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Thyagaraja Leelaikal is a Tamil religious treatise on the playful nature of the deity Thyagaraja of Thiruvarur. It is similar to the Thiruvilaiyadal Puranam in that it identifies Thyagaraja with the Cholas in the same way that the former identifies Meenakshi with the Pandyas. It is dated to the twelfth century CE. [1]
The following are some excerpts from the work: [1]
Leelai 1: The first act begins with Shiva asking Vishwakarma to build a town at Thiruvarur with a Valmika temple at its centre.
Leelai 3: This act begins with Shiva appearing as Thyagaraja and asking Airavata to garland the future king of Chola nadu as the land is without a king. Airavata garlands a sage who is of the Solar race.
Leelai 53: In this act Thyagaraja dons the robe of a king and dispenses justice to a family that is falsely denied of its wealth.
Leelai 70: This chapter explains how the children of Chola king Vikrama are saved by Thyagaraja when Sakuna Pandya tries to kill them using magic.
Leelai 102: In this act, Thyagaraja helps the Chola general against the Pandyas.
Leelai 248: In this chapter, we are told that when the Chola king was wounded in combat, blood poured out of the shoulder of Thyagaraja.
Leelai 322: In this act, celestial women play the Veena everyday to Thyagaraja and they are blessed to be born as mortals and wed Chola kings.
Leelai 364: This chapter explains the grace of Thyagaraja to Āticholan.
Aditya I, the son of Vijayalaya, was the Chola king who extended the Chola dominions by the conquest of the Pallavas and occupied the Western Ganga Kingdom.
Thiruvarur also spelt as Tiruvarur is a town and municipality in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Tiruvarur district and Tiruvarur taluk. The town was one of the five traditional capitals of the Chola empire, with one of the emperors of the dynasty, Kulothunga Chola I, having it as his capital. The town is believed to be of significant antiquity and has been ruled, at different times, by the Medieval Cholas, Later Cholas, Later Pandyas, Vijayanagar Empire, Marathas and the British. The town is known for the Thyagaraja temple, and the annual chariot festival held in the month of April.
Darasuram or Dharasuram is a neighborhood of Kumbakonam Municipal corporation in Thanjavur District, Tamil Nadu, India. According to the 2001 census, the town had a population of 13,027. The town is known for the Airavateswara temple constructed by the Rajaraja Chola II in the 12th century CE. The temple is a recognised UNESCO World Heritage monument.
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Thyagaraja Temple is a Shiva temple, located in the town of Thiruvarur in Tamil Nadu, India. Shiva is worshiped as Puttridankondar, and is represented by the lingam. Daily poojas are offered to his idol referred to as Maragatha lingam. The main idol of worship is Lord Veedhi Vidangar (Thiyagarajar), depicted as a Somaskanda form .His consort Parvathi is depicted as Kondi. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Saiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written in Tamil by saint poets known as the nayanars and classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam.
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