The Nayanars were the sincere and ardent devotees of Lord Siva. They were saints from Southern India, especially Tamil Nadu, and were mostly responsible for development of Shaivism in the Middle Ages. Nayanars - Simple but divinely intoxicated. Only a few had made a study of the Agamas.(see Hindu Agamas.)The rest were pure and simple Bhaktas only. They served the devotees of Lord Siva and made absolute self-surrender to the Lord. They were quite ignorant of philosophy. The Nayanars cleaned the temple premis ...

Including:

• Nayanars - Simple but divinely intoxicated
• Nayanars - Role model of Devotion
• Nayanars - Four Samayacharyas
• Nayanars - Bhakti Renaissance
• Nayanars - Related Links

Read more here: » Nayanars: Encyclopedia - Nayanars

See also:

Nayanars, Nayanars - Simple but divinely intoxicated, Nayanars - Role model of Devotion, Nayanars - Four Samayacharyas, Nayanars - Bhakti Renaissance, Nayanars - Related Links

Read more here: » Nayanars: Encyclopedia II - Nayanars - Four Samayacharyas

Nayanar: (Tamil) "One who shows the way." The 63 canonized Tamil saints of South India, as documented in the Periyapuranam by Sekkilar (ca 1140). All but a few were householders, honored as exemplars of radical devotion to Lord Siva, though their biographies are perhaps historically inaccurate and the actions of some were violent, even heinous. Several contributed to the Saiva Siddhanta scriptural compendium called Tirumurai.

See: Nalvar, Tirumurai.

(See also: Nayanar, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Tirumula Nayanar

Tirumula Nayanar was a great Yogi in Kailas. He had all the 8 major Siddhis through the grace of Nandi, the Vahana of Lord Siva. He was a friend of Agastya Muni

From "Kundalini Yoga" by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Yogis: Tirumula Nayanar

Nayanars (or Nayanmars), saints from Southern India, were mostly responsible for development of Śaivism in the Middle Ages. Of the schools today, many Śaivite sects are in Kashmir and Northern India, with Lingayats and Virasaivas from Southern India. The Saiva Siddhanta is a major Śaivite theory developed in Southern India. Śiva's life is often depicted in short stage dramas to help his devotees (particularly nayanmars) better understand his aspects. This is greatly explained in the Thiruvilayadalpuram. This form is especi ...

See also:

Shiva, Shiva - Introduction, Shiva - Consorts and the Burning of Kamadeva, Shiva - Other Legends, Shiva - The Sons of Shiva, Shiva - Attributes of Lord Shiva, Shiva - Other Forms and Legends, Shiva - Schools and Views of Śivaism, Shiva - Origin Theories, Shiva - Names of Śiva

Read more here: » Shiva: Encyclopedia II - Shiva - Schools and Views of Śivaism

Nayanars (or Nayanmars), saints from Southern India, were mostly responsible for development of Śaivism in the Middle Ages. Of the schools today, many Śaivite sects are in Kashmir and Northern India, with Lingayats and Virasaivas from Southern India. The Saiva Siddhanta is a major Śaivite theory developed in Southern India. Śiva's life is often depicted in short stage dramas to help his devotees (particularly nayanmars) better understand his aspects. This is greatly explained in the Thiruvilayadalpuram. This form is especi ...

See also:

Shiva, Shiva - Shivalingas, Shiva - Introduction, Shiva - Consorts and the Burning of Kamadeva, Shiva - Other Legends, Shiva - The Sons of Shiva, Shiva - Attributes of Lord Shiva, Shiva - Other Forms and Legends, Shiva - Schools and Views of Śivaism, Shiva - Origin Theories, Shiva - Names of Śiva

Read more here: » Shiva: Encyclopedia II - Shiva - Schools and Views of Śivaism

As this web site, [1], states, Lord Shiva is the God of all and is worshipped by all, from devas such as Brahma, Indra, by asuras like Bana, Ravana, by humans like Adi Shankara, Nayanars, by creatures such as Jatayu, an eagle, Vali, a monkey, and the list goes on and on. Furthermore, the site states that a variety of people of different backgrounds and qualities worship the Lord shiva, with many temples having histories of even cranes, bees, elephants, (see Kalahasti), spiders, snakes, worshipping the Lord and getting blessed and concludes by stating that the Lord as the Supreme blesses anyone who worships in sincere devotion as there is no ...

See also:

Shiva, Shiva - Shivalingas, Shiva - Introduction, Shiva - Consorts and the Burning of Kamadeva, Shiva - Other Legends, Shiva - The Sons of Shiva, Shiva - Attributes of Lord Shiva, Shiva - Other Forms and Legends, Shiva - Schools and Views of Śivaism, Shiva - Origin Theories, Shiva - Names of Śiva

Read more here: » Shiva: Encyclopedia II - Shiva - Shivalingas

Arbhuta Tiru Antadi: (Tamil) poem of 100 verses in praise of Lord Siva composed in Tamil by the woman Saint Karaikkal Ammaiyar (ca 5th century). See: Nayanar.

(See also: Arbhuta Tiru Antadi, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Arbhuta Tiru Antadi: (Tamil) poem of 100 verses in praise of Lord Siva composed in Tamil by the woman Saint Karaikkal Ammaiyar (ca 5th century). See: Nayanar.

(See also: Arbhuta Tiru Antadi, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Periyapuranam: (Tamil) (Sanskrit) Twelfth book of the Tirumurai. Story of the 63 Saiva Nayanar saints of Tamil Nadu, written by Sekkilar (ca 1140).

See: Tirumurai.

(See also: Periyapuranam, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Nalvar: (Tamil) "Four devout beings."

Four renowned saints of the Saiva religion (7th to 9th century): Appar, Sundarar, Sambandar and Manikkavasagar - devotional mystics whose lives and teachings helped catalyze a resurgence of Saivism in Tamil Nadu. All but Manikkavasagar are among the Nayanars, 63 saints canonized by Sekkilar in his Periyapuranam (ca 1140). These four are also known as the Samayacharyas, "teachers of the faith." Their devotional poems are embodied in the Tirumurai, along with the writings of other Nayanars. Numerous South Indian temples celebrate their historic pilgrimages from shrine to shrine where they beseeched the grace of Siva through heartfelt song. Nalvar is a term not to be confused with Alvar, naming certain Vaishnava saints of the same period.

See: Alvar, Nayanar, Tirumurai.

(See also: Nalvar, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Appar: (Tamil) "Father." Endearing name for Tirunavukarasu (ca 700), one of four Tamil saints, Samayacharyas, who reconverted errant Saivites who had embraced Jainism. Calling himself the servant of God's servants, he composed magnificent hymns in praise of Siva that are reverently sung to this day. See: Nalvar, Nayanar, Saiva Siddhanta.

(See also: Appar, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Sundarar: (Tamil) "Beautiful." One of the four Tamil Samayacharyas (ca 800), and composer of devotional hymns to God Siva, which form the seventh book of the Tirumurai. In these, he pleads forth-rightly to Siva for material as well as spiritual abundance.

See: Nalvar, Nayanar, Tirumurai.

(See also: Sundarar, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Appar: (Tamil) "Father." Endearing name for Tirunavukarasu (ca 700), one of four Tamil saints, Samayacharyas, who reconverted errant Saivites who had embraced Jainism. Calling himself the servant of God's servants, he composed magnificent hymns in praise of Siva that are reverently sung to this day. See: Nalvar, Nayanar, Saiva Siddhanta.

(See also: Appar, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Sambandar: (Tamil) Child saint of the 7th-century Saivite renaissance. Composed many Devaram hymns in praise of Siva, reconverted at least one Tamil king who had embraced Jainism, and vehemently sought to counter the incursion of Buddhism, bringing the Tamil people back to Saivism.

See: Nalvar, Nayanar, Tirumurai.

(See also: Sambandar, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Alvar: (Tamil) "One who rules the Lord through bhakti." A group of renowned saints of the Vaishnava religion (7th9th century), devotional mystics whose lives and teachings catalyzed to a resurgence of Vaishnavism in Tamil Nadu. Their devotional poems are embodied in the Nalayiram Divya Prabandham, containing about 4,000 hymns. Among the 12 most famous Alvars are Poykai, Pudam, Tirumalisai, Nammalvar, Kulashekhara, Andal, Tiruppan and Tirumangai. A term not to be confused with Nalvar, naming the four Samayacharya Saivite saints: Appar, Sundarar, Sambandar and Manikkavasagar, who were their contemporaries. See: Nalvar, Nayanar.

(See also: Alvar, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Alvar: (Tamil) "One who rules the Lord through bhakti." A group of renowned saints of the Vaishnava religion (7th9th century), devotional mystics whose lives and teachings catalyzed to a resurgence of Vaishnavism in Tamil Nadu. Their devotional poems are embodied in the Nalayiram Divya Prabandham, containing about 4,000 hymns. Among the 12 most famous Alvars are Poykai, Pudam, Tirumalisai, Nammalvar, Kulashekhara, Andal, Tiruppan and Tirumangai. A term not to be confused with Nalvar, naming the four Samayacharya Saivite saints: Appar, Sundarar, Sambandar and Manikkavasagar, who were their contemporaries. See: Nalvar, Nayanar.

(See also: Alvar, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

San Marga Sanctuary: A meditation tirtha at the foot of the extinct volcano, Mount Waialeale, on Hawaii's Garden Island, Kauai.

Here pilgrims follow the H-mile path, San Marga, to a natural Sivalinga, walk the path of the Tamil Nayanars around picturesque lotus lakes and ponds and visit the six shrines of the Kailasa Parampara on the banks of Saravanabhava Lake in Rishi Valley. Paths lead visitors to the sacred Wailua River, then up stone stairs to the Chola-style white-granite Iraivan Temple, hand-carved in Bangalore, India. In the sanctum sanctorum, the Supreme God, Siva (Parameshvara-Parashakti-Parasiva), will be enshrined as a massive 700-pound, single-pointed earthkeeper quartz crystal.

San Marga Sanctuary, founded in 1970, is among many public services of Saiva Siddhanta Church, one of America's senior Hindu religious institutions.

See: Subramuniyaswami, tirtha.

(See also: San Marga Sanctuary, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Tirumurai: (Tamil) "Holy book."

A twelve-book collection of hymns and writings of South Indian Saivite saints, compiled by Saint Nambiyandar Nambi (ca 1000). Of these,

-       books 1-3 are the hymns of Saint Tirujnana Sambandar (ca 600).

-       Books 4-6 are the hymns of Saint Tirunavakarasu (Appar), a contemporary of Sambandar.

-       Book 7 contains the hymns of Saint Sundaramurti (ca 800).

-       Book 8 contains the two works of Saint Manikkavasagar (9th century) - Tiruvasagam and Tirukovaiyar.

-       Book 9 is the Tiruvisaippa and Tiruppallandu, which together comprise the works of nine saints.

-       Book 10 is the Tirumantiram of Saint Tirumular (ca 200 bce).

-       Book 11 contains the hymns of ten saints, including Saint Nakkirar and Nambiyandar Nambi, the compiler.

-       Book 12 is the Periyapuranam by Saint Sekkilar (11th century), narrating the life story of the 63 Saiva Nayanar saints. The first seven books are known as Devarams.

(See also: Tirumurai, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Please remove this notice after the article has been expanded. Details are on this talk page or at Wikipedia:Requests for expansion. Hinduism (सनातन धर्म; also known as Sanātana Dharma, and Vaidika-Dharma) is a worldwide religious tradition that is based on the revealed knowledge of the Veda and the direct descendant of the Vedic religion. It encompasses many religious traditions that widely vary in practice, as well as many diverse sects and philosophies. It is the world's ...

Including:

• History of Hinduism - Origins
• History of Hinduism - Analyzing the History
• History of Hinduism - Literature
• History of Hinduism - Archaeology
• History of Hinduism - Hindu Mythology
• History of Hinduism - Early Hinduism
• History of Hinduism - Influences of the Indus Valley and Dravidian Peoples
• History of Hinduism - Evolution of Hindu Philosophy
• History of Hinduism - Socio-Religious Reform Movements
• History of Hinduism - Hinduism and Jainism
• History of Hinduism - Hinduism and the rise of Buddhism
• History of Hinduism - Hinduism during the Golden Age in Bharat
• History of Hinduism - Shankaracharya and the revival of Hinduism
• History of Hinduism - Cultural expansion in South-East Asia
• History of Hinduism - Hinduism in Medieval Ages
• History of Hinduism - Islamic Invasion
• History of Hinduism - Goa Inquisition
• History of Hinduism - Bhakti Movement
• History of Hinduism - The Reign of Shivaji
• History of Hinduism - Modern Hinduism
• History of Hinduism - Reform Movements
• History of Hinduism - Converts

Read more here: » History of Hinduism: Encyclopedia - History of Hinduism