Natesa Sastri was a noted exponent of Harikatha. He came from Tiruvarur and lived during the second half of the 19th century and the first 20 years of the 20th century. One of his prominent disciples was Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar.[citation needed] He also wrote a massive four-volume collection of Tamil folk tales chronicling the folklore of Southern India.[1] He believed that folklore was a form of national literature, and termed to be "the most trustworthy manifestation of people's real thoughts and characteristics."[2]
