thiruviyalUr uyya van^dha dhEva n^AyanAr

It is said that this shaivite philosopher came from the north of bharath to rAmEshwaram to bathe in the sea. On his way back he came to thiruviyalUr. There a devotee by name ALudaiya dhEva n^AyanAr approached him to become his disciple. Blessing him uyya van^dha dhEvar composed thiruvun^dhiyAr, which is one of the san^thAna texts (1). Later he returned back to north. This is one story about him, but there are no evidences for the same. The style of his work thiruvun^dhiyAr has some resemblence with the style of thiruman^dhiram and is in the old thamiz literature style. The time thiruvun^dhiyAr was written is said to be 1147 A.C.E.