Appar was a Tamil Shaiva poet and saint, one of the sixty-three Nayanmars, whose personal name was Tirunavukkarasar. The name Appar means father and was given to him by Sambandar, a much younger contemporary. According to the Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism he lived probably between 600 and 655 CE, when the Pallava king Mahendravarman I ruled at Kanchipuram. He lost his parents early and was raised by his sister Tilakavatiyar. Drawn to Jain teaching, he converted to Jainism, but a serious illness that was relieved by the grace of Shiva, his family deity, brought him back to Shaivism. He travelled widely, composed hymns in Tamil, of which 311 survive, and is counted among the four acaryas of the Samaya school of Shaivism.
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Life
Lifespan or Floruit Classification
Veneration StatusOfficially Recognized or Venerated 3 Appar
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Connections
Attributed Works
Source Wisdom Library: Tevaram
Belongs to Tradition
Source Encyclopedia.com (The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions): Appar
Revered In
Source Wisdom Library: Appar
Works Attributed
Source Wisdom Library: Tevaram
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Source Appar (The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Hindupedia)Dates and periodQuote, Dates and period
Appar lived probably during the period A. D. 600-655, when the Pallava king Mahendra I was ruling Kāñcīpuram.
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Source Wisdom Library: ApparBirthplaceQuote, Birthplace
Appar was born in 600 A.D. in Tiruvamur, a village in the south Arcot district of Tamil Nadu.
Sources
1. Appar (The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Hindupedia)
Dates and periodQuote, Dates and period
Appar lived probably during the period A. D. 600-655, when the Pallava king Mahendra I was ruling Kāñcīpuram.
2. Encyclopedia.com (The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions): Appar
Encyclopedia.com (The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions)Hymns
A devotee of Śiva , his 312 surviving hymns remain in use.
Belongs to Tradition: Hinduism, Description
A Tamil poet, one of the sixty-three Nāyaṇmārs .
View the Source 3. Wisdom Library: Appar
Wisdom LibraryStanding among the NayanarsQuote, Standing among the Nayanars
One of the most prominent of the sixty-three revered Nayanars, he was an older contemporary of Sambandar.
Wisdom Library: Tevaram
Wisdom LibraryAttributed Works: Tevaram, Poets of the Tevaram
These volumes contain the works of the three most prominent Tamil poets of the 7th and 8th centuries: Sambandar, Appar, and Sundarar.
Works Attributed: Tevaram, Poets of the Tevaram
These volumes contain the works of the three most prominent Tamil poets of the 7th and 8th centuries: Sambandar, Appar, and Sundarar.
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