Pugazh Thunai Nayanar

Pugazh Thunai Nayanar is the devotee of Tiruvarur remembered for sheltering the god’s servants — his name, “the glory of protection,” is his biography.

Life/Legend

The hagiography relates that Pugazh Thunai made his house a rest for devotees passing to the great shrine of Tiruvarur; the tradition counts him among the hosts of the canon (with Ilayankudi Maranar and Amaraneedi) — the shelter-givers whose door was worship. The god is said to have received his protection as service to himself.

Legacy

His story anchors the canon’s honoring of the open door; his name stands in the lists beside his city’s greater saints.

Verification notes

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