How a group of 63 saints shaped South Indian devotion
In short: Between the 6th and 8th centuries, a diverse group of Tamil saints known as the Nayanars emerged. From oilmongers to Brahmins, their lives and hymns formed the foundation of the Bhakti movement, creating a spiritual legacy that was meticulously compiled and expanded over several centuries.
The Nayanars, or 'hounds', were 6/3 Tamil saints whose influence defined early medieval South India. While the group is famous today as a fixed canon, the list was not static. The initial compilation was performed by the saint Sundarar, who used his poem, the Tiruthonda Thogai, to name saints up to Karaikkal Ammaiyar. This original list lacked a specific chronological or hierarchical order. The group's identity is also linked to the Alvars, their contemporary Vaishnava counterparts. Some scholars connect the era of saints like Appar and Sambandar to Pallava and Pandya inscriptions.
The canon grew through the efforts of later scholars and kings. Nambiyandar Nambi, a priest in the court of the 10th-century king Raja Raja Chola I, expanded the collection into the Tirumurai. He organized the hymns of poets like Sambandar, Appar, and Sundarar into the first seven books, known as the Tevaram. Nambi also integrated the works of Manikkavasakar into the eighth book and eventually added Sundarar’s parents to the sequence, establishing the canonical 63 saints. Nambi's eleventh book, the Tirutontanar Tiruvanthathi, contains 89 verses, with one dedicated to every saint. He also included the Tirumandiram and 40 hymns by 12 other poets in the tenth book.
The lives and stories of these saints were further detailed in the 12th century by Sekkizhar, who authored the Periya Puranam. This twelfth volume of the Tirumurai provided the expansive narratives for each saint. The group's social diversity was significant, including individuals from backgrounds such as the Vanniyar, Vellalars, and Paraiyars. Interestingly, the Tamil poet-philosopher Valluvar has been honored as a 64th Nayanar in the Mylapore procession since approximately 1905. The social spectrum of the Nayanars was vast, encompassing oilmongers, Idayars, and Kurumbars. Even the 9th-century poet Manikkavasakar, though his works are included in the eighth volume, was not originally counted among the 63.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Nayanars
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