Nammāḻvār

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Nammāḻvār (Tamil, ‘Our Saint’). The most important among the twelve Hindu Āḻvārs. His real name was Caṭakōpaṉ, and he may have lived during the 7th or earlier 8th cent. Mystic and theologian, he created a novel poetic style of bhakti poetry of great sophistication, and contributed almost one-third of the Nāl-āyira-divya-prabandham. His poems exhibit a profound devotion to Viṣṇu and his avatāras, especially Kṛṣṇa.

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