Auvaiyar, literally meaning ' respected old woman' or 'grandmother,' was a
Tamil female poet saint who lived during the Sangam age. She was an ardent devotee of
Lord Ganesh. Many stories are linked with the birth of Auvaiyar. It is also claimed that she was a sister of
Thiruvalluvar. She is said to have obtained three boons from Lord Ganesh, the gifts of poetry, music and drama. She also asked the lord to give her an aged appearance instead of her beauty.
Auvaiyar wandered a lot and gained a great deal of education and inspiration. She always had a social consciousness in her poetry long before such things were understood. Her love for the common man and their simple affection and respect, her contempt for the pretensions of the rich and miserly and her indignation at the injustice of the caste system are so simple and direct that they have not lost their relevance even today.
22 of her poems praise a Tamil king, Atiyaman Netuman Anci. 33 poems are about kings, wars and politics, and 26 of them are s dramatic monologues spoken by a lover or by the lover's relative or friend. Atticutti, Konraiventan, Muturai and Nalvali are the works of Auvaiyar.
