(9th century) One of the Alvars, a group of twelve
poet-saints who flourished during the seventh and tenth centuries in southern
India.
The Alvars were all worshippers of Vishnu, and their
emphasis on ardent devotion (bhakti) to a personal deity, expressed via hymns
sung in Tamil, revolutionized and reinvigorated Hindu religious life.
Tiruppan was a foundling who was adopted by a musician,
according to legend.
He developed a deep devotion for Vishnu in his form as
Ranganatha at the temple of Shrirangam as he grew older, but he never went into
the temple itself because his family status was unknown, and he was afraid that
his presence would make it impure.
Tiruppan was finally allowed entry after one of the temple's
brahmin priests, who had previously insulted him, received a divine command to
carry Tiruppan to Ranganatha's image on his shoulders.
The lesson here, as in many other stories from the lives of
the bhakti saints, clearly emphasizes the superiority of devotion over birth.
See Kamil Zvelebil, Tamil Literature, 1975, and John
Stirling Morley Hooper, Hymns of the Alvars, 1929, for further details.