This story is taken from a collection, a set of devotional offerings to Shiva by his worshippers. Now, the kings who ruled Tamilagam (modern day Tamil Nadu) set great store by the virtue of fairness in the administration of justice. The people even believed that the success or failure of the annual monsoon depended on the efficacy of a king’s justice administration. The legend of Ellalan, taken from Periya Puranam, a hagiographic compilation of stories about 63 special devotees of Shiva, exemplifies this virtue of the Tamil kings. Ellalan was a third century BCE Chola king, who later came to be known as Manu Neethi Cholan.
As his name suggests, this is the story of how the king upheld the laws of Manu while dispensing justice to his subjects, which included all living creatures in his kingdom. It was said that there hung a bell outside his palace gates and anybody seeking justice could ring it any time to bring their case to the notice of the king.