Kannappa is a legendary figure in Tamil, and more broadly Hindu, folklore who transformed from an atheist to a devoted follower of the Hindu god Shiva. He is closely associated with the Srikalahasteeswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh, India. According to the folktale, Kannappa, originally a hunter, plucked out one of his eyes as an offering to a lingam. However, before he could pluck out the second eye, Shiva intervened.[1][2] He is revered as one of the 63 Nayanars, a group of Shaiva saints.
Kannappa Nayanar is a Tamil Shaiva saint also known as Thinnappan, Dinna, Kannappa, Tinnappan, Dheera, Bhakta Kannappa, Thinnan, Kannappan, Dinnayya, Kannayya, Kannappa Nayanar or Nayanmar, Kannan, Bhakta Kannappan and Dheeran. He was born in a vyadha (hunter kuravar tribe) family, the son of Raja Naga Vyadha and his wife in Uduppura (modern Vutukuru) near Sri Kalahasti, in present-day Utukkuru, Rajampet Andhra Pradesh. His father was a notable gerent among their hunting community and a devotee of Kartikeya. He was named Thinnan or Theeran in tamil by his parents, which is known to Telugu-speakers today as Dinna or Dheera respectively.[citation needed] His wife's name was Neela.
When Arjuna was meditating on Shiva for Pashupatastra, to test him, Shiva entered that forest as an animal hunter and due to two arrows from Shiva and Arjuna killing a demon named Mooka, a war started between Shiva and Arjuna, a battle took place between both and finally impressed by Arjuna's efforts, Shiva gave him the Pashupatastra. According to a folklore, Shiva also blessed him to be born as his greatest devotee in his next birth. So, he was born again as a devotee in the Kali Yuga as Kannappa Nayanar and finally got liberation.
Kannapa was born as Thinnan and was a staunch devotee of the Vayu Linga of the Srikalahasteeshwarar Temple which he found in the forest while hunting. Being a hunting tribe, he did not know how to properly worship Shiva. It is said that he poured water from his mouth on the lingam which he brought from the nearby river Swarnamukhi. He also offered Shiva whatever animal he hunted, including swine flesh. But Shiva accepted his offerings since Thinnan was pure at heart and his devotion was true. Once, Shiva tested the unshakable devotion of Thinnan. With his divine power, he created a tremor and the roof-tops of the temple began to fall. All the priests ran away from the scene except for Thinnan who covered the linga with his body to prevent it from any damage. Hence he was named thereafter as Theeran (valiant one).
Thinnan noticed that one of the eyes of the Siva linga was oozing blood and tears. Sensing that Shiva's eye had been injured, Thinna proceeded to pluck his one eye out with one of his arrows and placed it in the spot of the bleeding eye of the Siva linga. This stopped the bleeding in that eye of the linga. But to complicate matters further, he noticed that the other eye of the linga has also started oozing blood. So Thinna thought that if he were to pluck his other eye too, he would become blind to exactly know the spot where he has to place his own second eye over the bleeding second eye of the lingam. So he placed his right toe on the linga to mark the spot of the bleeding second eye and proceeded to pluck out his other and only eye. Moved by his extreme devotion, Shiva appeared before Thinnan, stopped him from plucking his only eye and restored both his eyes. He made Thinnan the 10th of the 63 Nayanars and he is referred to as Kannappar or Kannappa Nayanar. Kannappa merged into the lingam along with Shiva and attained moksha (liberation) at last.
Kannappa has been featured as the major character in several Indian films. In 1954, Dr. Rajkumar appeared as Kannappa in the Kannada film Bedara Kannappa and in the Telugu film Kalahasti Mahatyam. In the following year, a Hindi film, Shiv Bhakta (1955), featuring Shahu Modak as Kannappa, was released. A second film in Telugu was made in 1976 as Bhakta Kannappa starring Krishnam Raju in the title role, and in Kannada again in 1988 as Shiva Mecchida Kannappa with Shiva Rajkumar as adult Kannappa and Puneeth Rajkumar as young Kannappa. In the upcoming 2024 film Kannappa, Vishnu Manchu appears as the title character.[3]
