the 63 nayanmars include 2 tribal kings, one who was chosen to be a king by a royal elephant, one prime minister, 2 chera kings, 2pallavas , 2 cholas , one pandyan royal couple, 2 commander in chiefs of the armies, and 3petty chieftans almost 25% are political or royal people. a rather high percentage though some of them have done great acts of piety many are in the list because they supported the movement
I think to be a nayanmar you should have seen lord shiva/or should have been involved in some mircale.Goon pandiyan was a nayanmar,who did not see shiva-but was involved with miracles of thirugnana sambandha.Thus he became a nayanmar.
After Girubananda variyar's death some of his devotees tried to make him 64th nayanmar,but that did not succeed for the above said reason.
though a devoted shaivaite, i am a little critical of the ways some of the the nayanmars were chosen
no there was no comitee to choose them. sundarar listed something like 59 people and sekilar added sundars family to it and made it round. if seing shiva was the criteria i think only some 15 would have made it to the list.
most people were chosen to set an example for future generations.
two examples Idangazhi Nayanar , a king who threw open his granary to shiva bakthas was added to the list kotpuli nayanar who killed lotsa people including relatives and parents for taking grain from the temple granary during a famine also made it to the list.
Kazharsinga Nayanar was a Pallava monarch, belonging to the family of Kadavar. his wife the queen picked up a flower meant for the shiva temple and smelt it. another nayanar Seruthunai Nayanar got angry and cut off her nose for that fault of smelling
the king on hearing of the incident e cut off the hand of his poor queen for picking up the flower in the first place
both the men made it to the 63
dhiwaker next time you pick up a flower in the temple make sure these two guys are not around.
Hai Diwakar just dont imagine all the 63 are nose cutters or hand cutters. some exemplary activities by the nayanmars can also be seen. my favourites are karaikal ammaiyar and poosalar
poosalar a man in penury has a life long ambition of building atemple for shiva. since he cannot afford it , builds a temple in his mind. on the day he prepares for a mental kumbabishekam dor his imaginary temple, the pallava king ( possibly rajasimhan) prepares for the kumbabishekam of kailasanathar temple. the king has shiva in his dream . shiva tells him his engagemenyt at kailasanathar temple stands cancelled as he has a more important appointment at thirunindravur. the enraged king rushes to thiru nindravur to see the rival temple but finds none. when he learns of poosalars mental temple the king is humbled before superior bakthi. i guess he undertakes building the actual hiruthayalishwarar temple at tirunindravur.
how cud i think that all the 63 are handcutters and nose cutters??? bhathi in its quientessential format knows nothing other than the God anyway...
Regarding flower picking in the temple, no way will a nayanmar cut my nose or hand.... it will be a girl's father who might do this after seeing me pickig the flowera from his daughter's locks and smelling it or pickng the flower fallen from his daughter's locks and smelling it..heheheh.......