Thiruvilaiyadal Puranam story  3 – Madurai Kandam

Building The Town Of Madura and Reign Of The First King

During the era of  Kulasegara-Pandyan, the ruler of Manavur, a trader known as Tanan-shayen, in the course of his travel on commercial business got stuck in a forest of Kadamba trees. Since he was unable to proceed further, he took up his abode at the foot of one of Kadamba trees. He was amazed at the scene of an unusual splendour that presented before him. He was going to take a deeper look when Lord Parameshwara blessed him with the darshan of him. Tananashayen was extremely fortunate for being blessed with the darshan of the Lord because he had been very righteous in a previous birth. As it was Monday and also Shivratri, the gods were offering their worship to Lord Shiva by anointing the vigraha. Meanwhile the merchant bathed in the tank and worshipped the Lord.

When the gods disappeared, Tananshayen the merchant got to see the stone image of Lord Shiva alone. On the following day, the merchant went to the palace of the king and related the events of the previous night on what he had come to see. The Lord also appeared to the King the following night in his dream, in the form of a holy ascetic, and instructed him to build a temple in the Kadamba vana. The king finding the dream and the statement of the merchant in concurrence went to the spot mentioned by the merchant and had part of the trees cleared. But he was not sure on how to go about building the temple and the town. He had another vision wherein the Lord appeared and gave certain instructions, based on which, the temple and the town was to be built. Workmen were hired, to build the temple and the town. The town had a king’s street, Brahmin’s street and also choultries, mandapams, tanks and many other sections. After the entire town got built, with a palace also for the king on the North-East quarter, another issue crept in. The issue was on how these various edifices could all be purified and occupied at once, on an auspicious day. The Lord again came to the rescue. He requested river Ganga, who adorned the Lords head, to sanctify the whole place in one go. Lord Shiva then named the town as Madura (or sweetness) and vanished. The King then placed guards at the four cardinal points of the city, who become the guardian deities of the city of Madura. Afterwards, a son was born to him and was named Malaya-Dhwajan, who on the King’s death succeeded to the throne.

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