Tiruppan Alvar (Tamil: திருப்பாணாழ்வார், romanized: Tiruppāṇ Āḻvār) was one of the twelve Alvars of South India, who were poet-saints known for their affiliation to the Sri Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. The verses of the Alvars are compiled as the Naalayira Divya Prabandham and the 108 temples revered in the text are classified as Divya Desams. Tiruppan Alvar is considered the eleventh in the line of the twelve Alvars.
As per local traditions, he was born to a couple from the Panar community. Tiruppan Alvar is known for his affiliation to Ranganatha of the Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple and is traditionally believed to have merged with the deity upon his demise.
The ten verses of Tiruppan Alvar are called the Amalanatipiran, and his contributions amount to ten verses among the 4000 stanzas in the Naalayira Divya Prabandam. The works of Tiruppan Alvar contributed to the philosophical and theological ideas of Vaishnavism.
In South Indian Vishnu temples, Tiruppan Alvar has images and festivals associated with him. The Tiruppan Alvar Avathara Utsavam is celebrated in Srirangam and for ten days in Alagiya Manavala Perumal Temple in Woraiyur/ The verses of Tiruppan Alvar and the other twelve Alvars are recited as a part of daily prayers and during festive occasions in several Vishnu temples in South India.
Legend
Temple for Thirumalisai Alvar, the Alvar
The Alvars, who are regarded as Vishnu's twelve greatest devotees in Sri Vaishnavism, helped spread Vaishnavism throughout Tamil-speaking areas. The Ramayana and Mahabharata, two Hindu epics, were both promoted by the Alvars, who also had a significant impact on the Bhagavata cult. The 108 temples mentioned in their hymns are referred to as Divya Desams, and the religious writings of these saints in Tamil, including their hymns, are collected in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, which contains 4000 lines. Nathamuni (824–924 CE), a Vaishnavite theologian of the 10th century, collated the poetry of the numerous Alvars and dubbed it the "Dravida Veda or Tamil Veda." Every day, in a number of South Indian Vishnu temples, the hymns of the Prabandam are sung and also during festivels.
The mythological genesis of the Alvars is attributed to an incident in the middle of the Dvapara Yuga that resulted from a contentious argument between Vishvakarma, the divine architect of the gods, and Agastya, a sage, about whether language was better—Sanskrit or Tamil. [Reference needed] In the midst of this argument, Agastya becomes enraged and curses the former, saying that one of his works of architecture will one day be lost and never be found (a contemporary of Gandhari's curse to Dvaraka). (According to some traditions, Agastya cursed Vishvakarma to bring Sanskrit into disrepute; the curse came true in the current Kali Yuga.) [Reference needed] Vishvakarma is furious and curses Agastya for tarnishing Tamil, one of his favourite languages, in the future. [Reference needed] Agastya, who feels bad about what he did, is given a divine vision of Vishnu who assures him that Tamil will regain its renown and that a Tamil Veda would appear.
Following the Battle of Kurukshetra, the fall of Dvaraka, and the killing of Krishna by the hunter Jara, Vishnu resumes his dwelling in Vaikuntha, planting the seeds for the Kali Yuga. He starts to worry about the inhabitants of the Kali Yuga. His qualities, such as the Sudarshana Chakra and the Panchajanya, inquire as to the cause of his worry, and he confides in them his anxieties. Vishnu smiles and declines the Sudarshana Chakra's suggestion that he chop off the heads of all those who reject dharma. Vishnu makes the decision that certain of his amshas (elements of his personality) would take the form of people and guide them on the virtuous path and in their devotion to him. These amshas, who aligned with the blessing bestowed upon Agastya by accepting their birth as the twelve Alvars, also served as an example for later Kali Yuga humans.
Nammalvar (considered to be an incarnation of Vishvaksena) is credited with turning the Rigveda into 100 poems known as the Tiruviruttam, the Yajurveda into Thiruvarshiyam, and the Sama Veda into Tiruvaymoli in 1000 verses, fulfilling the promise that Vishnu made to Agastya (poems)
Varnas
The saints came from various varnas and had various origins. According to legend, the first three Alvars—Poigai Alvar, Bhuthath Alvar, Peyalvar, and Andal—were not given birth but instead were miraculously born. Thondaradipodi Alvar, Mathurakavi Alvar, and Perialvar were Brahmin; Kulasekhara was a Kshatriya; Nammalvar was from a cultivator family; Thirupanalvar was from the Tamil Panar community; and Thirumangai Alvar was from the Kalvar community. Thirumalisai Alvar was the son of a sage named Bhargava. With the exception of Andal and Madhurakavi Alvar, only the top 10 Alvars are taken into consideration by some Vaishnavites; however, others also include these two. The 12 Alvars usually praised Srirangam as the only Divya Desam.
Dating
The first three Alvars, Poigai Alvar, Bhoothath Alvar, and Pey Alvar, are said to be from the Dvapara Yuga in accordance with a traditional account by Manavala Mamunigal (even before the birth of Krishna, i.e., before 4200 BCE). Tradition and historians generally concur that the trio is the oldest of the twelve Alvars. Together with the other three Saiva Nayanmars, they had an impact on the Pallava rulers who were in power, sparking a Bhakti movement that led to the shift of Buddhism and Jainism in the area to these two sects of Hinduism.
A small portion of the Divya Prabandham was lost after the Alvar era. Vishnu is thought to have despatched Nathamuni, who saw Nammalvar through the idol, to rescue them, as Madhurakavi Alvar was instructed by Nammalvar to obtain