Thirumangai Azhvaar Thiru Kadal Mallai Trade and Business

Thirumangai Azhvaar refers to 'Gold and Gems' being shipped along the shores of Thiru Kadal Mallai (Maamallapuram)

Maamallapuram was once a famous and an important port town and a business center with traders dealing here through the barter system.  One finds an interesting reference to trade in Thiru Mangai Azhwar’s Periya Thirumozhi verse:

புலன்கொள்  குவையோடு  
புழைக் கைம்மா கனிற்றினமும்
நலங்கொள்  நவமணி குவையும்
சுமந்து எங்கும் நான்று ஒசித்து

காலங்கள் இயங்கும் மல்லைக் 
கடல் மலை தல சயனம்
வளங்கொள் மணத்தார் 
அவரை வளங்கொள் என் மட நெஞ்சே
 

Here, he refers to ships carrying heaps of Gold and loads of Gems along the shores of Maamallapuram, a place where, he says, one finds Lord Vishnu providing darshan.

Thirumangai Azhwar highlights the unique ‘reclining on the ground’ sayana posture of the Lord in his another verse ‘நன்னாத வாழ் அவுணர்  தளசயன்னது உறைவாரை’ 

He says that among the many different Sayana Postures of Lord Vishnu, this is a special form, one of reclining on the ground.

He refers to this place as ‘Kadal Mallai’ in his praise of the ‘Thalasayanam’ Lord whom he compares with the Standing Lord of Thiru Ninravur and the Sleeping Lord of Thiru Meiyam (on Adisesha).

In his verses, Thiru Mangai Azhwar consistently makes reference to the ‘cool groves’ of Kadal Mallai giving us an indication of the scenic surroundings around the temple over a 1000years ago.