Alvars

The Alvars (Tamil: ஆழ்வார், romanized: Āḻvār, lit. 'The Immersed'), also spelled as Azhwars, are the Tamil poet-saints of South India who espoused bhakti (devotion) to the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu through their songs of longing, ecstasy, and service. They are venerated in Vaishnavism, which regards Vishnu as the Ultimate Reality.

Tradition posits the number of Alvars as ten, though there are other references that include Andal and Madhurakavi Alvar, bringing the total to twelve. Together with the 63 contemporary Shaivite Nayanars, they are among the most important saints from Tamil Nadu.

The Alvars are considered the twelve supreme devotees of Vishnu in Sri Vaishnavism, who were instrumental in popularising Vaishnavism in the Tamil-speaking regions. The Alvars were influential in promoting the Bhagavata Sampradaya and the two Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

The hymns of the Alvars are compiled as the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, a collection of 4000 verses, and the 108 temples revered in their hymns are classified as Divya Desams. The verses of the various Alvars were compiled by Nathamuni (824–924 CE), a 9th-century Vaishnavite theologian, who called it the "Dravida Veda" or the "Tamil Veda". The songs of the Prabandham are regularly sung in various Vishnu temples of South India, daily, and also during festivals.