Bhoothathalvar is one of the 12 Alvar

Alvars

The alwar or azhwars were Tamil poet saints of south India who lived between the sixth and ninth centuries A.D. and espoused ‘emotional devotion’ or bhakti to Visnu-Krishna in their songs of longing, ecstasy and service. Sri Vaishnava orthodoxy posits the number of alvars as ten, though there are...

 saints of South India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, who are known for their affiliation to Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism

Hinduism

Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

. The temples reverred by the verses of azhwars are termed Divya desam.

Bhoothathalvar was born in the Pallava

Pallava

The Pallava dynasty was a Tamil dynasty which ruled the northern Tamil Nadu region and the southern Andhra Pradesh region with their capital at Kanchipuram...

 country near Mamallapuram in the seventh century CE. Bhoothathalvar's 100 hymns form the second part of the Naalayira Divyap Prabhandham

Naalayira Divyap Prabhandham

The Nalayira Divya Prabandham is a collection of 4,000 Tamil verses composed before 8th century AD, by the 12 Alvars, and was compiled in its present form by Nathamuni during the 9th – 10th centuries. The work is the beginning of the canonization of the 12 Vaishnava poet saints, and these hymns...

. Bhoothathalvar's hymns start with the words Anbe Tagaliya, Aarvame Neyyaaga ( with love as the lamp and devotion as the oil). He is considered an incarnation of Vishnu

Vishnu

Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

's mace, Kaumodaki.

Anbe Thagliyaa Aarvame Neyyaaga

Inburugu Chintai Idu Thiriyaa

Nanpurugi Gnaana Chudar Vilakku Etrinen

Naaranarku Gnaana Thamizh Purindha Naan

"I who wrote this song that bestows wisdom, with love as the lamp, endearing involvement as the lubricant ghee,

and knowledge as the wick of the burning torch, dedicated myself to the service of the Lord"