TheNayanars (orNayanmars;Tamil:நாயன்மார்,romanized: Nāyaṉmār,lit. 'teachers')^[1] were a group of 63Tamil saints living during the 6th to 8th centuries CE. Along with theAlvars, their contemporaries, they influenced theBhakti movement inearly medieval South India.^[2] The names of the Nayanars were first compiled bySundarar. The list was expanded byNambiyandar Nambi during his compilation of material by the poets for theTirumurai collection, and would include Sundarar himself and Sundarar's parents.^[3]

TheNalvar (lit. 'The Four') are the three foremost NayanarsAppar,Sundarar,Sambandar along withManikkavacakar.

The list of the Nayanars was initially compiled bySundarar (Sundararmurthi). In his poemTiruthonda Thogai he sings, in eleven verses, the names of the Nayanar saints up toKaraikkal Ammaiyar, and refers to himself as "the servant of servants".^[2][4][5] The list did not go into the detail of the lives of the saints, which were described in detail in works such asTevaram.^[6]

In the 10th century, kingRaja Raja Chola I collected the volumes ofTevaram after hearing excerpts of the hymns in his court.^[7]: 50 His priestNambiyandar Nambi began compiling the hymns into a series of volumes called theTirumurai. He arranged the hymns of three saint poetsSambandar,Appar and Sundarar as the first seven books which he called theTevaram. He compiledManikkavasakar'sTirukovayar andTiruvasakam as the eighth book, the 28 hymns of nine other saints as the ninth book, theTirumandiram ofTirumular and 40 hymns by 12 other poets as the tenth book. In the eleventh book, he created theTirutontanar Tiruvanthathi (also known asTirutoṇṭar Antādi, lit. Necklace of Verses on the Lord's Servants), which consisted of 89 verses, with a verse devoted to each of the saints. With the addition of Sundarar and his parents to the sequence, this became the canonical list of the 63 saints.^[6] In the 12th century,Sekkizhar added a twelfth volume to theTirumurai calledPeriya Puranam in which he expands further on the stories of each of 63 Nayanars.^[1][2][4]

The Nayanars were from various backgrounds, includingNadar,Vanniyar,Vellalas,Idayars,Kurumbars,Thevars, oilmongers,Brahmins,Vannar, andParaiyars.^[1] Along with the twelveVaishnavaAlvars, they are regarded as the importantHindu saints fromSouth India.

ManyKannada works, such hasNambiyannana Ragale andTiru Nilakanta Devara Ragale, are written on Nayanars by Kannada poetHarihara. Sundara Murthy nayanar is known as Nambiyanna inKannada literature.^{[citation needed]}

Sundarar's original list of Nayanars did not follow any sequence with regards to chronology or importance. However, some groups have since followed an order for arranging their Nayanar temple images according to Sundarar's poem as well as the information from Nambi and Sekkizhar.^[4][8]

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The 9th-century poetManikkavacakar was not counted as one of the 63 Nayanars but his works were part of the eighth volume of theTirumurai.

InTiruchuli, the Tamil poet-philosopherValluvar is worshipped as the 64th Nayanar.^[11] Valluvar was also added as the 64 saint in the annualMylapore procession of the 63 Nayanars since c. 1905.^[12][13]

• Manikkavacakar
• Tamil mythology

• Cort, John E. (1998).Open Boundaries: Jain Communities and Culture in Indian History. Albany: State University of New York Press.ISBN 0-7914-3786-8.

• "63 Nayanmarkal – History of the Great Shiva Devotees".Shaivam.org.Archived from the original on 10 December 2023.
• Sekkizhaar (2000) [1985].Mahalingam, N. (ed.).Periya Puranam: A Tamil Classic on the Great Saiva Saints of South India. Translated byVanmikanathan, G. (Condensed English ed.). Chennai:Sri Ramakrishna Math – via Internet Archive.

• Nayanars
• Tamil Hindu saints
• Indian Shaivite religious leaders

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