question about Appaya Dikshita

[Ramakrishnan Balasubramanian]

Sankaran Panchapagesan <panchap at ICSL.UCLA.EDU> wrote:

>         My father told me that when they were digging for some
> construction at the India Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras
(Chennai)
> in the late 50's, when IIT Madras was actually being founded, they
> unearthed a Shiva Lingam. This Shiva Lingam is believed to be the
one
> worshipped by Sri Appaya Dikshitar everyday during his life, and
this
> Shiva lingam is now the one in the JalakaNTheSvara temple in IIT.
>
> Can someone tell me if this is possibly a historical fact? i.e., did
> Appaya Dikshita live in "Chennai" during his life?

There is a statue of  the dIxitar in the marundiisvarar temple in
Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai (Madras). The temple's tradition is that the
dIxitar performed a sacrifice there and the statue commemorates this
event. Appayya was well known for performing shrauta sacrifices.  So,
yes, we may take it that appayya was in Madras sometime in his life.

But, how was this particular lingam identified as the one worshipped
by appayya?

Rama