1. Thirumangai Alvar, referred to as Thirumangai Mannan is the last of the 12 Alvar saints of south India, who are known for their affiliation to the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism.
22 Facts About Thirumangai Alvar
1. 2.
Thirumangai Alvar is considered one of the most learned Alvars, and the most superior Alvar in the context of composition of verses.
3.
Thirumangai Alvar holds the title Narkavi Perumal, the mark of an excellent poet, and Parakala.
4.
The traditional date attributed to Thirumangai is year 399 of Kali Yuga, that is 2702 or 2706 BCE, making him traditionally the last of the Alvar saints.
5.
Thirumangai Alvar is generally considered to be a contemporary of Pallava king Nandivarman II as he refers to the later Pallavas of Pallava dynasty in his hymns.
6.
Thirumangai Alvar was born in the Kallar caste in Thirukuraiyalur, a small village in Tamil Nadu.
7.
Thirumangai Alvar's father was Nilam, a general under the Chola empire.
8.
Thirumangai Alvar was skilled in archery and worked as a military commander himself for the Chola king.
9.
Thirumangai Alvar earned the title Thirumangai Mannan or chief of Thirumangai, a name he maintained even when he became a saint.
10.
Thirumangai Alvar gave a set of conditions that he must become a Vaishnavaite and that he must feed a thousand people for over a year, every day.
11.
Thirumangai Alvar tried to remove them, but could not do so.
12.
Thirumangai Alvar spread the poems of older Alvars in his wandering.
13.
Thirumangai Alvar was well versed in earlier Tamil literature like Naaladiyar, Thirukkural, Sangam literature, and Jain literature.
14.
Thirumangai Alvar preached against penance and advocated bhakti as way to attain salvation.
15.
Thirumangai Alvar composed 6 poems in Tamil, together acoounting for 1361 verses.
16.
Thirumangai Alvar discusses causes of human suffering and ways to overcome it to achieve salvation.
17.
In Tirunetuntantakam, Thirumangai Alvar speaks as a Nayaki, who separated from her beloved God.
18.
Thirumangai Alvar assumes the role of a gopika who threatens Krishna with madal.
19.
Thirumangai Alvar defends the gopika's actions of performing the prohibited madal, by saying that he follows the Sanskrit literary tradition who permits madal for women, not the Tamil one.
20.
Thirumangai Alvar's songs are based on akam love poems, and talk of employing bees and storks are messengers to God.
21.
Thirumangai Alvar goes to the length of portraying himself as the nayaki, pining for the love of Vishnu.
22.
An idol of Thirumangai Alvar is brought here on a Hamsa Vahanam and his paasurams dedicated to each of these 11 temples are recited.