During the 7th through 9th centuries in south India there was a devotional movement of saints who experienced personal mystical encounters with their god. They then composed poems and songs in their native language of Tamil that described the ecstasy and experiences of the interaction. Manikkavasagar was one of these saints; he lived during the 9th century and composed some of the most popular Tamil devotional hymns about his visions of Shiva. In his left hand he holds the pages of texts that refer to his poetry and songs.