SUNDARAR
He was born in an ati-saiva family in a village by name Tiru-navalur. His father was Cataiyanar and mother Icai naniyar. The chieftain of Tirumunaipatinadu was attracted by the charm of Sundarar, and he brought up this child as his own son with the permission of the child's parents. When the time for his marriage came his father made all the arrangements for the wedding. On the appointed day when the ceremonies were proceeding, Lord Shiva appeared in the guise of an old Brahmin and claimed that Sundarar was his slave according to the bond executed by Sundarar's grandfather and therefore he objected to the marriage. A close examination of this deed revealed that it was a real one. The people of Tirunvalur wanted to know the residence of the old Brahmin. He entered the temple there and disappeared. Sundaramurti saw the vision of Lord Siva and His consort seated on the sacred Bull. Obeying the command of the Lord, he sang his first decade of verses commencing with the words "pitta pirai cuti". Like the other two saints he too visited the sacred shrines of Siva. St. Sundarar has referred to the other two authors of Tevaram as 'skilled in Tamil Tongue'. He was the first to sing the praise of the sixtythree Nayanmars and this poem is called "Tiruttontattokai". St.Sundarar was the contemporary of Ceraman Perumal Nayanar the Cera king. He may be said to belong to the beginning of the 9th century A.D.