How many Alvars and Nayanars are there according to tradition?
- (a)12 and 63
- (b)12 and 53
- (c)23 and 63
- (d)23 and 53
Correct — A, 12 and 63. South Indian bhakti tradition fixes the number of Alvars (Vaishnavite Tamil saint-poets, including Andal, their only woman) at 12, and the number of Nayanars (Shaivite Tamil saint-poets, canonised chiefly through the later Periya Puranam) at 63; both groups composed devotional Tamil hymns roughly between the 6th and 9th centuries CE.
- (b)12 and 53 — Undercounts the Nayanars — the traditional figure is 63, not 53.
- (c)23 and 63 — Overcounts the Alvars — tradition fixes their number at 12, not 23.
- (d)23 and 53 — Wrong on both counts — neither figure matches the traditional 12 Alvars or 63 Nayanars.
The Alvars (Vaishnava) and Nayanars (Shaiva) were Tamil bhakti saint-poets of roughly the 6th–9th centuries CE whose devotional hymns — collected as the Naalayira Divya Prabandham for the Alvars, and the Tevaram/Periya Puranam corpus for the Nayanars — shaped South Indian temple worship and are considered forerunners of the broader pan-Indian bhakti movement.
MPPSC/UPSC test the fixed traditional counts (12 Alvars, 63 Nayanars) as a direct memory fact, often alongside a related detail such as the identity of the lone female Alvar (Andal) — the trap is swapping which number belongs to which group.
- 12 Alvars — Vaishnavite bhakti saints; Andal was the only woman among them
- 63 Nayanars — Shaivite bhakti saints, celebrated in the Periya Puranam
- Both groups composed in Tamil and flourished roughly between the 6th and 9th centuries CE
- Their hymns fed directly into the later pan-Indian bhakti movement
Both figures are fixed by tradition — 12 Alvars, 63 Nayanars — and are frequently tested together.
- Swapping the counts — assigning 63 to the Alvars and 12 to the Nayanars
- Assuming the bhakti movement began in North India rather than with the Tamil Alvars/Nayanars
MPPSC/UPSC ask the fixed traditional counts directly, or test a related fact such as the identity of the lone female Alvar (Andal) or the names of their hymn collections.
Vaishnavism was propagated by Alvar saints of Tamil Nadu. Who was the only female Sadhvi among the Alvar saints ?
- (a) Nammalvar
- (b) Poigai
- (c) Thirumangayi
- (d) Andal
Answer(d) Andal
Same core topic (the 12 Alvars of Tamil Vaishnavism) tested three years later via a related fact — the identity of their sole female saint.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Who was the only female saint-poet among the twelve Alvars of the Tamil Vaishnavite bhakti tradition?
- (a)Meera Bai
- (b)Andal
- (c)Akka Mahadevi
- (d)Lal Ded
Answer(b) Andal — the sole woman among the 12 Alvars, known for the Tiruppavai. - practice — not a real PYQ
The hymns of the Nayanar saints, devoted to Lord Shiva, are compiled chiefly in which of the following?
- (a)Naalayira Divya Prabandham
- (b)Tevaram
- (c)Ramcharitmanas
- (d)Gitagovinda
Answer(b) Tevaram — the Shaivite hymn collection associated with the Nayanars, alongside the hagiographic Periya Puranam.