SSC
The Nayanars, the Tamil saint-poets of the early medieval period, were devotees of:
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Answer: Option D — Shiva
Detailed Solution
The Nayanars (Nayanmars) were Tamil saint-poets of the 6th to 9th centuries CE, who were devotees of Shiva.
About the Nayanars:
- There were 63 Nayanars, according to tradition.
- They came from different castes and backgrounds, including Brahmanas, kings, farmers, merchants, potters, hunters and even "untouchables", as well as women.
- The most famous among them were Appar (Tirunavukkarasar), Sambandar (Tirujnana Sambandar), Sundarar and Manikkavachakar.
NCERT on the Nayanars:
- NCERT notes that some of the earliest bhakti movements (around the 6th century) were led by the Alvars and the Nayanars.
- They travelled from place to place singing hymns in Tamil in praise of their gods.
- During their travels, they identified certain shrines as abodes of their chosen deities, and these became important places of pilgrimage.
- Singing compositions of these poet-saints became part of temple rituals.
- NCERT also notes that the Nayanars and Alvars initiated a movement of protest against the caste system and the dominance of Brahmanas.
Their hymns:
- The hymns of the Nayanars are collected in the "Tirumurai", a collection of twelve books.
- The hymns of Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar are called the "Tevaram".
- Manikkavachakar's hymns are called the "Tiruvachakam".
- Sekkizhar's "Periyapuranam" (12th century) tells the life stories of the 63 Nayanars.
Women Nayanars:
Karaikkal Ammaiyar was one of the earliest and most famous women Nayanars; she adopted the path of extreme asceticism.
Royal patronage:
- The Pallava and Chola kings patronised the Nayanars and built Shiva temples.
- Chola kings such as Rajaraja I had images of the Nayanars installed in temples.
Other Bhakti saints of south India:
- The Alvars: devotees of Vishnu (twelve in number).
- The Virashaivas (Lingayats) of Karnataka: devotees of Shiva, led by Basavanna.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Vishnu was worshipped by other saints.
- ✗Murugan and Devi were not the main deity of the Nayanars.
Quick tip
Remember: Nayanars = 63 Tamil devotees of Shiva (Appar, Sambandar, Sundarar, Manikkavachakar; Tevaram; Periyapuranam by Sekkizhar); Karaikkal Ammaiyar = woman Nayanar.
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Bhakti & Sufi Movements — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Bhakti & Sufi Movements, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
The Bhakti and Sufi movements emphasised personal devotion to God over ritual and caste. This topic covers Bhakti saints such as Ramanuja, Kabir, Guru Nanak, Mirabai, Tulsidas, Surdas, Chaitanya, Namdev and Tukaram, and the Sufi orders (silsilas) such as the Chishti and Suhrawardi orders and their saints. Questions usually link a saint to their region, language, teacher or ideas, or ask which Sufi order a saint belonged to. For example, Moinuddin Chishti brought the Chishti order to Ajmer, and Kabir was a disciple of Ramananda. A table of saint, region and key teaching makes these questions easy. Practise the Bhakti and Sufi movements questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.