There are some women in the history who have changed its complete course. One need not think that they would have been behind the revolutions, which made the countries undergo dramatic changes, but this is not necessarily true. Here is our great devotee chembiyam mAdhEviyAr, who made very vast land to prosper and become a bastion for esteemed spiritual thinking. These were not by revolution; no one night changes, but it was through the nurturing of people she grew these miraculous herbs that had influence for centuries !

She was born as the daughter of the king mazavaraiyan (a small king who supported the chOza kingdom. Her accumulated austerities brought her a marvelous husband kaNdarAdhiththa chOza dhEvar(1) an emperor who felt more privileged to be a devotee than to be ruling an empire. The loving couple did not only lead a life which put in practice what the moral scriptures say as the fruit of the married life, but also governed the country to prosper and did lots of endowments for the Lord shiva, Who gives prosperity for the pashus. When her husband reached out the Blissful Dancing Feet of the Lord, this mature motherly lady lived for nurturing her son and the children in the royal family like kun^dhavai and rAjarAjan in high morality and sincere shiva bhakti. It is not just the one who performs marvels who needs to be applauded, but it is also those who encouraged or nurtured them deserve the praise. That way this chOza queen granny shaped an emperor rAjarAjan(2), who ruled almost whole of south Bharat and the Indian ocean, encouraging art and philosophy, bringing in peace and prosperity, with the benefits of shaivam reaching the people of various regions. (Her lineage had great devotion to Lord shiva. Her grandson kaNDarAdhiththan was taking care of the endowments for Lord shiva in the empire of rAjarAjan.)

How could one tell about the services this devotee did, when her complete thoughts were focused on how well that moment be used for the Supreme's service ! She has done very many endowments to the abodes of Lord shiva. She converted many abodes which were built with brick material to granite /stone built structures which stand durable for very many centuries. Sure, the Eternal Lord stood in her mind arrested within her rock like abode of devotion. She contributed golden and silver ornaments to the abodes for the Lord, Whose Feet are the best ornament for the head of the devotees. In the intimate love she had for her husband kaNdarAdhiththa chOzar she renovated the thirun^allam to a stonework structure in the name of her husband. The big list of the temples where is queen of good women did marvelous services include virudhdhAchalam, thirukOdika, thenkuraN^gAdu thuRai, chembiyan mAdhEvi, thiruvArUr aran^eRi, thiruththuruththi, An^AN^gUr, thirumaNanychEri, thiruvakkarai. Certainly this is not the exhaustive list of the temples for which she contributed.

This lady who excelled in her love to the Lord, Who is love itself, was called mAdhEvadikaL (the slave of the Great God) by the people in respect and affection. She reached the Feet of the Lord, the Place for those who stood in spirit and service for It, during the later part of the reign of rAjarAjan or early reign of rAjEndran. The emperor rAjendra chOzan made the statue of this great lady in the thirukkayilAyamudaiyAr temple at the town chembiyan mAdhEvi. May the highly motivated service of this marvelous lady who in spite of political changes in the country vigorously served the Nectar like Lord and also nurtured the succeeding generations in that devotion, stay in the mind driving us.

See Also:
1. kaNdarAdhiththa chOza dhEvar
2. thirumuRai kaNda chOzan - rAja rAjan