Isaignaniyar

Isaignaniyar is remembered as the mother of Sundarar and one of the small number of women among the 63 Nayanars.

Life/Legend

The Periya Puranam gives her little narrative beyond her motherhood of Sundarar and her own devotion: her inclusion rests on the tradition’s judgment that she bore and shaped the friend of Shiva, and that her own love of god was complete. She is honoured in the canonical lists alongside her husband Sadaiya Nayanar, also among the 63.

Legacy

Isaignaniyar appears in temple processions of the Nayanars and in the liturgical calendars of Tamil Shiva temples.

Verification notes

• Known only through the hagiographic canon; no independent record.
• Audited against Wikipedia (September 2026).