Thoppaithass Paramasivan (1950–2020), ThoPa to the Tamil world, was born in Palayamkottai town of Tirunelveli district. His doctoral research at Madurai Kamaraj University (1978) led to the book, Azhagar Koil, a landmark study of the Kallazhagar temple. He was a popular teacher, and active in the Madurai University Teachers’ Association for twenty-four years. In 1998, he was appointed professor of Tamil at Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli. ThoPa authored over fifteen books, and in 2022, the Government of Tamil Nadu honoured him by nationalising his works.