The Periya Puranam, a hagiographical chronicle of the sixty-three Nayanars, was written by Cekkilar (12th c. C .E .).
Between the seventh and ninth centuries, the Nayanars were a group of sixty-three Shaiva poetsaints who lived in southern India.
In contrast to Buddhists and Jains, the Nayanars, together with their Vaishnava counterparts, the Alvars, led the revival of Hindu religion.
Both the Nayanars and the Alvars placed a strong emphasis on ardent devotion (bhakti) to a personal god—Shiva for the Nayanars, Vishnu for the Alvars—and expressed this love via Tamil hymns.
Cekkilar was a minister in the court of the Chola dynasty's monarch Kullottunga II (r. 1130–1150 C.E.), according to legend.
Cekkilar was irritated by the king's love for a Jain epic poem, so he wrote his own to divert the king's attention.
The Nayanars are portrayed in his book as examples of Shiva devotion, despite their sometimes harsh acts.
In every instance, however, the devotion between the devotee (bhakta) and the god shows itself in daily life, bringing the saints to ultimate freedom.
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