account. From an inscription in the Vishnu temple at Kumaralingam (Madura district), it will be seen that all the ten Alvars were canonized and worshipped as early as A D. 1230. And for making offerings to the images of these saints set up in the temple of Kalla Alagar at Tirumalirum Solai in Kil-Iraniya Mutta Nadu lands were granted by a certain devotee in the reign of Virarajendra Deva (S. S. 1153).1 The word alvar means 'one deep in wisdom,' and any Alvar is, therefore, respected as a mediator to secure Moksha or salvation for the worshippers of Vishnu. The following table gives the names of the Alvars, the extent of their contributions to the Nalayira Prabandam, their birth place and the number of Vishnu shrines celebrated by them :
Pallava
(1 Poigaivar
2 Pudattar 3 Pevar ( 4 Tirumalisaiyar
100 Conjeeveram 100 Mahabalipuram 100 Mylapore 216 Tirumalisai
Chola
Chera
( 5 Tiruppanalvar 10 Uraiyur 36 Tondaradippodi 55 Tirumandangudi ( 7 Tirumangaivar 1361 Tirukkuravalur
8 Kulasekhara 105 Quilon r9 Periyalvar 473)
Srivilliputtur
173 11 Nammalvar 1296 Tirunagari (12 Madhurakavi 11 Tirukkolor
Pandya } 10 Andal
"Ya
The arrangement of the names of Alvars adopted in the above table is not in accordance with the traditional chronology, which assigns to the earliest saint 4203
1. Epigraphist's Report, No. 665 dated 28th July 1910, p. 17.
