Saturday, March 2, 2019

Elelasingan

Rasnaboy: /* Biography */ Valluvar's will


'''Elelasingan''' (c. 2nd or 1st century BCE), also known as '''Elelasingan Chettiyar''', '''Elela''' and '''Alara''', was a [[Tamil]] merchant who lived in [[Mylapore]], along the shores of the [[Chola Kingdom]], trading between [[India]] and [[Ceylon]]. He is best known as the contemporary and friend of the celebrated [[Tamil people|Tamil]] poet and philosopher [[Valluvar]].

==Biography==
Elelasingan is mentioned as Elaela and Alara in [[History of Sri Lanka|Ceylon history]], who lived between 144 BCE and 101 BCE. However, given the fact that Elelasingan is a contemporary of Valluvar and with the date of Valluvar remaining dubious, Elelasingan’s date is still being researched.

Elelasingan belonged to the Karaya or Parava community and was a merchant by profession. He was also the chief of the townsmen at Mylapore. He is said to have owned vessels and had trade with foreign countries, chiefly [[Ceylon]]. He also sold thread to Valluvar, who earned a living by engaging in his occupation as a weaver. Over the years, Elelasingan became a close friend and a disciple of Valluvar.

Elelasingan and his wife had been without a child for years. One day when visiting the local [[Shiva]] temple, they found a baby lying beside a cow. The couple adopted the baby as their own and named it Arlyakananthar. It is believed that it was none other than Arlyakananthar who requested Valluvar to "write an ethical treatise for the world's good." Valluvar obeyed and eventually authored the [[Kural text]]. Elelasingan, along with other friends, advised Valluvar to travel to [[Madurai]] and present his work at the [[Pandya dynasty|Pandiyan King]]'s court. When Valluvar did so and returned triumphantly, Elelasingan and others welcomed him and celebrated the happening.

At the point of Valluvar’s death, Elelasingan expressed his intention to place Valluvar's corpse in a golden coffin and place it in a monumental grave. However, Valluvar asked Elelasingan to tie his corpse with cords and throw it among the bushes outside the town so that animals can feed on it. Elelasingan obeyed and observed that the crows and other animals that fed on his corpse "became beautiful as gold." He soon built a temple on the spot where Valluvar corpse had lain and instituted worship. The temple remains today in Mylapore.

==See also==
* [[Valluvar]]



==Citations==


==References==

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[[Category:Tirukkural]]
[[Category:People from Tamil Nadu]]


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