Kandaraathithar chozha devar

Kandaraathithar chozha devar

Kandaraathithar chozha devar is one among the nine devotees who sung the Divine Music thiruvichaippa, which is the ninth thirumuRai. His composition forms the fourth set in thiruvichaippa. Kandaraathithar was the king of the chOza empire. He ruled the empire between 950 - 957 a.C.e. He came to the royal throne after his father parandhakan First, who in his service to the lord tiled the roof of the thiruchchiRRambalam (thillai) with gold.

This king not only commanded the empire to be a morally and spiritually high state, but also was in a commandable position in his thamiz literature and composing skills. This emperor ceded his heart to the Dancing lord, Who commands the whole Universe. This royal devotee apart from serving the lord by nurturing the eternal prosperity roots of shaivam in the empire, building and developing the abodes of the lord, Who goes on alms, composed His praises in beautiful thamiz, as if his love has taken the form of words. it is apparent that he had lots of interest in the thevaram sung by mUvar (sambandhar, appar, sundharar). a rock-cut inscription calls this king as shiva nyana Kandaraathithar.

This king while adhering to shaivam, treated well and nurtured vaiShnavam and other religions also. He has built a temple called kandaradhiththa vinnagaram for lord viShnu. He has involved himself quite a bit in worshiping the lord of thillai and thiruvarUr. His wife, the queen, chembiyan madheviyar (2) was also a highly respectable devotee of the lord. She had done lots of endowments and developments for the abodes of lord shiva and nurtured the king rajarajan (3), who spread the fragrance of shaivam across the indian ocean. One of the inscription refers to Kandaraathithar as meRkezundharuliya dhevar, which might be an indication that this devotee in his later parts of life, renouncing the royal throne went on a pilgrimage in the western parts of Bharath.

Only one padhikam of his compositions is available now. This is on the Mind robbing lord of thillai. This is kept as part of the nineth thirumuRai, thiruvichaippa(1).