Tiruneelanakka Nayanar

Tiruneelanakka Nayanar is the devotee whose rule — that the god’s servants are the god — was tested in his own house.

Life/Legend

The hagiography relates that Tiruneelanakka held that whatever a devotee did was sacred. To prove the rule, Shiva came as a devotee of shocking conduct; the saint received him without judgment, and the god revealed himself, affirming the doctrine. The tale belongs with Viralminda’s — the devotee-first teaching proven in a household rather than a temple.

Legacy

His story is told as the canon’s warning against judging the god’s people by their surface.

Verification notes

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