(9th c.) Tamil poet-saint and creator of the
Tiruvachakam ("holy words"), who was a devotee (bhakta) of the deity
Shiva.
Along with the Nayanar poet saints, Appar, Sambandar, and
Sundaramurtti, he is regarded the fourth major figure in the Tamil Shaivite
tradition.
Manikkavachakar's songs are viewed as the climax of the
older devotional (bhakti) tradition and provide testament to the depth of his
own religious experience.
These hymns also served as the foundation for the Shaiva
Siddhanta philosophical school's development, making him a key figure in
southern Indian Shaivism.
Glenn Yocum's Hymns to the Dancing Siva, published in 1982,
has further material.
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