Originally, their grandfather had migrated from Sarkar Valavandi of Valavandi Nadu, Menadu (Chera or Konga nadu). He got Nellivalanadu as a fiefdom for his resolution of a dispute amongst the Moovendar.
Summary of the story:
In India, the local faiths and deities remains local and it never gets exposed even to the adjacent villages or frontiers. Such a one is the history of Ponnar-Sankar. The Panchapandavas of Mahabharatha have reincarnated in Kaliyuga to destroy the remnant evils forces and also to bring the penance of Goddess Periyakandi (incarnation of Goddess Parvathi) to an end. The Ponnar-Sankar were incarnations of Dharmaraja-Arjun and other three with Draupathi have also incarnated as their relatives.
The history of Ponnar sankar was embedded in the lives of atleast 15 million people in Central and Western Tamil nadu. Even today at the time of Mahasivarathiri the story of Ponnar-Sankar (Annamar, i.e. brothers) was played in different places for a day to 50 days. Especially at Veerappur, were the real history occurred, more than half a million people gather in single day.
Many people in western Tamil nadu have the names as “Periyasamy” and “Chinnasamy”, reminding he Annamars (elder and younger brothers) and also as “Ponnusamy” and “Sankar”. While speaking about “Ponnar-sankar”, it is inevitable to avoid the legend of Goddess Perikandiyamman and Goddess Mathukkarai Sellandiyamman (form of Ujjaini Mahakaali), as they were successive happenings. This attempt was made to summarize the whole history to the best possible extent based on the “Pichapattar” palm leaf manuscript written before 600 years, which was book printed by Mr.Sakthikanal in 1980s.
Story of Goddess Periyakandiyamman:
A Cobra was living in the North of Kailash in a dark country and it worried about not having child. It started doing penance towards Lord Shiva to have a child. Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi were surprised by the act of the cobra. Lord Shiva told Parvathi that please go and born as a child for cobra. Goddess also has born to cobra as female child with male stature. The child was called Goddess Periyakandiyamman.
Goddess Parvathi in the form of Periyakandiyamman started penance to Shiva to get rid of the earthly birth. Shiva appeared and requested to Periyakandi to go to Veeramalai in the South were she find white peak called Venmudi in that hill. With that suggestion Periyakandi travels all across from Kailash to Veeramalai in down south in Central Tamil nadu.
Lord Shiva have send Kannimar (Sapthamatha i.e. seven divine goddesses) as a protective ring for Goddess Periyakandi. Goddess travels to South doing lot of miracles among the people and reaches Ratnagiri Shiva temple (Iyermalai near Kulithalai, Trichy), were Iswara of Ratnagiri given a way to Veeramalai and turned Periyakandi to complete female form. Ratnagiri Iswara directed to do penance on the top of the Veeramalai until the brave Ponnar-Sankar does a Dharmayuththa to destroy the evil forces in the country.
Ponnar-Sankar history:
Ponnar Sankar story starts from their grandfathers. The chieftain of the Vazhavanthi country in Chera kingdom (part of Southern Namakkal district) was Kolaththa Gounder, eldest among the twelve brothers belong to Perungudi clan of Konga Karaala Vellalars. He and his wife Pavalaththal decides to leave their country because of the injustful brothers. They came to Mathukkarai Goddess Sellandiyamman temple and found the three Maharajas, Chera-Chola-Pandya were sitting infront of the goddess to mark their tri-nation border. Kolaththa Gounder solves the dispute and Chola Maharaja gave a country called Konad to him, for his justice. The couple went to Konadu and has found the settlements, Ponds and the agricultural lands out wastelands and made the country prosperous, which was later named as Valanad. The 11 brothers from Vazhavanthi country faced severe drought and have seeked refuge to their eldest brother in Konad in Chola kingdom. The elder brother, as a Karaalan gave refuge in the borders of his country Konad.
The couple were living prosperous but they didn’t had child and they so both of them have went to several temple to make pray God to bless with them children. They were blessed with a male child after long penance and they named him as Mannudaiya Gounder (later called as Kunnudaiya Gr.). He was little bit sluggish boy and was innocent. The couple died leaving the five year old child in their old age. After the death of the couple the 11 brothers were jealous about their eldest brother’s assets. They have droved out the innocent child from Valanad and this young child went to Aathichettipalayam (currently near Puliyur, Karur district). He went to a Chettiyar (Merchant caste) home who was selling the rice bran. After the arrival of Kunnudaiyan the Chettiar become prosperous.
The Kunnudaiyan’s father has taken a promise from his brother-in-law that he should give his daughter Thamarainachi to marry Kunnudaiyan. But, Sellaththa Gounder the cousin for Kunnudaiyan was thinking to marry Thamarai to his Son, as they have droven out Kunnudaiyan. The Chola Thotti (a message announcer caste) who worked under Kolaththa Gounder has searched for Kunnudaiyan and found him in Chettiar’s house and has brought him to Thamarainachi’s house before the marriage day to Maniyankurichi.
Kunnudaiyan asked his aunt and uncle to give their daughter to marry. But they have illtreated him and have punished them for a night in cell with ants and termites. Lord Vishnu saves him in that night from the ants. Thamarai hearing the news refused to marry the alliance of Sellaththa Gounder’s son and wanted marry to Kunnudaiyan. Finally, she married Kunnudaiyan. After marriage, Thamarai was ill-treated by her father and son, for not acting for their wish. Thamarai made a pledge to her father that she will give birth to two male children and you will have two grand daughter and my sons will marry them and will put them in jail.
The couples came to Valanad and Kunnudaiyan went to his paternal cousin to ask for land, but they refused to give them land. Kunnudaiyan went to Chola Maharaja and have explained their situation and mentioned his father’s name. Chola Maharaja gave wastelands to Kunnudaiyan. With the help of Mayavar (Blue God Lord Vishnu) Kunnudaiyan have succeeded in his cultivation and have become prosperous. Though, the couple doesn’t have progeny. The couple has done lot of penance and prayers. The couple’s were asked in the Chidambaram temple by the god that you want children, who will live for 16 years, who will achieve allthings or children, who will live for 100 years and won’t achieve anything.
Thamarai asked for the previous and she also asked the maternal blessing for all the people around them and the animals that she grew. The Lord Shiva blessed all of them. The Pacha pandavas who came to heaven after doing the Dharamayuththam in the end of Dwaparayuga were asked again to go and born in earth to reestablish the Dharma in Kaliyuga. With this wish of God, Dharamaraja-Arjuna-Draupathi has born as Ponnar-Sankar-Arukkani Thangam, Bheema as Sambuhan to Chola Thotti and Nagula-Sahadeva as Cousin brothers to Kunnudaiyan.
The jealousy cousins of Kunnudaiyan’s tried to kill the two boys of Thamarai through Kuppayi in their delivery. But, with the blessing of Lord Vishnu they escaped the death and they emerged through left and right ribs of Thamarai and were brought up by Goddess Sellandiyamman for five years. The couples were left with girl Arukkani alone.
Goddess Sellandi brings back their two sons, Ponnar-Sankar to Kunnudaiyan. Thamarai shares all their life hard experiences. Ponnar and Sankar (Annamar) revenged their cousin fathers and mothers for punishing their father and mother. Annamar while playing with the children of the hunting people (Veduvars) they shows their bravery and succeeds them several times. Once, Thamarai have made a pledge to Thalaiyur Kaali (The Veduva Raja) that she eradicates the Veduva kula for his misbehavior. So, the bravery and the doings of Annamar created restlessness in Thalaiyur (West of Konad). Suddenly, the parents die and Ponnar-Sankar rule Valanad under the gods grace. They show their bravery to the Chola Maharaja, who seeks their help for protecting the borders of kingdom. Meanwhile the Thalaiyur Kaaliraja plunders Valanad and Annamar defeats them with their bravery. Annamar marries Muththayi and Pavalayi and jails them as per the wish of their parents.
Samabuhan and Cousin sons and all the incarnation join together in Valanad. The Thalaiyur Kaaliraja plans to kill Ponnar and Sankar. He uses the Thattan (Carpenter), who goes to Valanad and criticizes Ponnar for taking his Golden bowl and returning the wooden one. Ponnar promises that to prove his truthfulness he will do anything that Thattan asks to do. Thattans plans to kill him in the pond and he asks Ponnar to enter inside the inlet of the pond and come out through outlet of the pond. Thattans tries to put stone on his head, while Ponnar comes outside. But, Ponnar escapes his plans and Thattans was cursed by his own mother that his entire lineage will born handicapped.
After that incident, the Veduva Kaaliraja directly attacks Valanad and Ponnar-Sankar-Sambuhan-Cousin sons started their war against the Veduva army at Veerappur. Finally both of them started destroying all Veduvas as per their mother’s pledge. But, Mayavar (Lord Vishnu) sees this and gives lives to Veduvas one side. Mayavar finally, let an arrow on Sankar and Sankar considered this arrow as disregard for his bravery and a palm leaf comes to him that he should turn back to heaven. So, Sankar leaves his life. Following the Sambuhana nd cousin sons die in another side. Ponnar also does a promise that they won’t uproot the Veduvar kula and diesoff.
The Thalaiyur Kaaliraja attacks the Valanad fort and Arukkani thangam knows these happening to her brother through her virtues and she burns the Valanad fort along with her brother’s wives, to save their purity. Finally, she searches for Annamar and reaches the Padukalam (War-zone) and she screams out there. Her screaming disturbs Goddess Periyakandi, who is doing penance for yugas together waiting for arrival of Ponnar-Sankar and to see their bravery to protect Dharma.
Goddess sent different animals to kill Arukkani, who disturbed her penance. Finally, she came down and has seen the war-zone and asks Arukkani about the happening. She explains her history and Periyakandi realizes everything and asks Arukkani to do a homa and sprinkle holy water on the dead people. Arukkani performs homa herself and sprinkles holy water and all the dead people have raised up. Lord Vishnu comes in to the picture and tells Arukkani that if the dead people rose the earth can’t bear the load. Then all the people die. The incarnations of Panchapandavas go to heaven again and Goddess Periyakandi also attains the Kailash as her penance came to end.
From then Ponnar sankar comes to earth every year to get their Pooja from the people at Veerappur temple. This pooja is performed every year and the same Padukalam was performed by the people with very conscious way. This attracts atleast one million people in a week during the time of Mahasivarathri every year. The Annamr story was played through western Tamil nadu in several places and the worship was done with care for many centuries.
Temple location:
- Distance between Trichy and Veerapur Ponnar Shankar Temple is 49 kms
- Distance between Karur and Veerapur Ponnar Shankar Temple is 70 kms
- Distance between Coimbatore and Veerapur Ponnar Shankar Temple is 201 kms
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