The Story of Pusalar Nayanar

In the town of Tiruninravur, a devout Brahmin named Pusalar longed to build a grand temple for Shiva. However, he lacked the necessary wealth. Despite his disappointment, he refused to abandon his dream. Instead, he decided to build a magnificent temple entirely in his mind.

With unyielding devotion, he began his mental construction project. He meticulously planned every detail, gathering imaginary materials, hiring skilled mental workers, and following all the sacred architectural rules. He built the altar, the inner sanctums, the towering spires, and even dug a beautiful pond for the rituals. After years of dedicated thought and effort, he completed the temple in his mind, and fixed an auspicious date for its consecration.

At the same time, the Pallava king had built a magnificent physical temple in Kanchi and had also set the same date for its consecration. The night before the ceremony, Shiva appeared in the king's dream. He told the king that he could not attend the consecration because he was going to preside over the temple that Pusalar had built. The Lord asked the king to postpone his own ceremony.

The king was astonished. He immediately traveled to Tiruninravur to find this devotee and his temple. To his surprise, he found no physical temple. The townspeople told him that Pusalar was a humble Brahmin. The king found Pusalar and asked him about the great temple he had built.

With tears of gratitude, Pusalar confessed that the temple was a creation of his mind, built out of pure love for Shiva. The king, deeply moved by this flawless devotion, prostrated himself before Pusalar and returned to his capital. Pusalar then completed the consecration of his mental temple as planned and continued his worship until he finally attained the holy feet of Shiva. His story shows that true devotion and sincerity are more important than any physical offering.