azhvar (āzhvār)

(Language: Tamil)

Alternate Spellings: alwar, alvar

Short Description: The word means “immersed in the Lord”. The Azhvars, numbering twelve, are Vaisnava saint-poets.

Long Description: The word means “immersed in the Lord”. The Azhvars (alt: Alwars), numbering twelve, are Vaisnava saint-poets. Their compositions constitute the Nalayira-Divyaprabandham (also known in short as the Divyaprabandham). For the Vaisnavas of the South of India, this work is almost as sacred as the Vedas. The twelve Azhvars; Poigai, Bhutattazhvar, Pey, Tirumazhisai, Kulasekhara, Periyazhvar, Andal, Tondaradippodi, Tiruppan, Tirumaingai, Nammazhvar and Madhurakavi.