Karuvurar, a yogi, alchemist, a poet, was one of the siddhars. He was born in karuvur in an anthanar family. He reportedly was chosen as a disciple of the great siddhar bogar. His ten songs are included in Thiruvisaipa (the 9th Thirumurai).
The temples he has sung about include Chidambaram, Thiru Kalanthai, Kiil Kottur Maiyambalam, Thiru Mugaththalai, Thirailokkiya Suntharam, Gangai Konda Soleeshwaram, Thirupoovanam, Thiru Saatiyaakudi, Big temple at Thanjai and Thiruvidaimaruthur. Of these only Chidambaram, Thirupoovanam and Thiruvidamaruthur have been previously sung in the Devaram (3-4 centuries before karuvur thevar). There is a predominant legend that it was he who set the slanting Brigadeeshwara lingam upright on the day of the Kumbabishekam.
As expected there are a lot of controversies surrounding the saint, most of them by people who have not seen a stone inscription mentioning him. Their arguments include
As expected there are a lot of controversies surrounding the saint, most of them by people who have not seen a stone inscription mentioning him. Their arguments include
· There were many people with the title of Karuvur Thevar
· He did not co- exist during Raja Raja Cholan’s time, let alone be his teacher.
Following are the points to support that Karurar co-existed in the period of Raja Raja.
· Of course any saint coming from Karur has a right to the title. But when the ten songs of Karuvur Thevar are looked at in tandem a common pattern emerges. So at least the saint whose poems are in Thiruvisaipa must be a singular entity.
· The second point should be analytically examined. One of the main mis-conceptions that gave rise to the theory, was that Karuvurar had sung about a temple called Thirupoovanam. Those who read the name of the temple in English assume it to be Thirubhuvanam (built from the scratch by a later chola king). Actually the temple in the song is Thirupoovanam(holy- flower- forest) on the banks of the Vaigai. Karuvur thevar has sung about a cluster of temples in and around Chola land but this alone stands apart in Pandya land. There are very few doubts about the song and its relation to the Poovanam temple because in the song the saint uses the word Vaigai quite often.
There is an argument that Karuvuraar lived much later and reasons shown are the late publication of Karuvur Puraanam and building of the shrine in Tanjore big temple half a millennium after the saint lived.
Regarding the temple. We have so many cases of temples for saints being build years after a saint visited it. In Mylai Kapaali temple the Arunagirinathar shrine was built in the turn of the last century- 300 years or so after the saint’s visit. Similarly the shrine to Karuvuraar was built to commemorate an ancient event.
However Karuvur puranam is not being quoted by experts to link Raja Raja and Karuvuraar. The one being quoted is Thiruvisaipa was definitely a component of the panniru thirumurais by Sekkilar’s time. And after that no major changes have been made to it.
The final evidence comes from the Thiruvisaipaa about Rajarajeshwaram itself. There are so many factors within that point it to being a live experience in Thanjai during its peak.
Thanjai lost its prominence soon after raja rajas death and the focus shifted to Gangai konda chola puram, the Chola’s new capital. Even the big temple is unfinished in many sectors.
