Nāyanār Tirunakṣatram (Guru Pūjā) 2011: Mount Vernon, Kansas

The Nayanmars (Nayanars) are the sixty-three Shaiva saints of Tamil Nadu. Sundarar first named them in the Thiruthondar Thogai, Nambiyandar Nambi sang of them in the Thiruthondar Thiruvandhadhi, and in the twelfth century Sekkizhar told their lives in full in the Periya Puranam, the twelfth book of the Shaiva canon, the Thirumurai.

They came from every walk of life. There were kings such as Cheraman Perumal, Kochchenkat Chozhar and Ninra Seer Nedumaran; the hunter Kannappar, who offered his own eyes to the Lord at Kalahasti; Nandanar, who longed to see Nataraja at Chidambaram; Karaikkal Ammaiyar, who climbed to Kailasa on her hands; the potter Thiru Neelakandar; the Brahmin Appoodhi Adigal, who named everything he owned after Appar without ever meeting him; and Pusalar, who built a whole temple in his heart. What joined them was single-minded love of Shiva and service to His devotees.

Three of them, Thirugnana Sambandar, Thirunavukkarasar (Appar) and Sundarar, sang the Thevaram hymns that are still sung in Shiva temples every day. On Sambandar's wedding day at Thirunallur Perumanam in Vaikasi Moolam, he, his bride and every guest, among them Thiru Neelanakkar, Muruga Nayanar and Thiru Neelakanda Yazhpanar, merged into the light of Shiva together, which is why these Nayanars share one Guru Puja.

Each Nayanar is remembered once a year on their Guru Puja (Thirunakshatram), the day of their star in the Tamil month tied to their life. On that day Shiva temples bathe and decorate the Nayanar's image, sing the Thevaram or the Periya Puranam chapter on their life, and take the image out in procession. The Kapaleeswarar temple at Mylapore, Thiruvarur, Chidambaram, Thiruvottiyur and the Nayanars' own home towns hold well known celebrations, and devotees often feed Shiva devotees on these days, as the Nayanars themselves did.

The list above gives every Guru Puja day this year for your city, month by month.