Nayanar 47: Aiyadigal Kadavarkon (Aiyatikal Katavarkon)

The 47th saint is Aiyatikal Katavarkon Nayanar (Aiyadigal Kadavarkon). The words of Arurar are, “Aiyatikal Katavarkon atiyarkkum atiyen”—‘I am the servant of the servants of Aiyatikal Katavarkon’.

Nampiyantar describes him as a Pallava clearly bringing out the meaning of Katavarkon. Aiyatikal will mean, the Lord, the father. The name suggests that the father of the king must have become an ascetic and, therefore, was called Aiyatikal.

Nampiyantar refers to the conviction of Aiyatikal that it is better to beg as a servant of the Lord than to rule the world and refers to this saint singing a venpa each in every temple he visited. We have a work in the 11th Tirumurai called the Ksettirattiruvenpa by Aiyatikal Katavarkon of which only twenty-four verses are available.

The Sanskrit and Kannada traditions are summarized as follows: “Aiyadigal or Kadavarkonayanar was a king of the Pallava dynasty ruling in Kanchi. He is variously called Simhanka, Padasimha, and Panchapadasimha whose father (rather son, according to inscriptions of the Pallavas) was Bhima or Bhimavarma (A.D. 550). He spent the whole revenue of his vast kingdom in constructing Shiva temples, groves, wells, tanks and feeding-houses”.

Cekkilar speaks of him in greater detail. The following are the points made out by him:

(1) This saint first as a king brought under control his enemies and the sufferings of his people;

(2) he conquered other lands;

(3) the Vedic and the Shaivite paths flourished along with Dharma;

(4) he wanted to serve the Lord through Tamil and Sanskrit;

(5) he was convinced that to be a king was the source of misery and, therefore, abdicated the throne crowning his son, king;

(6) he went and worshipped at all the temples of Shiva singing one venpa at every one of them and finally reached Tillai;

(7) he did all that was necessary for the temple;

(8) he was the Katavarkon of Kanci

—These descriptions are applicable to Mahendravarman II as explained elsewhere (Vol. I, Age of Nampi Arurar) and that was why he was called the Aiyatikal

The Darasuram sculpture gives a vimana of a temple in the midal e. The story has to be read from left to right of the sculpture. We find Aiyatikal before abdication with the crown and the flowing cloth. On the right we see him going away without the crown and the flowing cloth.