"Thiruvilaiyadal" was inspired by the "Thiruvilaiyadal Puranam": a collection of sixty-four Shaivite devotional, epic stories, written in the 16th century by Paranjothi Munivar, which record the actions (and antics) of Shiva on Earth in a number of disguises to test his devotees. "Thiruvilaiyadal" depicts four of the stories. The first is about the poets Dharumi and Nakkeerar; the second concerns Dhatchayini. The third recounts how Shiva's future wife, Parvati, is born as a fisherwoman; Shiva, in the guise of a fisherman, finds and marries her. The fourth story is about the singers Banabhathirar and Hemanatha Bhagavathar.