Practicing Success

Target Exam

CUET

Subject

History

Chapter

Medieval India: Bhakti Sufi Traditions

Question:

The anthology 'Nalayira Divyaprabandham' or 'Four Thousand Sacred Compositions' is composed by how many Alvar Saints?

Options:

10

12

16

14

Correct Answer:

12

Explanation:

The correct answer is Option (2) → 12

The "Nalayira Divyaprabandham" is a collection of 4,000 Tamil verses of devotional poetry in the Tamil Alvar Bhakti tradition. These verses were composed by 12 Alvar Saints, who were prominent Vaishnava saints and poets in South India between the 6th and 9th centuries.

By the tenth century the compositions of the 12 Alvars were compiled in an anthology known as the Nalayira Divyaprabandham (“Four Thousand Sacred Compositions”).
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.