The Nalayira Divyaprabandham refers to a compilation of which anthology?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Compositions of the Alvars
The Alvars were the Tamil saints devoted to Vishnu, and the Nayanars those devoted to Shiva. By the tenth century the compositions of the 12 Alvars were compiled in an anthology known as the Nalayira Divyaprabandham, ‘Four Thousand Sacred Compositions’. It was frequently described as the Tamil Veda, a claim that it was as important as the four Vedas in Sanskrit.
The Nayanars’ songs went into a different collection: the poems of Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar form the Tevaram.
NCERT (2025-26): “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.…”
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