The Life
Vayilar was born a Vellalar in Mylapore (Mayilai) during the Pallava age, a devout servant of Shiva. He longed to raise a grand temple for the Lord but had no wealth to do so. Instead he took up manasika, or mental, worship: within his heart he built a magnificent temple, its walls of iron ranging inward to gold, sanctified the ground, installed the Lord in the sanctum, and each day performed unfailing worship and service there in his imagination. Sekkizhar praises this inward devotion as equal to any outward ritual. Fixing his mind steadfastly at Shiva's feet without wavering, he attained the Lord's grace and liberation. A shrine to Vayilar stands in the Kapaleeshwarar temple of his native Mylapore, where his guru puja is observed in Markazhi under the star Revati.