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Avvaiyār (also known as Avvai and Auvaiyār) is revered as a poet, moral philosopher, saint, folkloric heroine, and an embodiment of Tamil culture and identity. Over the centuries, a number of literary works, diverse in both style and content, and spanning several centuries, have been ascribed to her. Therefore it is not surprising that her depiction in mythic narratives, folklore, and popular culture are equally complex.In 1708 the Lutheran missionary Bartholomaus Ziegenbalg (1682-1719), who was stationed in Tranquebar (now Tharangambadi), Tamil Nadu, transla…

Nāyaṉār literally means “leader” (its plural form is Nāyaṉmār) and is a title or epithet for the 63 canonized saints of Tamil Śaivism, with its concomitant philosophical system, Śaiva Siddhānta. Though not formally canonized as saints until the middle part of 12th century, most of the Nāyaṉmār lived between the 6th and 11th centuries. Among these 63 saints, some were poets who composed devotional songs to Śiva (Tam. Civaṉ), and some were important family figures linked to these aforementione…