranganor; formerly known as Mahodayapuram, Shingly, Vanchi, Muchiri, Muyirikkode, and Muziris) is a historically significant town situated on the banks of river Periyar on the Malabar Coast in Th ...

is associated with the Perumal and Chundaramurtti Nayanar. The Cheraman Perumal is credited as the author of 'Ponvannattandadi', hymns in praise of the Lord of Chidambaram, 'Thiruvarur Mummanikkovai', in honor of the deity of

Thiruvarur Thiruvarur () also spelt as Tiruvarur is a town and municipality in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Thiruvarur district and Thiruvarur taluk. The temple chariot of the Thyagaraja temple, weighing and mea ...

, and 'Adiyula' (the first of the ulas) or 'Thirukkailayajnana Ula', in praise of

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

. Historians tentatively identify the saint with

Rama Rajasekhara Rama Rajasekhara (''fl.'' 870/71 – c. 883/84 AD) was a Chera Perumal ruler of medieval Kerala, south India. Rajasekhara is usually identified by historians with Cheraman Perumal Nayanar, the venerated Shaiva ( Nayanar) poet-musician of the ...

, the 9th century ruler of the Chera Perumal kingdom of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

The legend of Cheraman Perumal

The Cheraman Perumal, according to tradition, was born in the ruling family of Malai-nadu (which had its capital at Kodunkolur or Makotai by the ocean). When the then king 'Chenkor-poraiyan' abdicated his throne, the ministers persuaded the young Cheraman or 'Perumakkotaiyar', also known as 'Kalarirrarivar', to take up the reins of the kingdom (the prince was sitting in meditation at the Tiruvanchaikkalam at this time). The prince was only prevailed upon with great difficulty. Cheraman Perumal then learned about lyricist Chundara (from the

Nataraja Nataraja () also known as Adalvallaan () is a depiction of the Hindu deities, Hindu god Shiva as the divine cosmic dancer. His dance is called Tandava.''Encyclopædia Britannica'' (2015) The pose and artwork are described in many Hindu texts ...

Chidambaram Chidambaram is a town and municipality in Cuddalore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, on the banks of the Vellar River where it meets the Bay of Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Chidambaram taluk. The town is believed to be of si ...

himself), another

devotee, singing at Chidambaram, and wished to meet him and pay homage. Accordingly the king left his capital and after passing through the Kongu country, finally reached

. He then proceeded to

Tiruvarur Thiruvarur () also spelt as Tiruvarur is a town and municipality in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Thiruvarur district and Thiruvarur taluk. The temple chariot of the Thyagaraja temple, weighing and mea ...

, and met with Chundra. The two became close friends over time and started on a long pilgrimage across south India (visiting Kirvelur, Nagaikkaronam, Tirumaraikkadu, Palanam, Agastyanpalli, Kulagar-Kodikkoyil, Tirupattur, Madurai, Tiruppuvanam, Tiruvappanur, Tiruvedagam, Tirupparangunram, Kurralam, Kurumbala, Tirunelveli, Ramesvaram, Tiruchchuliyal, Kanapper, Tiruppunavayil, Patalesvaram, Tirukkandiyur and Tiruvaiyyaru) . Years later, Chundara visited his fellow-devotee Cheraman Perumal at Kodunkolur and stayed in the city as a royal guest. One day messengers from Shiva arrived at Tiruvanchaikkalam to inform Chundara that it was now time for him to 'return' to

Mount Kailasa Mount Kailash (also Kailasa; ''Kangrinboqê'' or ''Gang Rinpoche''; Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ; ; sa, कैलास, ), is a mountain in the Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It has an altitude of ...

. Chundara hence ascended to Kailasa on a white elephant (with the Chera king following him on horseback).

References

{{Nayanars, state=collapsed Nayanars Indian Shaivite religious leaders People of the Kodungallur Chera kingdom Kodungallur Chera kings