Nammalvar

Nammalvar was one of the twelve Alvar saints of Tamil Nadu, India, recognized for their contributions to the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. The hymns of the Alvars are compiled as the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, which praises 108 temples classified as divine abodes, known as the Divya Desams. Nammalvar is traditionally counted as the fifth among the twelve Alvars. He is regarded as a central mystic of Sri Vaishnavism. Widely considered the foremost of the Alvars, he composed 1,352 of the 4,000 hymns in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham.

According to traditional accounts, Nammalvar was born in 3059 BCE in Alwarthirunagiri. Historically, scholars date him to the eighth century CE. According to legend, Nammalvar remained silent from birth and sat beneath a tamarind tree. The poet-saint Madhurakavi Alvar, followed a bright light shining in the south until he found the child sitting beneath the tree, where Nammalvar spoke his first words.

The works of Nammalvar were compiled by Madhurakavi as four different works, the Tiruvaymoli (1,102 verses), Tiruviruttam (100 verses), Tiruvaciriyam (or Tiru Asiriyam - 7 verses) and Periya Tiruvantati (87 verses). The works of Nammalvar contributed to the philosophical and theological ideas of Vaishnavism.

The Garudasevai festival in Nava Tirupati, the nine Vishnu temples in the Thoothukudi region, and the Araiyar Sevai during the Vaikuntha Ekadashi festival of the Srirangam temple are dedicated to him. The verses of Nammalvar and other Alvars are recited as a part of daily prayers and during festive occasions in several Vaishnava temples in Tamil Nadu.