Auvaiyar (Tamil: ஔவையார்)(also Auvayar) was the name of more than one poet who was active during different periods of Tamil literature. They were some of the most famous and important female poets of the Tamil canon. Among them, Auvaiyar I lived during the Sangam period (c. first and second century C.E.) and had cordial relation with the Tamil chieftains, Pari and Athikaman. She wrote 59 poems in Purananuru (புறநானூறு).
Auvaiyar II lived during the period of Kambar and Ottakkuttar during the reign of the Cholas in the 13th century C.E. She is often imagined as an old but intelligent lady by Tamil and primarily referred by them as Auvai.
Auvaiyar II wrote many of the poems that remain very popular even now and are inculcated in school text books in the State of Tamil Nadu. These books include a list of dos and donts, useful for daily life, arranged in simple and short sentences.
Abithana Chintamani states that there were three female poets in the name of Auvaiyar.
http://en.wikipedia.or g/wiki/Avvaiyar
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