Anandarayar Sahib

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Anandarayar Sahib was a poet and administrator in the Thanjavur Maratha kingdom. He served as a minister to three kings—Shahuji I, Serfoji I, and Tukkoji—and he was given the honorific title Peshwa. He came from a respected Deshastha Brahmin family.

Under Shahuji I he was the dharmadhikari (chief judge) and under Serfoji I he served as dalavoy (a senior official). In literature he is often called Aiyavayyan. He is said to have dug a canal named Aiyavayyanaru and to have established Brahmin settlements called Mangamatam and Sarabhojirajapuram. He led Thanjavur forces in the Ramnad war of succession to support Bhavani Sankar.

Several literary works are connected to him. He wrote two works: a Tamil piece called Advaita Kirtana and a Sanskrit work called Sarabhoji Charitra. There are differing stories about his later life: some say he fell out of favor and was imprisoned, dying broken-hearted, while others say Serfoji pardoned him and he retired to Thiruvenkadu, where he died.