Nayanar 11: Kungiliya Kalaya (Kunkiliyakkalaya)

The 11th saint is Kunkiliyakkalaya Nayanar [Kungiliya Kalaya], whom the Sanskrit and Kannada traditions describe as Kankulinayanar or Gugguliya. According to these traditions, he was too poor to purchase and burn the ‘kunkiliya” (incense) before Shiva and that he had to sell even the sacred necklace of his wife.

In addition to this, Nampiyantar Nampi mentions that he straightened up the Shiva-linga which had fallen down at Tiruppanandal. He gives Katavur as the birth place of this saint following Arurar who says, “Katavuril Kalayanran atiyarkkum atiyen”— ‘I am the servant of the servants of Kalayan of Katavur. In the story as given in Periyapuranam, this saint became rich after the sale of the sacred necklace (tali) of his wife. Shiva told the saint’s wife in a dream, of the riches.

In Cekkilar’s story, the Cola king of his times tried his best to straighten up the linga but failed in spite of the numerous elephants he used whilst the saint came there and straightened the linga with a rope attached to the linga and which passed round his neck also. Campantar and Appar according to Periyapuranam were his guests. The Kannada and Sanskrit traditions, as already mentioned, describe only the service of his burning the incense and perhaps this was the older tradition.