There was once upon a time, a very very rich merchant in the ancient port of Kavirip Puumpattinam of Tanmilnaadu. This port city was one of the largest and most important in the world. It was also known as Puhaar or Puumpuhaar. The Greeks and Romans called it Koberis. It was in the Coromandel Coast of South India, facing the Bay of Bengal.

    It was always alive with hundreds of ships from all the parts of the known civilised ancient world. So much so that foreigners came in huge numbers and were a common sight in Puhaar. They were commonly addressed as the 'Pulam Peyar MaakkaL'. Of these people, the more numerous were the Romans and the Arabs. The former were known as the 'Yavanar' and the latter, the 'SOnakar'.

    Huge Yavanar ships were there in the harbour. The ships used to look like huge clouds floating in the sea. The unfurled sails made them look like that.
    The Yavanar had a colony - and it was known as 'Yavanar CEri'.

    This city had several parts - urban as well as rural. There were the international markets and residential areas; cantonment for the soldiers; palaces for the royalty; palaces of the merchant princes, and huge go-downs.
    The harbour was so trustworthy, that goods could be left lying around and the king's men would look after them.

    It was a city that never went to sleep.

    There were numerous beautiful whores - probably from many parts of India and also the world - who were briskly carrying out their trade. There was the day market which was open all day; it was called the 'NaaLanggaadi'. And there was the 'Allanggaadi' where the shops opened in the evening and kept open throughout the whole night. The shops were identified through the colourful flags that they were flying. And multitudes of hawkers were crying out their wares.

    PuHaar was an important port city of the ancient Tamil royal dynasty which was ruling over it - the ChOlzas. There was a naval base, military settlement and a Viceroy in the city. A scion of the ChOlza family always ruled over Puhaar as the Viceroy, but he was under the Cholza who ruled from the capital, URiayuur.
    In this glorious and magnificeint city, there lived this merchant.
    He was so rich that there was a legend which claimed that he was an incarnation of KubEra - the Deva of wealth and richness.
    And his richness made people beleive the legend.
    His richness made him so revered and honoured that people feared to pronounce his real name. He was respectfully addressed by an honorific - 'Pattinaththu Chettiyaar'. people shortened that even more and addressed him as 'Pattinaththaar' - 'He Who is of the Port City'.

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    Inspite of his riches, Pattinaththu PiLLaiyaar could not find solace because he did not have any children.
    He and his wife went on pilgrimages and performed the severest penances.
    Finally, in Thiruvaidaimarudhuur, Siva appeared in their dreams and gave them a choice of having a brilliant sonwho would be with them for a certain number years only.
    When the son was born, they named him MarudhavaaNan, after the Siva of Thiru Idai Marudhur.
    The son was brilliant in all aspects because it was beleived that Siva's amsam was born as that son.
    When MarudhavaaNan was sixteen, he was given charge of the business and was sent on a trade mission to the East. He commanded a flotilla of many ships and took the merchantile navy to the Eastern countries.
    After several months, news was received that MarudhavaaNan was returning with all the ships.
    Pattinaththu PiLLaiyaar was elated on his son's arrival.
    After the preliminaries, Pattinaththu PiLLaiyaar asked his so for all the business transactions and merchantile.
    MarudhavaaNan directed him to go down to the go-down and inspect the merchantile.
    Pattinaththu PiLLaiyaar went there and saw sacks upon sacks stacked high up to the ceiling.
    Curiously, he opened up a sack and much to his chagrine and discust, he found cakes of cow-dung called eru varatti.
    He opened the other sacks as well. But all he could see, was an endless display of dung cakes after dung cakes.

    He was very much upset and was deeply distressed.
    Whoever would travel the eastern seas with superior fleet of merchant navy and come back with ship-loads of dried cow-dung!
    In his remorse and anger, he scolded MarudhavaAnan for such
a behaviour.
    MarudhavAnan just smiled and asked his father to inspect the
cow dung cakes.
    PiLLaiyar went to sacks and took out a few dung cakes.
    In total disgust and anger, he threw down a dung cake.
    When it hit the floor, it broke; and from the split, there spilled gem stones.
    Pattinaththu PiLLaiyaar immediately scooped up the gem stones and explored them.
    They were of the highest quality - rubies, emarald, diamonds......
    There was an untold amount wealth in those sacks and sacks and sacks of dung cakes.

    Pattinaththu PiLLaiyaar immediately ran over to his palace. He shouted out to MarudhavaaNan.
    "MarudhavaaNaa! MarudhavaaNaa....! Oh MarudhavaaNaa!....."

    The palace walls merely echoed his appellations.

    A servant came to Pattinaththaar and handed him a small ornamental chest
.
    Pattinaththu PiLLaiyaar frantically opened it and found an eyeless needle and a small piece of olai leaf.
    The olai leaf had something written on it.
    Pattinaththaar scrutinised it.
    There was one sentence....only one single simple sentence.....

    "Even an eyeless needle would not come to the last path"

    "kaadhaRRa vuusiyum vaaraadhu kaaN kadaivalzikkE"

    And Pattinaththaar, the great Siddha, was thus born.

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