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who were the nayanars?
Nayanars were saints devoted to Shiva who were emerged between the 7th and 9th centuries who came from all castes including those considered “untouchable” like the Pulaiyar and the Panars. They were sharply critical of the Buddhists and Jains and preached ardent love of Shiva as the path to salvation. They drew upon the ideals of love and heroism as found in the Sangam  and blended them with the values of bhakti. The Nayanars went from place to place composing exquisite poems in praise of the deities enshrined in the villages they visited, and set them to music.


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