Alvars

Andal (ISO 15919: Āṇṭāḷ), also known as Kothai and Nachiyar is one of the 12 Alvars, who are Tamil saints who patronised Vaishnavism during the Bhakti movement. She is the only female Alvar. She is considered to be an avatar of the earth goddess Bhumi, who is an aspect of Hindu goddess Lakshmi, the consort of the preserver god Vishnu. The Alvars are affiliated with the Sri Vaishnavism tradition of Vaishnavism. As per Hindu mythology, she was raised by Periyalvar in Srivilliputhur, where she grew up as a devotee of Krishna.

The Alvars (), 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.

Sri Vaishnava religious leader

Nammalvar was one of the twelve Alvar saints of Tamil Nadu, India, who are known for their affiliation to the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. The verses of the Alvars are compiled as the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, where praises are sung of 108 temples that are classified as divine realms, called the Divya Desams. Nammalvar is considered to be the fifth in the line of the twelve Alvars. He is highly regarded as a great mystic of the Vaishnava tradition. He is also considered to be the foremost among the twelve Alvars, and his contributions amount to 1352 among the 4000 stanzas in the Naalayir

collection of 4,000 Tamil verses composed by the 12 Alvars

last of the 12 Alvar saints of south India

Periyalvar (), also known as Vishnuchittar, was one of the twelve Alvar saints of South India who are known for their affiliation to the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. He was the foster father of Andal. Andal, also called as Kodhai, is the only female Alvar, and is considered to be the incarnation of Bhudevi according to Sri Vaishnavism.

poet-saint of Sri Vaishnavism

tamil poet-saint

tamil poet-saint

poet-saint of the Tamil Vaishnava tradition

Sri Vaishnava poet-saint

thumb|160px|Krishnadevaraya thumb|160px|Saint Andal (14th Century, Madurai), at the [[Los Angeles County Museum of Art]] The Āmuktamālyada () is a Telugu epic poem composed by Krishnadevaraya, the ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire, in the early 16th century. Amuktamalyada translates to "One who offered the garland after wearing it herself". Considered as a masterpiece, the Amuktamalyada describes the legendary wedding of the Hindu deity Ranganayaka, an avatar of Vishnu, and Andal, one of the poet-saints called the Alvars, at Srirangam gives insight into the religious, political and cultural set

hindu poet-saint

one of the twelve alvar saints of South India