Disbelief was rife, and Sundarar called him a madman, or a “Pithan”, denying he belongs to him. When Sundarar was to be married, it is said the Shiva, disguised as an old man, interrupted the process and claimed that he was pledged to serve him. The singing of Thevaram is still an active process in many Shiva temples in Tamil Nadu.

The 275 temples mentioned in Thevaram are referred to as “Paadal Petra Thalam,” which literally means “the temples that were sung in the verses”. The Nayanmars travelled the length and breadth of South India, predominantly in current day Tamil Nadu, and the temples in this region find a place in their songs. In this album, children of Isha Samskriti have rendered a select few Thevaram, as an offering to today’s world. Rendered in an ancient musical style that precedes most Indian classical music systems, these songs give us an insight into the wave of bhakti that swept across southern India during the 7th Century. Thevarams are devotional hymns sung in praise of Shiva by the 3 Nayanmars: Sambandar, Thirunavukkarasar and Sundarar.