The Life
Kari Nayanar was a gifted Brahmin poet of Thirukkadavur, master of Tamil letters and a devoted worshipper of Shiva. To make the truths of the Lord known simply and clearly to all, he composed the celebrated poem Karikkovai in praise of Shiva. Travelling among the courts of the Tamil kings, he sang and expounded his verses, and the monarchs honoured him richly with gifts and wealth. Yet Kari kept nothing for himself; all that he received he spent in the service of Shiva and His devotees, feeding and honouring Shaivas and adorning the Lord's shrines. Using the very gift of poetry and the favour of kings as means of devotion, he lived wholly for the Lord, and at the close of his life attained the sacred feet of Shiva, taking his place among the sixty-three.