Growth of Vaishnava and Saiva religions, Tamil Bhakit Movement

The age between the 6th and 9th centuries CE in Tamil Nadu is known for a religious renaissance and the Bhakti Movement, marking a Hindu revival that emerged from the 6th century CE onward. This article traces the growth of Vaishnavism and Saivism in the Tamil country through the Bhakti Movement, examining its leading saints, their philosophies, and their literary legacies — an important theme for UPSC History Optional aspirants.

Tamil Bhakti Movement

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• Pey, Poykai, and Putham were the earliest Alwars, while Karaikkal Ammaiyar and Tirumular were the earliest Nayanmars — together regarded as the “morning stars” of the Bhakti Movement.
• The fundamental principles of religion began to develop during this period: the idea of God and the path to attaining His feet began to emerge, as the saints of Saivism and Vaishnavism spread their philosophies.
  • This religious philosophy reached the masses, and the devotional songs of the saints, sung in temples, cultivated devotion to God; Shiva, Vishnu, and Durga were worshipped, and devotional hymns made the Bhakti Movement all the more effective.
• Jainism and Buddhism, which had spread and grown during the Kalabhra period, began to decline during the time of the Pallavas, owing to several factors:
  • political change in the Tamil country;
  • the detachment from worldly life and the veneration of the “other world” preached by these faiths;
  • non-belief in a personal God; and
  • the patronage given to Hinduism by Mahendravarman I, Maravarman Arikesari, Nandi II, and the Pandyan king Parantaka Neduncheliyan.
• The doctrine of Bhakti means complete devotion and surrender to God — a true record of mystical experience, in which the devotee, at moments of ecstasy, perceives a personal vision of God.
  • The Saiva and Vaishnava saints of the South developed this Bhakti cult, and their devotional songs, marked by piety and intense attachment to God, brought about a profound change in religion throughout the Tamil country.
  • The Bhakti cult made temple worship the prominent feature of religion.
• Vaishnavism and Saivism are the two principal cults within Hinduism that emerged from this movement — Saivites worshipped Lord Shiva as God, while Vaishnavites worshipped Lord Vishnu.

Saivism and the Nayanmars

• The Saiva Nayanmars number sixty-three in total.
  • The early Nayanmars — Thirunavukkarasar, Thirugnana Sambandar, Sundaramurthy, and Manikavasagar — belonged to the age of the Pallavas and composed many devotional hymns, sung in temples.
• Lord Shiva was worshipped in both human and linga forms, with people worshipping him in varied forms — Lingotbhava Moorthy, Somaskantha Moorthy, and Gangadhara Moorthy.
  • The Periapuranam helped people learn about the lives of the Nayanmars, the Saiva saints.
• Saivism began to grow further during the Chola period — Chola rulers following Vijayalaya were devotees of Lord Shiva and built temples in his honour.
  • It is believed that the Tevaram and Thiruvasagam were sung in temples for the first time during this period.
  • Nambi Andar Nambi preserved these hymns during his time and compiled them; they formed the base on which Saivism built its superstructure in Tamil Nadu.
  • Sekkilar wrote the Thiruthondar Puranam (also called the Periapuranam), consisting of the biographies of the 63 Nayanmars.

Thirunavukkarasar

• Thirunavukkarasar was born at Tiruvamur and belonged to the Vellala community; he was learned in both Tamil and Sanskrit.
  • Also called Appar, he first embraced Jainism, before later turning to Saivism.
• He composed 3,066 stanzas in praise of Lord Shiva in the Thevaram.
  • His approach to God is known as chariya marga or dasa marga, in which the relationship between God and devotee is that of a master to a slave.

Thirugnana Sambandar

• Thirugnana Sambandar was born at Sirkazhi and belonged to the Brahmin community; he lived only 16 years.
  • A contemporary of Appar, he sang 4,158 verses in the Thevaram, his devotional songs embellished with rare similes, beauty, and sweetness.
• Arikesari Parangusa Maravarman, alias Kun Pandian, was converted to Saivism through his efforts.
  • Sambandar followed the kriya marga or sat-putra marga, in which the relationship between God and devotee is that of a father to a son.

Sundaramurthy

• Sundaramurthy was born at Navalur and belonged to the Adisaiva community.
  • His marriage at Tiruvennainallur was prevented by Lord Shiva, and he later married two women, Paravai and Sankili.
• He became known as the friend of God, earning the title Tambiran Tholan.
  • His approach to God is known as yoga marga or sakha marga, in which the relationship between God and devotee is that of a friend to a friend; he was the author of the seventh Tirumarai.
• Mahendravarman I changed his religion from Jainism to Saivism and persecuted the Jains — as Rawlinson notes, “he is said to have turned a great Jaina temple into a shrine dedicated to Siva.”
  • The Saiva and Vaishnava saints who flourished in the Pallava period led the powerful forces of Hindu regeneration, establishing the twin edifices of Saivism and Vaishnavism in the South on firm foundations; the great Saiva saints were contemporaries of Narasimhavarman I.

Manikavasagar

• Manikavasagar, the great Saiva saint, served as a minister to a Pandyan king.
  • According to tradition, he received his initiation at the foot of a Kurundha tree from a master who was none other than Lord Shiva himself.
• His approach to God, famously described in the Tiruvilaiyadal Puranam, is called Gnanamarga.
  • His works are the Tiruvasagam and the Tiruchirrambalakovai.
  • Tradition holds that these two works were copied down by Lord Nataraja himself at Chidambaram, in the guise of a Brahmin youth.

Philosophy of Saivism

• Saivism holds the doctrine of Pathi, Pasu, and Pasam — meaning God, Soul, and bondage — and believes in Mupporul Vunmai, or God, soul, and matter (the world).
  • Man is under the influence of passion, and upon liberation from this state, attains Mukti, or liberation.
• Meykandar wrote: “The Veda is the cow, its milk is true Agama; the Tamil sung by the Four is the ghee extracted from it; and the virtue of the Tamil work of Meykandar of the celebrated vennai is the fine taste of ghee.”
• The Tiruvundiyar and Tirukkalirruppadiyar present the main aspects of Saiva doctrine and practice.
  • The Siva-Nana-Bodam, written in the first half of the 13th century CE, is the first attempt at a systematic statement of the tenets of Tamil Saivism.

Saivite Works

• The devotional hymns of Sambandar, Appar, and Sundarar were compiled by Nambi, during the reign of Rajaraja I, into seven Tirumarai (divine literature).
  • The first three Tirumarai were those of Sambandar, the next three were those of Appar, and the seventh was that of Sundarar — together, all seven were called the Tevaram.
  • The Thiruvasagam, written by Manikavasagar, formed the eighth Tirumarai.
  • The ninth Tirumarai consists of the hymns of nine saints, while Tirumular’s Tirumantiram formed the tenth.
  • The eleventhTirumarai consists of the hymns of many poets, and the Periapuranam, written by Sekkilar, formed the twelfthTirumarai.
    • This work deals with the biographies of the 63 Nayanmars (Saiva saints); the epic was written in the 12th century CE, and Sekkilar himself was a Chola minister. The Periapuranam has influenced the lives and thoughts of the Tamil Saivite population.
• Historian Nilakanta Sastri observes that, in every way, it is a composition that worthily commemorates the great age of the Imperial Cholas and their sustained devotion to Saivism.
  • The Kalladam was composed by Kalladanar, referring to the miracles wrought by Shiva on account of Manikkavasagar, Idaikadar, and others; it is believed to belong to the 10th century CE.

Vaishnavism and the Alwars

• The saints of Vaishnavism number twelve in total: Poikai Alwar, Poothathalwar, Peyalwar, Thirumalisai Alwar, Thondaradi Podi Alwar, Nammalwar, Periyalwar, and Madhurakavi Alwar.
  • Of these, Poikai Alwar, Poothathalwar, and Peyalwar were the earliest Alwars.
  • According to tradition, Poygai, Bhudam, and Pey Alwars met at a Vishnu temple at Tirukkovilur on a rainy day; while sleeping, they felt the divine presence of Lord Vishnu upon their mortal bodies, who commanded them to sing his praise. Their works remain free from sectarian bias.
• The Nalayira Divyaprabandham is the compilation of poems composed by the twelve Alwars; the hymns of these Alwars were compiled by Nathamuni, who promoted Vaishnavism across the country.
  • The first thousand poems of the Nalayira Divyaprabandham contain the poems of Periyalwar, Andal, Kulasekara Alwar, Tirumalisai Alwar, Thondaradi Podi Alwar, Tirupanalwar, and Madhurakavi Alwar.
  • The next thousand poems contain Tirumangai Alwar’s poems.
  • The third thousand poems comprise works composed by Tirumalisai Alwar, Nammalwar, and Tirumangai Alwar.
  • The fourth thousand poems are those of Nammalwar.
• A section of Vaishnavism called the Vadakalai was founded by Vedanta Deshikar in the 13th century CE; he insisted that one should attach closely to God to attain the feet of Vishnu.
  • Another sect, the Thenkalai, was founded by Lokacharya. The former used the “U” symbol and the latter the “V” symbol on their foreheads.
• Vaishnavism spread across the Tamil country, patronised by rulers such as Vishnugopa, Simhavishnu, Narasimhavarman, Nandivarman II, and Tirumangai.

Vaishnavite Works

• The hymns of the twelve Alwars were compiled by Nathamuni into the Nalayira Tivya Prabandham.
  • The earliest three Alwars — Pei, Poykai, and Pudam — belonged to the pre-Pallava period; the hymns of Andal’s Tiruppavai spread as far as Southeast Asia.
• Ramanuja, the great Vaishnavite scholar and expounder of Vishishtadvaitam, wrote commentaries on the Vedas.
• Kambar wrote the Ramayana, a masterpiece of Tamil literature, composed in the 12th century CE.

Conclusion

The Tamil Bhakti Movement, spearheaded by the 63 Nayanmars and 12 Alwars, transformed Hindu religious life in the South by centring devotion — rather than ritual alone — as the path to God, expressed through a vast and enduring body of Tamil devotional literature such as the Tevaram, Tiruvasagam, and Nalayira Divyaprabandham. Their hymns not only checked the decline of Jainism and Buddhism in the Tamil country but also laid firm devotional and literary foundations for both Saivism and Vaishnavism, making this movement a cornerstone of South Indian religious history for UPSC History Optional preparation.