Several of these poems refer to historic references pointing to the saint-poets' own life, voice of devotee persona, using interior language of the mystic.
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They continue to be part of temple liturgy today. The hymns were set to music denoted by Panns and are part of the canon of the Tamil music. Īll the songs in the Tevaram (called pathikam, Tamil:பதிகம்) are believed to be in sets of ten. He sang 312 decads comprising 3,056 stanzas of devotion. He was the only one of the four kuravars to visit the shrine at Tirukokarnam on the western coast of India. In the last four decades of his life, he visited on foot no less than 125 shrines of Shiva, scattered over a territory of a one thousand miles (1,600 km). Some of Appar's hymns set to various Panns, the melodic modes of Ancient Tamil music – the rest are set to Tirunerisai and Viruttam metres. The compilation of these books is generally ascribed to Nambiyandar Nambi (10th century CE).
![thirunavukkarasu thevaram thirunavukkarasu thevaram](https://www.exoticindiaart.com/images/products/original/books-2019/mzj328.jpg)
Of these 313 hymns (3130 stanzas) have survived, later compiled in the fourth, fifth and sixth volumes of the Tirumurai, the Tamil poetic canon of Shaiva Siddhanta. The Tamil Shaiva tradition believes that Appar extolled Siva in 4,900 hymns (49,000 stanzas). He died in Sadhaya Nakshtra in the Tamil month of Chithirai at Tiru Pukalur Siva temple at the age of 81. Appar is said to have traveled to about a hundred and twenty-five temples in different cities or villages in Tamil Nadu.
![thirunavukkarasu thevaram thirunavukkarasu thevaram](https://pdf4pro.com/cache/preview/1/a/5/5/6/2/4/6/thumb-1a55624697e95d57be3272d7f6113d89.jpg)
Thiru GnaanaSambandar respectfully addressed Navukkarasar as Appar (father) and he and Appar travelled together singing hymns. He heard of Thirugnana Sambandar and went to Sirkali to meet him. Īmirthakadaieeshwarar temple relief depicting Appar bearing ThiruGnaanaSambandar's palanquin Bhakti Īppar largely stayed at Atikai with his sister before visiting other Siva temples to sing in praise of Siva. In Tevaram hymn IV.39 and others, he criticizes the Jain monastic practice of not brushing teeth, the lack of body hygiene, their barbaric ascetic practices, the doctrine of pallurai (anekantavada) as self-contradictory relativism, the hypocrisy of running away from the world and work yet begging for food in that same world, and others. Īppar's hymn are intimately devotional to Shiva, but occasionally include verses where he repents the Jain period of his life. He had thus left Jainism, and become a devout Shaiva. Thereafter, he came to be known as Navukkaracar (from Skt: Vagisa, "king of speech") or more popularly just Appar. As he sang the second verse, he was miraculously cured of his stomach illness. Then they went together to a Shiva temple in Atikai, where he spontaneously composed his first hymn of Tevaram. His sister gave him Tiruneeru (sacred ash) and the five syllable mantra "namaccivaya" (Namah Shivaya). After a while, afflicted by a painful stomach illness, Dharmasena returned home. He studied Jainism and years later became the head of the Jain monastery in Tiruppatirippuliyur. He left home, joined a Jain monastery, where he was renamed Dharmasena (Tarumacenar). Unlike his sister, Appar turned to Jainism. The twelve volumes of Tamil Śaiva hymns of the sixty-three Nayanars Conversion to Jainism and return to Saivaism He spent his childhood in Tiruvamur village near Atikai by most accounts. She never married thereafter, devoted herself to Shaivism and to taking care of her little brother. His sister Thilagavathiar was betrothed to a military commander who died in war. Orphaned, he was raised by his bit older sister. His childhood name was Marunikkiyar (Marulneekiar).
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Some scholars place him a bit later, in early 7th-century. Īppar was born in late 6th-century, likely between 570 and 596 CE. There, under Thiruninrasargam and in 428 verses, Sekkizhar presents the legendary life of Appar. One of the most studied version is the Sekkizhar's Periya Puranam, the last book of the Tirumurai. A written collection of his hymns as well as more details are found in texts about four centuries after he died. Appar (Wooden Image), ASI Museum, VelloreĪn outline about Appar's life, without specifics, are found in his own hymns that were preserved by an oral tradition.