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andhaNar, vEdhiyar, paarppanar, battar and BrahmaNar

From: K. Srinivasan (srini_at_ireq.ca)
Date: Mon Nov 25 1996 - 08:06:02 PST 

From: Mani Varadarajan <mani@best.com>
>> Azhvaar establishing Sriman Narayana as the supreme
>> the Pandiyan court ...
>
>It is my understanding that Periyaazhvaar was a poor
>temple brahmin.....
>The epithet ``bhattar piraan'' most probably was applied
>to Vishnuchittan because of his great bhakti to PerumaaL, and that
>too only after his vision of the Lord at Madurai as recorded
>in the thiruppallaandu.
>
>periyaazhvaar thiruvadigaLE SaraNam
>
>kaarmali mEni niRaththu kaNNapiraanai ugandhu
>vaarmali kongai yasOdhai manchanam aattiya vaaRRai
>paarmali thol pudhuvaik kOn bhattar piraan sonna paadal
>seermali senthamizh vallaar theevinaiyaadhum ilarE
>
>Mani

It is this "pudhuvaik kOn" (King of pudhuvai) which made
Vidya Dehejia speculate that he was probably a Brahmin King/Chief.

As you say, it must have been his status "after" winning
the "poRkizhi" in the Pandian's court.

Srinivasan K