These are really two brothers named Anai Aiyar and Ayyavaiyer. They were patronized by the Tanjavur Marattha king Serfoji III (1800-1832). Well versed in music and scholars in the southern languages, they hail from a small village near Tanjavur called Vaiyacheri. Anai Ayya’s cousins were Doraisvami Iyer who was the father of Maha Vaidyanatha Iyer. They almost always sang as a pair. Their compositions carry the mudra Umadasa since they were worshippers of Devi. Along with songs praising the dieties Mangalambika of Vaiyecheri and Dharmasamvardhani of Tiruvaiyaru, they also composed songs on God Agastishvara and Pranatartihara. A few of the songs deal in philosophical subjects like jnana and vairagya. Invariably the songs are in Telugu and Tamil. The ragas that they used were the popular ones but they favored the roopaka tala. Some of their well-known songs are Intaparaka in naadanaamakriyaa, Bhajana seyave in kEdaaram and Amba nannu brovave in tODi, Mahima teliya tarama in shankaraabharaNam and Parakela bala in reeti gowLa.
Mudra: Umadaasa
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