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Kannappa

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Painting, c. 1820 – c. 1825, portrays Shiva intervening to prevent Kannappa from sacrificing his eye.

Kannappa, also known as Kannappa Nayanar,[1] is a legendary figure in both Telugu and Tamil folklore renowned for his unwavering devotion to the Hindu god Shiva. His legend is closely associated with the Srikalahasteeswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh, India. According to folklore, Kannappa, a hunter, plucked out his eye as an offering to a Shiva Lingam. Before he could sacrifice his other eye, Shiva appeared.[2][3] [4]

Kannapa was born in a hunter's family, specifically from the Boya tribe, known for their hunting skills.

Early background

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Kannappa was born as Thinnan[5][6] to a hunter family in the modern day Andhra Pradesh.[7] His birthplace is often associated with Uduppura near Sri Kalahasti.[8][9] His story is one of intense devotion, particularly noted for his sacrifice of offering his eyes to Lord Shiva at the Srikalahasti Temple.[10]

Legend

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Statue of Kannappa at a museum in Thanjavur

When Arjuna was meditating to Shiva for Pashupatastra, to test him, Shiva entered that forest as a hunter. Due to two arrows from Shiva and Arjuna killing a demon named Mooka, a war started between Shiva and Arjuna, and finally impressed by Arjuna's efforts, Shiva gave him the Pashupatastra. According to a folklore, Shiva also blessed him to be born as his greatest devotee in his next birth. So, he was born in the Kali Yuga as Kannappa and finally attained moksha.

Kannappa was born as Thinnan[11] and was a staunch devotee of the Vayu Linga of the Srikalahasteeshwara Temple which he found in the forest while hunting. Being born into a low-caste hunting tribe, he did not know how to properly worship Shiva.[12] It is said that he poured water from his mouth[13] on the lingam which he brought from the nearby river Swarnamukhi. He also offered Shiva whatever animal he hunted, including swine flesh. Offering non-vegetarian food to deities is traditionally considered a sin in Hindu rituals. But Shiva accepted his offerings since he was pure at heart and his devotion was true.[14] The priests which used to conduct daily worship for the lingam saw the non-vegetarian offerings everytime they came from their lunch break. They used to throw the offerings, purify themselves, clean the lingam and offer vegetarian food to it. Once, Shiva tested the unshakable devotion of him. With his divine power, he created a tremor and the roof-tops of the temple began to fall. All the priests ran away from the scene except for Kannappa who covered the linga with his body to prevent it from any damage. Hence he was nicknamed thereafter as Dheera (the valiant one).[15]

Dheera noticed that one of the eyes of the lingam was oozing blood and tears. Sensing that Shiva's eye had been injured, he proceeded to pluck his one eye out with one of his arrows and placed it in the spot of the bleeding eye of the Siva linga. This stopped the bleeding in that eye of the lingam. But to complicate matters further, he noticed that the other eye of the linga had also started oozing blood. So Dheera thought that if he were to pluck his other eye too, he would become blind to exactly know the spot where he has to place his own second eye over the bleeding second eye of the lingam. So he placed his right toe on the lingam to mark the spot of the bleeding second eye and proceeded to pluck out his other and only eye. Moved by his extreme devotion, Shiva appeared before him, stopped him from plucking his only eye and restored both his eyes. He is referred to as Kannappa or Bhakta Kannappa (the man of the eyes). Kannappa merged into the lingam and attained liberation at last.

Kannappa's devotion is commemorated in Tamil Shaivite traditions, and his life is extensively documented in the Periya Puranam, a 12th-century Tamil hagiography of the 63 Nayanars.[16][17]

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Kannappa has been featured as the major character in several Indian films. In 1954, Dr. Rajkumar appeared as Kannappa in the Kannada film Bedara Kannappa and in the Telugu film Kalahasti Mahatyam. In the following year, a Hindi film, Shiv Bhakta (1955), featuring Shahu Modak as Kannappa, was released. A second film in Telugu was made in 1976 as Bhakta Kannappa starring Krishnam Raju in the title role, and in Kannada again in 1988 as Shiva Mecchida Kannappa with Shiva Rajkumar as adult Kannappa and Puneeth Rajkumar as young Kannappa. In the upcoming 2024 film Kannappa, Vishnu Manchu appears as the title character.[18]

Films on Kannappa

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Year Film Language Lead role Notes
1938 Kannappa Nayanar Tamil VN Sundaram [19]
1954 Bedara Kannappa Kannada Rajkumar
Kalahasti Mahatyam Telugu
Vedan Kannappa Tamil Dubbed version of Bedara Kannappa with an additional song
1955 Shiv Bhakta Hindi Shahu Modak
1976 Bhakta Kannappa Telugu Krishnam Raju
1988 Shiva Mecchida Kannappa Kannada Shiva Rajkumar, Puneeth Rajkumar (younger version)
2024 Kannappa Telugu Vishnu Manchu

See also

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References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kannappa.
  1. ^ Dehejia, Vidya. Slaves of the Lord: The Path of the Tamil Saints. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, 1988. ISBN: 9788121503071.
  2. ^ Michell, George (2013). Southern India: A Guide to Monuments Sites & Museums. Roli Books Private Limited. ISBN 978-81-7436-903-1.
  3. ^ E, Desingu Setty (1990). The Veduvar of South India: Society and religion. Inter-India Publications. ISBN 81-2100-237-0.
  4. ^ Dehejia, Vidya. Slaves of the Lord: The Path of the Tamil Saints. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, 1988. ISBN: 9788121503071.
  5. ^ Nilakanta Sastri, The Colas, University of Madras, 1935.
  6. ^ Dehejia, Vidya. Slaves of the Lord: The Path of the Tamil Saints. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, 1988. ISBN: 9788121503071.
  7. ^ Sekkizhar, Periya Puranam, Tamil Text Society, ISBN: 978-8192880789.
  8. ^ Sekkizhar, Periya Puranam, Tamil Text Society, ISBN: 978-8192880789.
  9. ^ Nilakanta Sastri, The Colas, University of Madras, 1935.
  10. ^ Nilakanta Sastri, The Colas, University of Madras, 1935.
  11. ^ Sekkizhar, Periya Puranam, Tamil Text Society, ISBN: 978-8192880789.
  12. ^ Peterson, Indira V. Design and Rhetoric in a Sanskrit Court Epic: The Kiratarjuniya of Bharavi. State University of New York Press, 2003. ISBN: 978-0791457386.
  13. ^ Zvelebil, Kamil. Companion Studies to the History of Tamil Literature. BRILL, 1992. ISBN: 978-9004093652.
  14. ^ Nilakanta Sastri, The Colas, University of Madras, 1935.
  15. ^ Sekkizhar, Periya Puranam, Tamil Text Society, 12th century. ISBN: 978-8192880789.
  16. ^ Vidya Dehejia, Slaves of the Lord: The Path of the Tamil Saints, Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, 1988, ISBN: 9788121503071.
  17. ^ Nilakanta Sastri, The Colas, University of Madras, 1935.
  18. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (23 November 2023). "'Lord of the Rings' Vision Revealed by Vishnu Manchu for 'Kannappa,' Featuring Prabhas, Mohanlal and Shiva Rajkumar (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  19. ^ FilmiClub. "Kannappa Nayanar (1938)". FilmiClub. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
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