The Alvars and Nayanars

Bhakti, loving devotion to a god, took two forms: saguna bhakti, worshipping a god with attributes (like Shiva, Vishnu or the goddess, in human form); and nirguna bhakti, worshipping an abstract form of God, without attributes.

From about the sixth century, the Alvars (devotees 'immersed' in Vishnu) and the Nayanars (leaders who were devotees of Shiva) travelled from place to place in the Tamil land, singing hymns in Tamil in praise of their gods.

They came from all castes, including some considered 'untouchable'. They often criticised the caste system and the dominance of Brahmanas, or at least tried to reform it. One compilation of Alvar hymns, the Nalayira Divyaprabandham, was called the 'Tamil Veda', as important as the Sanskrit Vedas.

Some women saints were important. Andal, an Alvar, saw herself as the beloved of Vishnu and composed verses expressing her love. Karaikkal Ammaiyar, a Nayanar, chose a path of extreme asceticism. Their lives challenged patriarchal norms.

The Nayanars opposed Buddhism and Jainism, which competed with them for royal patronage. The Chola kings supported the bhakti saints: they built grand Shiva temples, had the saints' songs compiled into the Tevaram, and installed images of the saints in temples. Saints sang in Tamil; kings built temples.