Aiyadigal Kadavarkon

Aiyadigal Kadavarkon is the king who abdicated his throne to wander as a pilgrim to Shiva’s shrines — the Nayanar of the crown laid down.

Life/Legend

The hagiography relates that the Kadavarkon, a Pallava-era sovereign, ruled justly until devotion claimed him entirely; setting the kingdom on his son, he walked the shrine-roads of the Tamil country as any pilgrim, and the tradition says the god received him at his journey’s end. The tale is the canon’s portrait of the throne renounced for the road.

Legacy

His story anchors the Nayanar teaching that sovereignty is a costume the devotee may leave at the door.

Verification notes

• Narrative is hagiographic (Periya Puranam); the Pallava context is traditional.
• Audited against Wikipedia (September 2026).