HistoryMedieval India: Bhakti Sufi Traditions

In the given question, a statement of Assertion is followed by a stat…

In the given question, a statement of Assertion is followed by a statement of Reason. Mark the correct answer.

Assertion: Alvars and Nayanars claimed that their compositions were as important as the Vedas.

Reason: One of the major anthologies of compositions by the Alvars, the Seevaka-Chintamani, was frequently described as the Tamil Veda.

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 4

The correct answer is Option (4) → The Assertion is correct but the Reason is incorrect.

Assertion (A): Alvars and Nayanars claimed that their compositions were as important as the Vedas. — True. The importance of the Alvar and Nayanar traditions was sometimes shown by the claim that their compositions were as important as the Vedas.

Reason (R): One of the major anthologies of compositions by the Alvars, the Seevaka-Chintamani, was frequently described as the Tamil Veda. — False. The Alvar anthology called the Tamil Veda was the Nalayira Divyaprabandham. The Seevaka-Chintamani is a different Tamil work and holds no Alvar hymns.

NCERT (2026-27): “2.2 Attitudes towards caste …
The importance of the traditions of the Alvars and Nayanars was sometimes indicated by the claim that their compositions were as important as the Vedas. For instance, one of the major anthologies of compositions by the Alvars, the Nalayira Divyaprabandham, was frequently described as the Tamil Veda, thus claiming that the text was as significant as the four Vedas in Sanskrit that were cherished by the Brahmanas.”