Avvai : Mother Saint of Tamilnadu

When her patron Adiman died a heroic death, she composed odes to him with great depth of feeling and emotion. She gave up worldly life and wandered the country honored by peasants and princes alike.

Avvai attended the Rajasuya sacrifice organized by the Chola king, where rulers of Chera and Pandya countries were also present. She blessed the threesome with three ideals set before them: Charity, Protection and Help to the needy. She also reminded them that only good deeds stood by them at the time of death and not heroic acts.

She went visiting places, composing verses. Importance of farming, education and pious life formed the theme of her songs. Though she was at home with princes and rulers, she shared sorrows and pleasures of ordinary people which is reflected in her words. She is famous for creating pen-pictures with very few words, wherein moral precepts are clothed with poetry. Even today her compositions are sung by women and children and find place of pride in school texts of Tamil language.