OFFERING  TAMIL PLANK  OF TAMIL SANGAM

When Vankiya Sekaran was ruling Pandiyan kingdom, in the North, Lord Brahma performed ten Aswametha yaagams. On completion of the yaagam, the very next day, he went to Ganges river to take bath along with his wives Saraswathi, Savithri and Gayathri. On the way a Gandharva womanl (a class of music loving celestials) was playing in an Yaazh. Saraswathi listened  to that sweet music. Since the music played in the yaazh was more pleasing and sweet than that of hers, she stayed back forgetting herself. Brahma did not notice this  and so went to the Ganges river along with the other two. He bathed along with them and came back to the shore of the river. Saraswathi who forgot herself while listening that music of Gandharva woman, came back to her senses, when she finished her music. She felt sad that both her husbands along with the other two left earlier without noticing her. After bathing, Saraswathi went near the other two who were standing on the shore told Lord Brahma “I stopped there being captivated by the music of that woman. You three, left that place even without noticing whether I am accompanying all of you or not. You could have waited for my arrival. We could have bathed together. Is it justifiable to take bath alone even without taking care of me?” Hearing her angry words, Brahma said “ What you say looks very different. You only  are the Queen for the music.How can I accept the fact that you were captivated by the music of another woman. Further it is the duty of a wife to follow behind her husband. It is not proper for you to get angry, by forgetting this fact of the duty of a wife and enjoying the music.So I will curse for forgetting your duty.”

You have 48 forms. All these  48  forms will take birth in the earth as learned men (Pulavar in Tamil). For all these learned persons, Lord Sundaresar at Madurai will be the head. By his blessings all your forms will join together and come back to Brahma lokam(world Lord Brahma). As per the curse all the  48  forms incarnated  as 48  learned persons. They were experts in  18 languages. They became the devotees of Lord Sundaresar. In order to test them, once Lord Sundareswarar took up the role of another learned person, and appeared before the other learned persons.He told them “O” Learned persons, You seem to look very well learned. What work you have under taken now?”. They replied “We are in search of a leader for us. We want to debut(presentation for the time on the stage, Arangetram in Tamil) under his leadership,  all the books written by us”. The learned person took them straight to the shrine of Lord Soma sundarar. Going inside the sanctum sanctorum he merged (became one) with the Lingam there. All the  48 learned persons understood that the learned person who took them to the shrine is none other than Lord Sundareswarar himself. They took Lord Sundareswarar as their leader. Having learnt this news, Vankiya sekara Pandiyan invited all those 48 learned persons to his durbar. They recited their poetry praising him. Pandiyan became happy on hearing the same and gave them lot of gold and money. He also constructed a hall for them on the North west direction of the temple.

That mandapam was named as SANGA MANDAPAM. All the  48 learned were called as Sanga Pulavargal. The learned persons who are already living in Madurai became jealous on all these  48 learned persons who have come from outside, on hearing the concessions given to them by the king. So they decided to arrange a competition to defeat the new learned men. The king also made the arrangements for the competition. But before the expertise(in arguing)of the new learned persons the old learned persons arguments did not cut ice. They were defeated. Then the new learned persons(sanga pulavar)went to the shrine of Sundareswarar and requested HIM to bless them to get still more proficiency in learning. Sundareswarar appeared before them as the same old learned person. They all worshipped him. He gave a plank to them. He said “O” learned persons, This plank may appear short .But it has vast Manthra power. One learned person can come to sit in this plank with his poetry. If the poetry is a correct one it will offer him space to sit on it. If another learned person come with a right poetry, it will lengthen itself so as to give him also the space to sit on it. It will lengthen for all of you 48 persons to sit, provided all of you come with the right poetry.  In case, you compete with others, this will serve for you as a balance(Tharaasu in tamil)to know whether your poetry is the right and correct one. First Nakkeerar, Paanar (who are sanga pulavars )first sat on it with right poetry. It gave space for the remaining learned persons also to sit on it in a row. But because all the poetries  represented just one and the same matter they quarreled among themselves  without knowing as to which poetry belongs to whom. At that time Lord sundareswarar himself  came in the form of a Pulavar (learned person.).and gave the right poetry that belongs to each one of them.