Nammalvar

Who was Nammalvar?

Nammalvar is one of the twelve azhwar saints of South India, who are known for their affiliation to Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. The verses of azhwars are compiled as Nalayira Divya Prabandham and the 108 temples revered are classified as Divya desam. Nammazhwar is considered the fifth in the line of the twelve azhwars. He is regarded as the one of the top three Hindu mystics in India, with the other two being Manickavasagar and Kabir. He is also considered the greatest among the twelve azhwars and his contributions amount to 1352 among the 4000 stanzas in the Nalayira Divya Prabandam.

Western scholars have suggested various times between the 5th and 9th centuries AD as the period of Nammazhwar and some scholars have placed his period from 880 to 930 AD. As per Hindu legend, Nammazhwar remained speechless from his birth sitting in a tamarind tree and he first interacted with Madhurakavi Alvar, who saw a bright light shining to the south, and followed it until he reached the tree where the boy was residing.

The works of Nammazhwar were compiled by Mathurakavi as four different works, namely, Thiruvaymozhi, Thiruviruttam, Thiru Vaasiriam andPeriya Thiruvanthadi. The works of Nammazhwar contributed to the philosophical and theological ideas of Vaishnavism. Along with the three Saiva nayanmars, they influenced the ruling Pallava kings of the South Indian region, resulting in changing the religious geography from Buddhism and Jainism to the two sects of Hinduism.