Araiyar Sevai

'service of the cantors') is a Tamil Hindu performing art form, centered on the ritual singing and enactment of the hymns of the Divya Prabandham, the canon of the Sri Vaishnava tradition.

It is also performed in a different form at the Melkote temple in southern Karnataka, where the hymns of the Divya Prabhandham is sung, but not enacted.

Performing legends trace the origin of the Araiyar Sevai to Nathamuni, a 10th-century Vaishnavite teacher, who according to tradition compiled the Divya Prabandham.

According to the legends, Nathamuni composed musical tunes (icaippa) for the hymns along with dance steps to bring out their meaning.

The araiyars are regarded to represent the lovelorn milkmaids seeking union with their divine lover, Krishna.

The final element of the performance is the mutukkuri vaipavam, which depicts a worried mother consulting a kattuvicci female soothsayer about her daughter, who is lovelorn.