South India’s Alwars are luminous laments that have woven a vibrant and enduring legacy, standing out in the vast tapestry of India’s rich cultural and spiritual heritage. Alwars of South India is a book that delves into the profound lives, teachings, and devotional expressions of these revered saint-poets, whose in uence has endured for centuries.
The Alwars, a group of twelve poet-saints, rst emerged in the Tamil-speaking regions of South India during the early medieval period. Their compositions, collectively referred to as the Divya Prabandham, are a fundamental component of Tamil literature and devotional practice. These Tamil hymns, which serve as a beacon of Bhakti, or devotional love, extol the virtues of Lord Vishnu and his numerous incarnations. The Alwars established the groundwork for the Vaishnavism that thrived in South India by
transforming the religious landscape through their deeply felt poetry.
