The great and inimitable Muthuswamy Dikshithar was born in 1776 to the peerless composer Ramaswamy Dikshithar in the city of Thiruvarur (Kamalalayaksetra) ,he had two other brothers of whom Baluswamy Dikshithar is supposed to have introduced the violin to Carnatic music. Ramaswamy Dikshithar himself was a native of Vrinchipuram in the erstwhile North Arcot district. the origins of his family are unclear though it is generally believed that his family had migrated to Vrinchipuram from further up north.

The great saint Thyagaraja lived most of his life in the holy town of Thiruvaiyaru (PanchaNadeshwaram)
near Thanjavur .Unlike Muthuswamy Dikshithar, Thyagaraja did not have the habit of making arduous pilgrimages to far away temple towns or purificatory rivers Infact in the song Koti Nadulu(Todi), he seems to pour scorn on those who do so. Nevertheless we do know that Thyagaraja made one long pilgrimage to the great city of Kanchi upon the invitation of the seer Upanishad Brahmam who was also a devotee of lord Rama