CH 8 DEVOTIONAL PATHS TO THE DIVINE

Shaivite Saint 11th century. Cults of saints are prominent in South Indian Hinduism. Saints who follow Shiva are called nayanars, and those of Vishnu, alvars.

Chaitanya MahaprabhuThe famous Saint Chaitanya of Bengal was a contemporary of Alauddin Husain Shah. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486 – 1534) was a Vedic spiritual leader. He founded Gaudiya Vaishnavism.

saint Moinuddin ChishtiThat is the case for Ajmer Sharif, the tomb of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti (the first Sufi saint that had come to India) in Ajmer, or the tomb of Nand Rishi in Charar-e Sharif in Kashmir.

Answer: Nayanars were saints devoted to Shiva and Alvars were saints devoted to Vishnu. They belonged to all castes, including the ones who were considered untouchable like the Pulaiyar and Panars.

Nayanars were a group of were a group of 63 saints during the 6th to 8th century. They influenced the bhakti movement. They worshiped lord Shiva.

>Alvars and nayanars rejected the caste system and the dominance of the Brahamans.

Answer: Alvars were devotees of Vishnu and Nayanars were devotees of Shiva. They travelled from one place to another singing in praise of their Gods. Chola kings supported them by giving them land and grants.

The Nayanars were poets who composed devotional poems dedicated to Shiva in Tamil Nadu during the 6th to 8th centuries.

Solution. There are 63 legendary Nayanmars. Among them, Gnanasampandar, Appar and Sundarar (often called “the trio”) are worshipped as saints through their images in South Indian temples.

They preached ardent love of Shiva or Vishnu as the path to salvation. They drew upon the ideals of love and heroism as found in the Sangam literature. These Nayanars and Alvars went from place to place. They composed exquisite poems in praise of the deities in the villages which they visited, and set them …

How did Nayanars and Alvars spread their teaching? Read More »