The Mudal Āzhvārs ('first/primordial Āzhvārs') are Poigai Āzhvār, Bhūtattozhvār, and Pēyāzhvār — the three earliest of the twelve canonised Āzhvārs whose hymns form the Nālāyira Divya Prabandham. Tradition places them in the earliest ages, born by Bhagavān's will (anugraha) rather than through biological parentage, and endowed with innate mayi-jñāna (immersed, revelatory knowledge of Bhagavān) from birth.
The celebrated meeting at Tirukovillur (Tirukovilūr) is one of the most beloved vignettes in Śrī Vaiṣṇava hagiography. The three Āzhvārs arrived independently at a small wayside shelter on a dark, rainy night. As each one entered, the space grew tighter. First Poigai Āzhvār, finding barely room to stand, composed the first Tiruvandādi — the Mudal Tiruvandādi — as a meditation on Bhagavān as the light in darkness. Bhūtattozhvār arrived next, filling the space to capacity, and composed the Iraṇṭām Tiruvandādi (second Tiruvandādi). When Pēyāzhvār arrived, a mysterious third presence was felt — Bhagavān himself, with Śrī Mahālakṣmī on his chest — and Pēyāzhvār composed the Mūṉṟām Tiruvandādi (third Tiruvandādi) in that state of vision.
These three Tiruvandādis together form the opening section of the Nālāyira Divya Prabandham and are among the most ancient Tamil Vaiṣṇava compositions. The meeting at Tirukovillur symbolises the spontaneous, divinely orchestrated convergence of bhakti, jñāna, and darśana — love, knowledge, and vision — that defines the Āzhvār experience. Poigai Āzhvār is associated with Kāñcīpuram, Bhūtattozhvār with Mahabalipuram, and Pēyāzhvār with Mylapore.