Avvaiyar

Avvaiyar (Tamil: ஔவையார்) was a Tamil poet who lived during the period of Kambar and Ottakoothar during the reign of the Chola dynasty in the twelfth century. She is often imagined as an old and intelligent lady by Tamil people. Many poems and the Avvai Kural, comprising 310 kurals in 31 chapters, belong to this period. She is most widely known for her 'Aathichoodi', 'Kondrai Vendhan', 'Nalvazhi' and 'Moodhurai'. The name Avvaiyar means a 'respectable good woman', hence a generic title; her personal name is not known. Avvaiyar was the court poet of the Chola monarch and was a contemporary of Kambar and Ottakkuttar. She found great happiness in the life of small children. Her works, Ātticcūṭi and Konraiventhan, written for young children, are even now generally read and enjoyed by them. Her two other works, Mooturai and Nalvali were written for older children. All the four works are didactic in character—they explain the basic wisdom that should govern mundane life.