One of them remarked that he was a madman while another rejected this categorization explaining to the king that Subramaniya Iyer was only an ardent devotee of Goddess Abhirami. On noticing the peculiar behavior of Subramaniya Iyer who was a temple priest, he inquired the other priests about the individual.
One day, the King visited the temple to pay homage to Lord Shiva.
Right from his childhood, Subramaniya Iyer was drawn to the temple and Goddess Abhirami. The village was famous for its Shiva temple, called Amritaghateswarar-Abirami Temple, Thirukkadaiyur. Thirukkadaiyur has one of many elegant Brahmin quarters near the temple called agraharams established by the Maratha ruler Serfoji I, a great admirer of Brahmin poets and bards, in the early part of the 18th century. Subramaniya Iyer was born to Amirthalinga Iyer in the village of Thirukadaiyur. Abhirami Bhattar means The priest of Abhirami. Pattar ( Tamil: பட்டர்) is the Tamil word for priest. She who is attractive at every moment of time) refers to the goddess Abhirami in Thirukadaiyur.
