Arivattaya Nayanar

Arivattaya Nayanar is the aged weaver who served the god at Kanattampuliyur into extreme old age — the Nayanar of labor continued past all strength.

Life/Legend

The hagiography relates that Arivattaya wove and served at the shrine through his years; when his body failed and he could no longer walk to the temple, he grieved only that service must end. Shiva came to him as an old devotee, shared his meal, and took him — the tale reading old age itself as the final offering.

Legacy

The weaver communities of the Tamil country claimed him; his story is told as devotion unbroken by the body’s decline.

Verification notes

• Narrative is hagiographic (Periya Puranam); dating traditional.
• Audited against Wikipedia (September 2026).