Which one of the following statements about the Bhakti Movement in South India is NOT correct?
- A.The Nalayira Divyaprabandham was also known as the Tamil Veda
- B.Andal was an Alvar
- C.Karaikkal Ammaiyar was a devotee of Vishnu
- D.Metal images of the saints Appar and Sundarar were made and then consecrated in a Shiva temple
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, Karaikkal Ammaiyar was a devotee of Vishnu. Karaikkal Ammaiyar was a Nayanar, one of the Tamil saints devoted to Shiva, so this statement is not correct.
The early Bhakti movement of Tamil Nadu, from about the sixth century, was led by two groups of poet-saints: the Alvars, devotees of Vishnu, and the Nayanars, devotees of Shiva. Karaikkal Ammaiyar, one of the earliest Nayanars, is known for giving up worldly life and is remembered in legend as an ascetic devoted to Shiva. The hymns of the twelve Alvars were compiled by Nathamuni in the tenth century as the Nalayira Divyaprabandham, the 'four thousand sacred compositions'.
Option A is wrong to pick because the Nalayira Divyaprabandham was indeed honoured as the Tamil Veda, as sacred as the four Vedas. Option B is wrong to pick because Andal, the author of the Tiruppavai, was the only woman among the Alvars. Option D is wrong to pick because the Chola rulers had metal images of the Shiva saints Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar made and installed in a Shiva temple.
Exam tip: Alvars are Vishnu devotees (Andal); Nayanars are Shiva devotees (Appar, Sambandar, Sundarar, Karaikkal Ammaiyar).
Practice Questions
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- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
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