By Swami Sivananda
Koon Pandyan (the Pandyan king) was ruling in Madurai. He was called Koon Pandyan because of his hunchback. He was himself a poet and he patronized the Tamil poets and established a Tamil Sangam. His wife was Mangaiyarkarasi Ammaiyar. She was the daughter of a Chola king. She was an ardent devotee of Lord Siva. Kulachirai Nayanar was (Ninra-Seer) Nedumaran's minister. Kulachirai Nayanar, also, was a staunch devotee of Lord Siva. Thiru-jnana-sambanthar has sung pathigams in praise of both.
Koon Pandyan had fallen a victim to the influence of Jainism. The queen and the minister feared that unless something was done, Saivism would be wiped out.
When Sambanthar came to Madurai and was staying outside the city, Kulachirai Nayanar invited Sambanthar into the city. The Jains tried in vain to destroy Sambanthar. When Sambanthar sang a song, the king's hunchback was cured, as also his burning pain. Koon Pandyan came back to Saivism. Since then he was known as (Ninra-Seer) Nedumaran Nayanar, as his hunchback had disappeared and he stood erect and tall.
 Read about these miracles involving Mangaiyarkarasi Ammaiyar in the life of Thiru-jnana-sambanthar |
(Ninra-Seer) Nedumaran then defeated the northern kings at Thirunelvely and spread Saivism there. Mangaiyarkarasi Ammaiyar helped her husband a lot in this. Both the husband and the wife worshipped Sambanthar with great faith and devotion. Their devotion to the Guru and love of Saivism earned them Siva's grace.
References:
Sekkilaar, and G. Vanmikanathan. Periya Puranam — A Tamil Classic On The Great Saiva Saints of South India. Ed. Dr. N. Mahalingam. Chennai: Sri Ramakrishna Math, 2000.
Sivananda, Swami. Sixty-Three Nayanar Saints. World Wide Web edition. India: Divine Life Society, 1999.
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