Muttuthandavar

Muttuthandavar was a prominent Saivite poet based in the temple town of Chidambaram

Life and compositions

Muttuthandavar was born in town of Shiyali. His parents were both musicians at the temple of Shiva at Shiyali. However, physical disability arising from a disease which afflicted him in his youth prevented him from becoming a musician. He settled down in the nearby town of Chidambaram where he used to visit the Shiva temple daily out of devotion and sing praises of the presiding deity Lord Shiva.

He used to sing a song everyday starting from the first word which fell on his ears. On a particular day, as he was singing, he died all of a sudden.

All his chants have been preserved and form some of the best devotional hymns in Tamil language.

References

• Chitty, Simon Casie (1859). The Tamil Plutarch, containing a summary account of the lives of poets and poetesses of Southern India and Ceylon. Jaffna: Ripley & Strong. pp. 56.