About Alwars

Narayana is the ultimate supreme, and he is the almighty. All legendary avatars like Krishna and Rama are the incarnation of Narayana or Vishnu. Alwar is one who is a staunch devotee of Narayana that he sees nothing and he works for nothing except the supreme. In history, 12 alwars are still worshipped in the temples of South India. These alwars are believed to be between the 6th and 9th Centuries.

These alwars were the ardent devotees of Lord Vishnu who remained immersed in God all their lifetime. All their causes and actions were devotees to God only that they composed many hymns and songs on the almighty. The collection of their hymns is placed all together in a holy collection called “Divya Prabandham.” All the composed hymns and songs by all 12 alwars are 4000 in numbers that are still sung in South Indian temples regularly and during festivities.

According to the Hindu legend, it has been stated that these alwars came to earth to make people aware of Vishnu and increase Vaishanavite. They were sent to earth by the almightly himself to increase Bhakti and devotion toward Lord. It is believed that every alwar was a part of Vishnu’s different weapons, such as his disc, sword, conch, and more. In these 12 alwars, there was a female alwar too named “Sri Andal.” She was the avatar of Maa Laxmi or Bhudevi, who is the loving consort of Lord Vishnu.

The hymns composed by the alwars are so holistic that they have an equivalent value to Vedas and Upanishads; they are also as significant as Bhagavat Gita. Their language is Sanskrit, and they have in-depth meanings. However, in every translation, all these hymns represent Lord Vishnu and his admiration.