Sundara (Murthi) Nayanar who lived in the 8th century was a great devotee of Lord Siva. He is one of the four great Tamil religious Teachers ('nalvar'): Sambandar, Appar(thirunavukkarasar), Sundarar, Manikkavachagar. Except for Manikka-Vachagar, the oldest of the four, others lived during the struggle between the Jains and the Saivites. Sundarar is also one of the Sixty-three Nayanars whose lives were recorded in the "Periya Puranam," (The Great Epic) by Sekkilaar, a poet and the chief minister in the court of the Chola King, Kulothunga Chola II. In the village of Tirunavalur, a temple priest called Sadayanar and his wife Isaignani, both staunch Shiva devotees, had a son Nambi Arurar. The ruler of the local kingdom (Thirumunaipadi-Nadu), Narasingamunaiarayar a chieftain, adopted him and brought up as his own son, and called him Sundarar. Sundara Murthi Nayanar sang the glories of Lord Siva at all the sacred places that he visited. These hymns are called Thevaaram. ...
