Arunagirinathar

Arunagirinathar lived at Thiruvannamalai in the fifteenth century. As a young man he lost himself in worldly pleasure until body and mind were broken. Tradition tells that in his despair he fell from the tower of the Annamalaiyar temple, and Lord Murugan himself caught him. The Lord gave him a japa mala and the opening words "Muthaitharu", and told him to sing.

From that day he went from one shrine of Murugan to the next, singing the Thiruppugazh. Tradition counts sixteen thousand songs; about 1,300 survive. Full of rhythm and set to intricate beats, they are still sung in temples and on the concert stage.

He also gave the Kandar Anubhuti, the Kandar Alankaram, the Kandar Andhadhi, the Thiruvaguppu, and the viruttams on Murugan's spear, peacock and rooster. The ones you can read here are listed below.