Muthuswamy Dikshitar dedicated all his compositions to the praise of divinities worshipped and places venerated by the Hindus. After the Alwars and Nayanmars of Tamil country, he was perhaps the most widely travelled bhakta to compose songs in praise of the divine and the sacred but, unlike them, he offered worship at both saivite and vaishnavite shrines. He made visits to temples near and far and studied their sthalapuranas or histories and the legends, rites of worship and festivals associated with them. And, as often as not, he wrote songs on the deities enshrined in these temples, offering — in exquisite detail and with deep understanding — descriptions of their unique virtues and attributes. Even those who have no ear for music can obtain to a great degree the satisfaction they might expect to get from a pilgrim's tour of South India by studying the texts of Dikshitar's compositions, which are mostly in Sanskrit. If they would have the opportunity also to listen to these compositions properly performed, then they would additionally have pleasurable aesthetic experiences, as well as greater satisfaction on a religious level.