Karaikkal Ammaiyar (காரைக்கால் அம்மையார்)
Birth place : Karaikkal
Mukti : Thiruvalangaadu
Star :
Panguni Swathi
A devotee who the Lord himself called his Mother, was
Karaikkal Ammaiyar!
Born in the town of Karaikkal to a rich
merchant, Karaikkal Ammaiyar was originally named Punithavathi. Punithavathi
was devoted to Lord Shiva right from her childhood. When she came of age, her
father got her married to another merchant by name Paramadattan from
Nagapattinam. But as she was his only child, her father did not want her to
stay away. Hence he built a house near his place for his daughter and son-in-law
and made them live close by.
Punithavathi and Paramadattan
started their life in Karaikkal. One day when Paramadattan was at work, a
visitor brought him two mangoes. He sent the mangoes home. Punithavathiyar was
alone at home. A devotee of Lord Shiva came for food. Punithavathiyar offered
him lunch and also one of the mangoes her husband had sent.
Later, when Paramadattan came home
for lunch, he asked for a mango and ate it. He found the mango very sweet and
wanted to eat the other mango too. Worried that Paramadattan may be angry if
she said she had given it away, Punithavathi went inside and prayed to Lord
Shiva. Miraculously, she got a mango in her hand and took it to her husband.
Paramadattan found this mango extremely tasty and asked his wife about it.
Punithavathi came out with the truth that the Lord had given it to her. Unable
to believe this, Paramadattan asked Punithavathi to request the Lord for one
more mango. She did this promptly and gave him the third mango (the second
miraculous one). The mango vanished from Paramadattan’s hand.
Now Paramadattan understood that
his wife was no ordinary woman and decided that he could not continue to live
with her. He said he was going out of town on business and sailed out of the country.
He came back and settled down in a town in Pandyanadu. He also married again
and had a daughter. He named his daughter Punithavathi out of respect for his
first wife.
Coming to know that Paramadattan was
living in another town nearby, Punithavathi’s relatives took her to him. When
they met, Paramadattan fell at Punithavathiyar’s feet along with his family
members. The relatives were surprised to see the husband falling at his wife’s
feet. Paramadattan then narrated the story of the mangoes to the relatives.
Understanding that her husband would never live with her any more, Punithavathi
wanted to give up her youth. She prayed to the Lord to change her form to a
skeletal ghost (பேய் உருவம்). Her prayer was answered and she immediately transformed into a
ghost. She proceeded to Kailasam in that form. Reaching Kailasam, she did not
want to walk on her feet and hence started walking on her head. Goddess
Parvathi enquired Lord Shiva about the ghost form walking upside down towards
them. The Lord said, it was his “Mother” who was on her way to meet him.
Punithavathiyar became Karaikkal Ammaiyar as the Lord himself called her His
mother. She reached the Lord and fell at his feet, calling Him her father. She
conveyed her wish to see His cosmic dance and the Lord asked her to reside in
Thiruvalangaadu and see his dance there forever. Karaikkal Ammaiyar reached
Thiruvalangaadu and once there, she could see only the Lord everywhere and
hence continued to walk on her head. Here she sang the Lord’s praise and
attained mukti.
Karaikkal Ammaiyar has composed
many hymns on the Lord like Arpudha Thiruvandhadhi and Irattai Mani Malai. iHi
Here is one of the compositions of Karaikkal Ammaiyar
இறவாத அன்பு வேண்டும்
இனிமேல் பிறவா வேண்டும்
மறவாத பக்தி வேண்டும்
மறுபிறப்பும் அதுவே வேண்டும்
பிறழாத நடனம் வேண்டும்
என்பாடல் அதிலே வேண்டும்
உறவாக உன்தாள் கீழே
ஒன்றிட வேண்டும் வேண்டும்
