The Indologist Sudalaimuthu Palaniappan has established from epigraphy and textual evidence that the traditional term Āḻvār (ஆழ்வார்) for Vaiṣṇavaite Tamil poet saints has historically been a corruption of the original Āḷvār (ஆள்வார்).Ĭorrection of the original Āḷvār (ஆள்வார்) to Āḻvār (ஆழ்வார்)

Al (ஆழ்), 'to immerse oneself' as 'one who dives deep into the ocean of the countless attributes of god'. The word Alvar has traditionally been etymologized as from Tamil. As a part of the legacy of the Alvars, five Vaishnavite philosophical traditions ( sampradayas) developed over a period of time. In addition, they contributed to Tamil devotional verses independent of a knowledge of Sanskrit. The bhakti literature that sprang from Alvars has contributed to the establishment and sustenance of a culture that deviated from the Vedic religion and rooted itself in devotion as the only path for salvation. The collection of their hymns is known as the Naalayira Divya Prabandham. The poetry of the Alvars echoes bhakti to God through love, and in the ecstasy of such devotions they sang hundreds of songs which embodied both depth of feeling and the felicity of expressions. They praised the Divya Desams, the 108 divine realms of deities affiliated to Vaishnavism. The devotional outpourings of the Alvars, composed during the early medieval period of Tamil history, were the catalysts behind the Bhakti Movement through their hymns of worship to Vishnu and his avatars. Together with the contemporary 63 Shaivite Nayanars, they are among the most important saints from Tamil Nadu. Andal is the only female Alvar among the 12. Orthodoxy posits the number of Alvars as ten, though there are other references that include Andal and Madhurakavi Alvar, making the number 12. Traditionally, the Alvars are considered to have lived between 4200 BCE and 2700 BCE. Many modern academics place the lifetime of the Alvars between the 5th century and 9th century CE. They are venerated in Vaishnavism, which regards Vishnu as the Ultimate Reality. The Alvars ( Tamil: ஆழ்வார், romanized: Āḻvār, lit.'The Immersed') were the Tamil poet-saints of South India who espoused bhakti (devotion) to the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, in their songs of longing, ecstasy, and service.

Hymns for the Drowning by Nammalvar