Manikkavacakar

Manikkavacakar was a 3rd-century Tamil saint and poet who wrote ''Thiruvasagam and Thirukkovaiyar'', books of Shaiva hymns. Tamil scholars and researchers share that he was a minister to the Pandya king Nedunjeliyan II (3rd Century CE) and lived in Madurai (or) he was a minister to the Pandya king Arikesari (6th Century CE ).

He is revered as one of the Nalvar (''"group of four"'' in Tamil), a set of four prominent Tamil saints alongside Appar, Sundarar and Sambandar. The other three contributed to the first seven volumes (Tevaram) of the twelve-volume Saivite work Tirumurai, the key devotional text of Shaiva Siddhanta. Manikkavacakar's ''Thiruvasagam'' and Thirukkovaiyar form the eighth volume. These eight volumes are considered to be the ''Tamil Vedas'' by the Shaivites, and the four saints are revered as ''Samaya Kuravar'' (''religious preceptors'')

His works are celebrated for their poetic expression of the anguish of being separated from God, and the joy of God-experience, with ecstatic religious fervour. In his expression of intimacy to God, Manikkavacakar mirrors the sentiments expressed by his fellow Bhakti period saints referring to the Lord as the "Divine Bridegroom" or the ''Nityamanavaalar'' ("Eternal Bridegroom"), with whom he longed to be united in "divine nuptials". Provided by Wikipedia