The divine plays or Leelas of Shiva are 64 in number. They describe the exploits of Lord Siva who incarnated as Somasundara, Chokkanatha or Sundaresvara — the king of Madurai and husband of Queen Meenakshi. According to the Thiruvilaiyadal Purana, composed by Paranjoti Munivar in the sixteenth century, these sports have taken place in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. Legend has it that Meenakshi and Sundareswarar ruled over the city of Madurai for a long period of time. Sundareswarar also goes by the name Sundara Pandyan. Ugra Pandyan, the son of the divine couple, is believed to be none other than Subramanya. A few of these thiruvilaiyadals find frequent mentions in Thiruppugazh. Let's study them. In his previous incarnation, Sundarar was Alala Sundarar, one of the Shiva ganas. Alala Sundarar was living in the Mount Kailas, when he was enamored of two girls Anindita and Kamalini, the attendants of Goddess Parvathi. They, too, fell in love with Sundarar. Kamalini, the attendant of Parvat...
