Some of the earliest bhakti movements were led by the Alvars and Nayanaras. They travelled from place to place singing hymns in Tamil in praise of their gods. During their travels, the Alvars and Nayanars identified certain shrines as abodes of their chosen deities. Very often large temples were later built at these sacred places. These developed as centres of pilgrimage. Some historians suggest that the Alvars and Nayanars initiated a movement of protest against the caste system and the dominance of Brahmanas or at least attempted to reform the system.

Name the woman Alvar who saw herself as the beloved of Vishnu and whose verses expressed her love for the deity.

Andal

The compositions of Andal, a woman Alvar, were widely sung (and continue to be sung to date). Andal saw herself as the beloved of Vishnu; her verses express her love for the deity.