The village of ThirumazhiSai is near Tiruvallore in Chennai and lies between Kaancheepuram and the sea.ThirumazhiSai aazhvaar was born in this place.There is an interesting story about him in connection with the Yathhookthakaari temple in Kaancheepuram.The deity here is known as SonnvaNNam Seyda PerumaaL.(the God who acted as he was told).The aazhvaar who was a devotee of this deity incurred the displeasure of the king who ordered him to leave the place.Then the aazhvaar addressed the deity and is said to have told him also to roll up his serpent bed and follow him.The deoity started to  get up from his reclining posture whereupon the king hastened to appeal to the aazhvaar to stay.The aazhvaar then relented and told his Lord also to spread back his serpent bed and stay.This is how the deity got his name.

The opening verse of the Thiruchchanda viruththam of this aazhvaar makes interesting reading as it lists the five elements as manifestations of VishNu.

Poo nilaaya vaindumaayp punaRkaN ninRa naangumaayth

theenilaayaoonrumaaych chiRantha kaal iraNDumaay

meenilaaya vonRumaay veeRu veeRu thanmaiyaay

nee nilaaya vaNNam ninnai yaar ninaikka vallaree/

Translation:

Lord!Who can contemplate the manner in which you exist in the form of the earth which has five qualities(smell,sight,hearing,touch and taste),water which has four qualities(except smell),fire which has three attributes(light,sound and touch),wind which has two qualities viz.sound and touch and space which can only have the quality of sound?

ThirumazhiSai aazhvaar appears to have been engaged in disputes involving the relative supremacy of VishNu vis a vis other deities, in particular Siva.

He has sung hymns over VishNu shrines at Sreerangam,Kaancheepuram,Thirumalai and a few other places.He is said to have lived in the 7th century A.D. though according to tradition he was born in the Dvaaparayugai.e.more than 5000 years ago.He is regarded as the manifestation of the wheel in the hand of VishNu, known as SudarSana.