Q. The Nayanars and Alvars are sometimes called as Apostles of Bhakti movement. Consider the following statements in this context:

1. While Alvars were Vishnu devotees, Nayanars were Shiva devotees
2. While compilation of Alvar poetry is Tirumurai, the same for Nayanar poetry is Divya Prabandha

Which of the above is / are correct statements?
Answer: Only 1
Notes: Alvar Saints
The twelve Alvars were Tamil poet-saints, who lived between 6th and 9th centuries AD and espoused ‘emotional devotion’ or bhakti to Visnu-Krishna in their songs. The devotional songs of the Alvars were created during the Early medieval period of Tamil history and they helped can be called the pioneers of the Bhakti Movement in India.
The collection of their hymns is known as Divya Prabandha. All the saints were male except one named Andal.
Nayanar Saints
The 63 Nayanars saints were the Shiva devotional poets, who lived between 5th and 10th centuries. One saint “Appar” is said to have converted Pallava King Mahendravarman to Saivism. The compilation of their poetry / literature Tirumurai is also called “Tamil Veda”.

This question is part of UPSC Daily 20 MCQ Series Course on GKToday Android app.