Therazhunthur, a small town in Mayiladuthurai district, means different things to different people. For the Vaishnavites, it is the abode of Amaruviappan, one of the 108 Vaishnavite shrines, sung by Thirumangai Alwar. Saivities remember it for the Vedapuriswarar temple, sung by Thirugnanasambandar. For the Tamils cutting across religious faith, it brings to mind Kambar, one of the greatest Tamil poets who penned Ramayanam, as it is his birthplace. There is also a place called Kambar Medu, not associated with Kambar, but a megalithic site with later Neolithic remnants.
Though Kambaramayanam, a Tamil epic, consists of over 10,000 songs, its author Kambar, unlike many ancient Tamil poets, nowhere drops a hint at his birth place. Therazhunthur also finds no reference to his other works, including Sadagopar Andhathi, written in praise of Nammazhwar, the Vaishnavite saint.
