Nayanar 69: Tiru Nilakanta Yazhpanar (Tirunilakanta Yalppanar)

The 69th saint is Tirunilakanta Yalppanar (Tiru Nilakanta Yazhpanar). The words of Arurar, are “Tirunilakantatup pananarkkatiyen”— ‘I am the servant of Tirunilakantattuppananar’. The usage of this form ‘Tiru-nilakantattu’ has already been noted when we were discussing Tirunilakantattuk kuyavanar.

This Panar according to Nampiyantar Nampi is a native of Erukkattampuliyur which Cekkilar identifies with the village of that name in the Cola country. His greatness according to Nampiyantar was that he accompanied Campantar and played the latter’s hymns on his ‘yal’, that he was a Perumpanan, that is one who uses the ‘Periyal’ and not the ‘Ciri-yal’ of seven strings.

Cekkilar gives further details. The saint went to worship at Maturai. As ordered in their dreams, the Shaivite bhaktas took the Pana to the presence of the Lord at Tiruvalavay who pleased with the Pana’s song expressed in a voice heard in the empty space that the ‘yal’ would get out of tune if placed on the cold floor and that, therefore, a beautiful plank should be given for placing the ‘yal’ on it. A gold plank was given accordingly. The Pana went to play on the yal in all the temples till he met Campantar at Cikali. Panar accompanied Campantar wherever the latter went and finally disappeared with him at the time of the marriage of Campantar to attain salvation.

The story of the old plank is not even whispered by Nampiyantar and in the story found in Thiruvilaiyadal, the name of the Pana is Panapattiran, who in the time of Varaguna went to Ceraman with a letter of introduction from Lord Shiva. Therefore, the Sanskrit and Kannada traditions speak of Yalppana Nayanar or Tirunila-kantha, a musician, famous for his devotional songs in praise of Shiva receiving valuable rewards from Ceraman.

But Cekkilar does not so identify Panapattira whose story he narrates in Kalarirrari-var Puranam with Nilakanta Yalppanar. If both the Panas are identical, this saint must be a younger contemporary of Campantar and the elder contemporary of Ceraman probably also of Arurar. Campantar himself speaks of a Pana singing the praises with great bhakti in accompaniment to music and receiving the blessings of the Lord: “Pananicai pattimaiyal patutalum parintalittdn”; “Takkapumanaic curnak karulote taramuyttatu Panarkarulote” is another reference.

One of the Darasuram sculptures represents this story. We find the Pana with his wife playing on the ‘yal’ in front of the temple which is half visible. We notice herein the old form of this yal