 Sambandar is said to have been breastfed by the goddess Umadevi, after which he sang his first hymn.On the request of Mangayarkkarasiyar, Sambandar went on a pilgrimage to Madurai to counter the Jain monks in her husband's court; after besting the monks in debate, the Pandya king converted to Saivism, and the Jains in Madurai were impaled to death in the aftermath.Sambandar died around 655 CE at the age of 16, on the day of his marriage.