The Chittirai festival is on at Madurai. The grand wedding of Shri Meenakshi Amman to Sundareswara and Kallazhagar stepping into the Vaigai River happens during this festival. (You can read the story of Meenakshi’s wedding here and that of Kallazhagar here).

This post however, is about Nīlakanta Dīkshitā who was the prime minister of Tirumalai Nāyakkā, the ruler of Madurai in the 17th century.

Nīlakanta came in the lineage of Appayya Dīkshitā, a sixteenth century personality, who  was an erudite scholar, philosopher and a prolific poet, who authored more than a hundred works. Nīlakanta who was the grand-nephew of Sri Appayya, was born at their ancestral home in Adayapālayam in Tamil Nadu in 1582 CE. 

Honed in his childhood by the great Appayya Dīkshitā himself, Nīlakanta grew up learning all the shastras in a very short span of time. Appayya Dīkshitā passed away in 1593  CE and before that he handed over to the young Nīlakanta, the five Shivalingas he used in his worship, as well and the manuscripts of Kālidasā’s Raghuvamsham and the Devi Mahātmyam. Showering his wholehearted blessings on him he  predicted that Nīlakanta would rise to an ‘important position’ in future.

Shortly thereafter, due to some family issues, Nīlakanta Dīkshitā decided to go to Tanjāvur. There he became the disciple of Shri Venkatamakhin, the illustrious son of the great Govinda Dīkshitā. Govinda Dīkshitā had the rare privilege of being a minister for three successive Nayak Kings of Tanjāvur. Venkatamakhin was a distinguished Mimāmsa scholar and a Vainika (veena player) par excellence and a great composer of Carnatic music.

After enriching his knowledge under the able guidance of Venkatamakhin,  Nīlakanta Dīkshitā went to Madurai seeking his fortunes. There he started giving discourses on the Devi Mahātmyam, which Appayya Dīkshitā had taught him and blessed him with. Madurai was ruled by King Tirumalai Nāyakkā at that time.

Once when the King was going around the town in disguise, he happened to listen to the lecture of Nīlakanta Dīkshitā. Looking at the enormous crowds gathered to listen, and the enthralling speech of Nīlakanta, Tirumalai Nāyakkā decided to make him his Prime Minister.

The prediction of Appayya Dīkshitā came true. Nīlakanta Dīkshitā became the Prime Minister and the advisor to the King who consulted him on all matters especially on matters concerning the temple  of Meenakshi Amman. Though he donated a lot to many temples in the region, Tirumalai Nāyakkā was deeply devoted to Meenakshi Amman and had consistently done many improvements to the temple. It was during his time  that a huge Mūrti of Ganesha (about 8 feet) was found while digging a tank in Vandiyur. The Ganesha named as Mukkuruni Pillayār was installed in the current place inside Meenakshi Temple as per the advice of Nīlakanta Dīkshitā.

It is said that in those days, the  Divine Wedding of Meenakshi Amman used to be celebrated in the Tamil month of Māsi (February- March).  But, there was a problem. This period was just post-harvest and people did not have the time to come and take part in the temple festivities. In fact there were not enough people to even pull the magnificent chariots which the King had got  constructed for the deities. But then, there was this  Vaishnavite festival of Sri Kallazhagar (Mahavishnu) coming from Azhagarkovil to a place called Thenur on the banks of the Vaigai near Madurai in the month of Chittirai (April- May). This was celebrated with great pomp and gaiety as it was a lean month and all the people participated enthusiastically.

The King wanted the crowds to come for both festivals. He also wanted unity between the Shaivites and Vaishnavites. A solution was found. He built a Mandapam called ‘Thenur Mandapam’ on the banks of the Vaigai nearer to Madurai city, where Azhagar would come instead of going to Thenur. The King also shifted the wedding festivities from the month of Māsi to Chittirai. A beautiful legend was woven around the merging of these two festivals.

 It was Nīlakanta Dīkshitā who had thorough knowledge of the Agama Sastras who gave this idea to the King. Going a step further, the practice of Shri Subramanya from Tirupparankunram also attending the wedding was introduced so that people from that village also go to the town of Madurai during that time. This made the Chittirai festival one of the biggest festivals in India now drawing over ten lakh people over a period of ten days. Tirumalai Nāyakkā can be solely to be credited for the scale and grandeur of the Chittirai festival as we witness  it today.

Tirumalai Nāyakkā constructed a Vasantha Mandapam for the use of the deities in spring season. This Mandapam was/is called “Pudumandapam”. The overseeing of the construction was fully given to Nīlakanta Dīkshitā. It was the practice in those days to sculpt the statues of the benefactors in the places built by them. Keeping this in view, the sculptor was making the statues of Tirumalai Nāyakkā and his queens to be put up in the Mandapam. The statues were life-like and ready, but the sculptor looked very sad and frustrated. Nīlakanta who had come for inspection, asked the sculptor he reason for his frustration. The sculptor replied that he had been trying to carve the figure of the chief queen three times and all the times, when he was carving the thigh portion, a tiny piece chipped off exactly at the same place on the left thigh. This was the reason of his sadness.

Nīlakanta closed his eyes and thought for some time. His divine  intuition indicated that the queen should be actually having a mole on that place which was why  it was getting chipped off repeatedly.  “Don’t you worry about that!” he told the sculptor. “It is as it should be. Continue with your work”.

After a while when the King came to see the progress, this small flaw attracted his eye. When asked, the sculptor told him what Nīlakanta had said. The King was stunned and furious for there was indeed a mole on the left thigh of his queen at the exact spot which was getting chipped off. The King was shattered. His imagination ran wild and he just could not believe that his learned pious minister could be having an illicit relationship with his queen. Else how would he know about the mole??

He was totally confused and dazed and could not sleep a wink that night. The next morning, he sent his soldiers to the house of Nīlakanta to bring him to the court.  Though he did not tell them the purpose for which Niīlakanta was to be brought, he had decided on the punishment. “I will burn Nīlakanta’s eyes” he thought to himself.

When the soldiers arrived at Nīlakanta’s house, they found him immersed in deep worship of Meenakshi Amman. They waited.

At the end of the Puja, Nīlakanta showed the ‘Deepāradhana’ burning camphor on the plate to Meenakshi Amman, saw the soldiers and then picked the burning camphors and lifting his face upward, placed them on both his eyes . He was instantly blinded. The soldiers who witnessed this were horrified beyond measure. He told the soldiers, “Tell your king that I have already done the job which he wanted to do”. The puzzled soldiers, aghast at what they had witnessed went and told the King what had happened.

Tirumalai Nāyakkā was stunned. He had not mentioned anything to anyone about the punishment  and here Nīlakanta exactly knew what he had intended to do. He realized his blunder and chided himself for the petty thoughts his mind had entertained. He rushed to Nīlakanta’s house and fell at his feet asking for forgiveness. Nīlakanta was not angry. He patiently explained that he , through intuition gifted by the Divine Mother,  knew that there had to be a mole on the queen’s thigh and therefore told the sculptor to leave it as it was.

Tirumalai Nāyakkā could not be pacified. Having realized the greatness of the person who was serving as his minister, he pleaded to Nīlakanta. “I will die of guilt” he said. “I cannot forgive myself in this lifetime on account of having been so hasty in my decision which caused loss of your sight” he said in a voice choked with tears.

Nīlakanta was touched by the King’s sense of remorse. More than his own pain, he felt pity for the King who was burdened by guilt. He started singing a Stotram by name “Ānanda Sāgara Sthavam” addressed to Meenakshi Amman. This has 107  Shlokas. The 61st Shloka has meaning like this –  ‘Are two eyes enough to enjoy the sight  of your Lotus Feet?’ When Nīlakanta sang this, his sight was restored fully. Tirumalai Nāyakkā was even more astonished at how Devi Meenakshi had just showered Her blessings. He was overawed by the greatness of his minister.

But Nīlakanta had suffered enough. He told the King that he did not wish to continue in service, with a blemish on his reputation. He wanted to retire in a quiet place. Tirumalai Nāyakkā gifted him a whole village by name ‘Pālamadai’ (Nīlakanta Samudram) on the banks of the River Tamraparani near Tirunelveli and Nīlakanta Dīkshitā took up Sanyasa and spent his last days there completely detached from the outside world till he merged with the Divine Mother. His ‘Samadhi’ is still there at Pālamadai.

Let us all pray to Meenakshi Amman and Sundareswara to shower their blessings on us!