Vishnu Periyalvar, an Alvar poet and saint, was given this
appellation.
Between the seventh and tenth centuries, the Alvars were a
group of twelve poet-saints living in southern India.
All of the Alvars were worshippers of the deity Vishnu, and
their emphasis on emotional devotion (bhakti) to a personal god, expressed via
hymns sung in Tamil, revolutionized Hindu religious life.
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