Nayanar 29: Eyarkon Kalikama (Kalikkama)

The 29th saint is Eyarkon Kalikkama Nayanar. The words of Arurar are “Eyarkon Kalikkaman atiyarkkum atiyen”— ‘I am the servant of the servants of Eyarkon Kalikkama Nayanar. ‘Eyar’ is the Tamil form of the word ‘Haihaya’. Therefore, Eyarkon will mean the Haihaya chief. The Haihaya chiefs are mentioned in inscriptions as Haihaya konas. The Haihayas are mentioned in inscriptions as having been defeated by the Chalukyas. The rulers of Tirukkovalur were Malayamans from where the great patron Malayaman of the Cankarn age ruled and they called themselves Malayamans after that great patron of Tamil.

In the age of the later Colas, we find them calling themselves Cetirdyas and Kovalarayas. Of the former title, Prof. K. A. Nila-kanta Sastry writes, “It is evident of the new tradition that was growing by which these chieftains sought to establish a connection with the Haihayas of Cedi at a time when all ruling chieftains were busy finding a puranic pedigree for themselves”. But the tradition is at least as old as the age of Arurar, where we find this name Eyarkon.

Meypporul Nayanar is called Malatarkoman and Cetiventar (Periyapuranam) but unfortunately, the native place of Eyarkon is not given by Arurar or Nampiyantar. Are we to assume that from the term Eyarkon, his native place can be nothing else than Tirukkovalur. Arurar mentions Eyarkon in the hymn he sang on Thiruppungur and Cekkilar makes Tirupperuman-kalam near Thiruppungur on the north bank of the Kaviri, the native place of this saint. Naracinkamunaiyaraiyar will appear to be another chief of this family. The other part of the name Kalikkamar is also a problem for historians. We had suggested that the term Kali might refer to the Kaliyaracar or Kalabhras.

Kalikkaman may either mean a member of this royal family who had the proper name Kaman. As this saint is called Eyarkdn, he cannot be said to belong to the Kali family as well. Kalikkaman, therefore, had to be taken to mean a partisan of the Kali family as opposed to the name Kalippakai, the enemy of the Kalis, a name borne by that chieftain who was betrothed to the sister of Tirunavukkaracar, who as a chieftain probably of Simhavisnu, conquered the Kalabhras.

As Prof. Nilakanta Sastry points out, some of the names and titles imply close dynastic connection among these different families of feudatory rulers, so that a member of a particular family is found to assume the title of another family or families.

One Malayaman as the Professor points out calls himself a Vanakularayan and another Malayaman calls himself a Pal-lavarayan. In this light, a member of the Kali family may assume the title of Haihaya. It is interesting to note that there is a city named after Kalikkama, the famous Kalikkamur sung by Campantar. In the 8th verse of this hymn, Campantar refers to a king with the serpent crown ruling the world from Kalikkamur: “Ur aravam talai nil mutiyan oli nir ulakantu kar aravak katal cula valum patiyam Kalikkamur”. This Kalikkamur is a city on the sea coast founded by a Kalikkaman, anterior to this Eyarkon, as it is sung by Campantar who must have lived at least a generation before Arurar.

Arurar refers to this Eyarkon in another place, the Tiruppun-kur hymn, already referred to: “Eta nannilam (Etamil nilam?) iraru veli Eyarkon urra irumpini tavirttu”— ‘You have removed the great ailment from which suffered that Eyarkon of 12 velis of land of no fault’. The reference to the 12 velis has been referred to in the previous verse of this hymn. ‘The whole world forgot the rains. There is no water in the fields. We will give you a big plot of land. Save us’. This was said. ‘The white clouds of lustre spread all round. There was a great flood. This danger was also averted. God received again 12 velis of land. Seeing this act of Grace, I have taken refuge in your feet, O, Lord of Tirup-Pungur’. This is the idea conveyed in this verse. Nampiyantar Nampi explains this story as an incident in the life of Eyarkon. He speaks of the Lord getting one set of 12 velis perhaps for saving the lands from the floods. The ‘pilai’ or fault, mentioned in this verse by Nampiyantar Nampi and ‘pini’ or ailment mentioned by Nampi Arurar probably refer only to the floods.

The word ‘pini’ is given its full force in this story of Eyarkon as narrated by Nampiyantar and Cekkilar. It is the chronic colic pain from which Syarkon is said to have suffered. Eyarkon was opposed to Arurar, because the latter made the Lord his errand-boy, carrying messages to Paravai. In order God to bring about a reconciliation between these saints, God informed ftalikkamar that Arurar would cure him of his colic pain. The heroic Kalikkamar preferred to die rather than meet his enemy, and ran a scimitar into his stomach—This is all the story that is found in Nampiyantar Nampi. But Cekkilar continues: Arurar as directed by God came to Kalikkamar’s place only to learn of his death and he was so much overcome with grief that he attempted to cut away his own head. God brought Eyarkdn to life and this saint went to prevent Arurar committing suicide. Thus these two great saints became very good friends.

The Darasuram sculpture represents this version of the story. Plate 6, figure 44 gives a copy of the sculpture with the name inscribed as Eyarkdn Kalikkamantar. On the right half we find Eyarkdn lying down on a cot with the death inflicting scimitar. On the left half are found two persons, one, Arurar trying to run his sword into his body and the other, Eyarkdn, catching hold of Arurar’s hands and preventing him from committing suicide. The Sanskrit and Kannada traditions refer to this saint as Kalikkama Nayanar, the commander of the army of the Cola king and the son-in-law of Manakanjanadisa—two facts mentioned by Cekkilar also. This saint is said to have taken a vow not to see the face of Sundara (Arurar) at all costs for the reason that the latter was in the company of prostitutes.