(7th c.) One of the first three Alvars, a group of twelve poet-saints
who lived in southern India during the seventh and tenth centuries, with Bhutam
and Poygai.
All Alvars were Vishnu worshippers (bhakta), and their
emphasis on ardent devotion (bhakti) to a per sonal deity, expressed via hymns
sung in Tamil, changed and revived Hindu religious life.
According to legend, the three men were trapped in a violent
downpour and sought refuge in a little dry place, one after the other, with
each making way for the next.
They sensed a fourth presence, that of Vishnu, as they stood
next to one other.
The Alvars were so powerful followers that their combined
force was enough to bring Vishnu to life.
Overwhelmed with excitement, they each broke into song, the
first of which became the first of their creations.
More details may be found in Kamil Zvelebil's Tamil
Literature, published in 1975.
