1. Manicka vasagar is considered to be the reincarnation of Sri Nandhikeswar .Appar is considered to be the the reincarnation of one great sage Vagisar who had to face the wrath of the Devas for his benign act of saving the asura king Ravana from being crushed under the Kailasa Parvatham.Once Ravana while traveling towards his capital had to cross the Kailas.He thought he can just put aside Kailas which he thought was an obstruction in his path.He could have gone by circumambulating it.But in his haughtiness he forgot that it was the abode of Sri Shiva .He was an ardent devotee of Sri Shiva.When he tried to lift the Kailasa by inserting his twenty hands the jerk created by his action disturbed the ever meditating Sri Shiva who ascertained the reason and to subdue the asura king just pressed His toe slightly.This pressure could not be withstood by the  asura and he was not able to get away from being held captive by the base of the Kailas.All Devas felt happy that Ravana their tormentor was thus immobilised and he could no longer  wage wars against them anymore.Here only the sage Vageesa inadvertently helped him to get released.He advised Ravana to sing sama gana in praise of the Lord who will be pleased to hear sama gana and as a boon he can ask for release .Ravana who was perplexed got this tip and sang sama gana with the help of one of his heads cut off to serve as a veena's  base and his nerves as the strings of the veena .Sri Shiva was immensely pleased and Ravana got released .The devas were disappointed at this and  became angry at Sri Vageesa as from their point of view Vageesa had saved Ravana who was their enemy.They cursed the rishi Vageesa  to be born as a human being and this birth was Sri Thirunavukkarasa.

He was first called as Dharmasena and was a jain /samana.His sister mangayarkarasi was a devotee of Sri Shiva.She took pains to get him to the fold of shaivism .The minister in Pandya Kingdom helped her achieve this after many years.The jain monk Dharmasena had severe stomach pain and nothing could cure him.After getting the Panchakshara manthra duly taught by the minister he gets cured and becomes an ardent follower of Shaivism.