Shri Poigai Alwar was the first Vaishnava saint of the three Mudal Alwars (others being
Shri Bhoodath Alwar and
Shri Pei Alwar). It is believed that Poigai Alwar was born in a flower pond near Thiruvekha temple, in
Kanchipuram District,
Tamil Nadu. Since he was born in a ‘Poigai’ (pond), he was called Poigai Alwar. He was also known by the names Saro-yogi, Kaasaara-yogi, Poigai-piraan, Padma-muni and Kavinyarporeyeru.
From childhood itself, Shri Poigai Alwar had immense devotion to Lord 29899 Vishnu. He mastered all the Vaishnava speeches and led his life according to it.
Shri Poigai Alwar’s first composition (Alwars composed nearly 4000 verses in Tamil) was set in the 'Andhadi' style. The most noteworthy feature of the work is that the ending word or the syllable of each verse becomes the beginning word of the succeeding verse and the last word of the hundredth verse becomes the beginning of the first verse, thus making the hundred verses a true garland of verses.
