Kaiwara is famous for Saint Narayanappa, Sri Yogi Nareyana (1730-1840 AD), popularly known as Kaiwara Narayana Thata ನಾರಾಯಣ ತಾತ in Kannada and Narayana Thatayya in Telugu, a bilingual poet who meditated in a cave in Kaiwara. Narayanappa prophesied and composed poems in praise of Amara Narayanaswamy, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, in both Kannada and Telugu. His works include "Amaranarayana Shathaka", "Kaalagnana", and "Bramanandpuri Shatakka", in which he explains all the nuances of yoga. The Keertanas are comparable to famous Keertanakaras of Karnataka such as Purandaradasa and Kanakadasa. Thatayya also appears to have been influenced by Vemana Kavi and Veera Bramhendra Swamy of present-day Andhra Pradesh, and Sarvajna of present-day Karnataka.