The Avvaiyars 'respectable women' was the title of more than one poet who was active during different periods of Tamil literature. The Avvaiyar were some of the most famous and important female poets of the Tamil canon. Abithana Chintamani states that there were three female poets titled Avvaiyar. Among them, Avvaiyar I lived during the Sangam period (1st and 2nd century CE) and had cordial relation with the Tamil chieftains Paari andAthiyaman. She wrote 59 poems in the Purananuru. Avvaiyar II lived during the period of Kambar and Ottakoothar during the reign of the Chola dynasty in the 13th...