Peyalvar is one of the 12 Alvar

Alvars

The alwar or azhwars were Tamil poet saints of south India who lived between the sixth and ninth centuries A.D. and espoused ‘emotional devotion’ or bhakti to Visnu-Krishna in their songs of longing, ecstasy and service. Sri Vaishnava orthodoxy posits the number of alvars as ten, though there are...

 saints of South India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, who are known for their affiliation to Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism

Hinduism

Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

. The temples reverred by these azhwars are termed Divya desam.

Peyalvar was born in Tirumayilai (Mylapore

Mylapore

Mylapore is a cultural hub and neighborhood in the southern part of the city of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, India. Earlier, Mylapore used to be called Vedapuri....

, now part of the city of Chennai

Chennai

Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

 in the seventh century CE. Vaishnavite traditions state that Peyalvar was found on a lily flower in the pond of the Adi Kesava Perumal Temple in Mylapore. They also believe that he was an incarnation of the sacred sword of Vishnu

Vishnu

Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

, Nandakam. Payalvar's 100 hymns in the Naalayira Divyap Prabhandham

Naalayira Divyap Prabhandham

The Nalayira Divya Prabandham is a collection of 4,000 Tamil verses composed before 8th century AD, by the 12 Alvars, and was compiled in its present form by Nathamuni during the 9th – 10th centuries. The work is the beginning of the canonization of the 12 Vaishnava poet saints, and these hymns...

are the third 100 and start with the words Tiruk Kanden, Pon Meni Kanden ('I found the glorious, golden form of the Lord').

Tiruk Kanden Pon Meni Kanden- Thigazhum

Arukkan Ani Niramum Kanden-Seruk Kilarum

Pon Aazhi Kanden Puri Sangam Kai Kanden

En Aazhi Vannan Paal Inru.


On witnessing the glorious vision in which the entire universe was the very body of Lord Narayana, the Alwar proceeds to describe all that he had seen.

Peyalvar's hymns are of the Anthathi style, in which the last word of the previous hymn is used as the first work in the next hymn.