The word
alvar means the one who dives deep into the ocean of the countless attributes of god.
Alvars are considered the twelve supreme devotees of
Vishnu, who were instrumental in popularising
Vaishnavism during the 5th-8th centuries CE. The religious works of these saints in
Tamil, songs of love and devotion, are compiled as
Nalayira Divya Prabandham containing 4000 verses and the 108 temples revered in their songs are classified as
Divya desam. The saints had different origins and belonged to different castes. As per tradition, the first three
Alvars, Poigai, Bhutha and Pey were born miraculously. Tirumalisai was the son of a sage, Thondaradi, Mathurakavi, Periyalvar and Andal were from the
Brahmin community, Kulasekhara from
Kshatria community, Nammalvar was from a cultivator family, Tirupanalvar from
panar community and Tirumangaiyalvar from
kallar community.
Divya Suri Saritra by Garuda-Vahana Pandita (11th century CE),
Guruparamparaprabavam by Pinbaragiya Perumal Jiyar,
Periya tiru mudi adaivu by Anbillai Kandadiappan,
Yatindra Pranava Prabavam by Pillai Lokam Jiyar, commentaries on
Divya Prabandam, Guru Parampara (lineage of Gurus) texts, temple records and inscriptions give a detailed account of the
Alvars and their works. According to these texts, the saints were considered incarnations of some form of Vishnu. Poigai is considered an incarnation of
Panchajanya (Krishna's conch), Bhoothath of
Kaumodakee (Vishnu's Mace/Club), Pey of
Nandaka (Vishnu's sword), Thirumalisai of
Sudarshanam (Vishnu's discus), Nammalvar of
Vishvaksena (Vishnu's commander), Madhurakavi of
Vainatheya (Vishnu's snake, Seshanaga), Kulasekhara of
Kaustubha (Vishnu's necklace), Periy of Garuda (Vishnu's eagle), Andal of Bhoodevi (Vishnu's wife, Lakshmi, in her form as Bhudevi), Thondaradippodi of
Vanamaalai (Vishnu's garland), Thiruppaanalvar of
Srivatsa (An auspicious mark on Vishnu's chest) and Thirumangaiyalvar of
Saranga (Rama's bow). The songs of
Prabandam are regularly sung in all the Vishnu temples of South India daily and also during festivals. According to traditional account by
Manavala Mamunigal, the first three
Alvars namely Poigai, Bhoothath and Pey Alvar belong to
Dvapara Yuga (before 4200 BCE), as per the details, all Alvars lived around 4300 BCE–900 CE. Some modern scholars suggest that they lived during 5th–8th century, although such estimates lack evidence. But it is widely accepted by tradition and historians that the trio are the earliest among the twelve
Alvars. Along with the three Saiva
nayanmars, they influenced the ruling
Pallava kings, creating a Bhakti movement that resulted in changing the religious geography from
Buddhism and
Jainism to these two sects of
Hinduism in the region. The
Alvars were also instrumental in promoting the Bhagavatha cult and the two epics of India, namely,
Ramayana and
Mahabaratha. The
Alvars were instrumental in spreading
Vaishnavism throughout the region. The verses of the various
Alvars were compiled by
Nathamuni (824-924 CE), a 10th-century Vaishnavite theologian, who called it the "Tamil Veda". ==Early life==