Anai Ayya brothers were composers and singers in the early part of the 19th century in Thanjavur. Anai Iyer and Ayya Iyer were born in a village called Vaiyaicheri in Thanjavur district and belonged to the brihacaranam sect of Tamil brahmansas.
Anai and Ayya were well versed in Tamil, Sanskrit and Telugu.
They composed kriti (songs) in Tamil and Telugu under the pseudonym of Uma Dasa
(follower of Goddess Uma, the consort of Mahadeva Shiva. The brothers performed
together and both became the samsthana vidvans (court poets) of King Serfoji of
Thanjavur (178-1824 CE). One of the disciples of Anai Iyer was the celebrated
singer Mahavaidyanatha Iyer, who belonged to the same village as the brothers.
The compositions of Anai and Ayya are well known and sung
even to this day. Some of them with their corresponding ragas (melodic units)
are – Intaparaka (Nadanamakriya), Bhajana Savaye Manasa (kedaram), Mahima
Teliya Tarama (Shankarabharanam), Parakela Bala (Ritigaula), Ennattukkudavi
Ikkayam (Suddha Saveri), Kanakkannayiram (Nilambani), Eliyenai (Yadukulakambhoji)
and Podum Podumayya (Punnagavarali).