What is the Difference Between Nayanars and Alvars? 

Nayanars and Alvars were actually the Tamil poet-saints who made significant contributions in promoting the Bhakti Movement in the Southern part of India during the 5th-10th centuries. The term Nayanars was used for a group of 63 saints who were devotees of Lord Shiva. They lived somewhere around the 6th to 8th centuries CE. On the other hand, the Alvars were Tamil poet-saints of South India. They worshipped Lord Vishnu and his avatar Lord Krishna. But this is not it. In this blog, we will explore more about the difference between Nayanars and Alvars. 

Also Read: What is the Difference Between Ramayana and Ramcharitmanas?

Difference Between Nayanars and Alvars

Now that we have a basic idea of who Alvars and Nayanars were, let’s explore the significant differences between them. 

Parameters	Nayanars	Alvars
Time period	They were active somewhere around the 6th and 8th centuries AD.	Although some believe that Alvars were active between the 5th and 10th centuries AD, others believe that they lived between 4200 BCE – 2700 BCE.
Deity of worship	They were devoted to Lord Shiva and his avatars.	They worshipped Lord Vishnu and his avatars.
Number of saints	Originally there were 63 as listed by Sundarar but Nambiyandar Nambi expanded the total.	There were 12 Alvars.
Origins	Nayanars belonged to different origins including Brahmins, Harijan, farmers, and nobles.	Alvars belonged to lower castes.
Important Scholars	ViralmindaMeiporul, Tiru Neelakanta, Karaikkal Ammaiyar (women)	Thiruppan Alvar, Thirumazhisai Alvar, Kulasekara Alvar, Andal (only female Alvar saint and is also referred to as “Meera of the South”
Popular literary works	Nambiyandar Nambi, the high priest of Raja Raja Chola I compiled the hymns of Nayanars into a series of volumes called the Tirumurai.	The hymns of Alvars were later consolidated into a single volume called Divya Prabandha.
Major impact	Revival of Shaivism	Revival of Vaishnavism and Bhakti movement across India.

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