A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar c20.9

c20.9

About a century later came Sundaramūrtti of Nāvalūr. He was born of poor Brahmin parents but his beauty as a child was such that he attracted the attention of the local chieftain Narasinga Munaiyadaraiyan who, with the consent of the parents, brought him up. When his marriage with a girl of his own caste was about to take place it was stopped by the mysterious intervention of Śiva who claimed him as his slave. A little later Sundara fell in love with two women, one a dancing-girl of Tiruvālūr and the other a śūdra girl of Tiruvorriyūr. Their jealousies, it is said, could only be resolved by Śiva himself acting as a messenger to one of them. Like the other nāyanārs, Sundara is also credited with many miracles and the contemporary Chera ruler, Cheramān Perumāl, was his friend. They visited each other regularly and made their last journey to the abode of Śiva in Mount Kailāsa together, Sundara on a white elephant and Cheramān Perumāl on a horse. Sundara's devotion to Śiva was that of an intimate friend so that he was given the title Tambirān-Tōḷan (‘ Friend of God ’).