Nayanar, Nāyanār, Nāyaṉār: 4 definitions

Introduction:

Nayanar means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, the history of ancient India, Tamil. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.

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In Hinduism

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

Source: archive.org: Puranic Encyclopedia

Nāyanār (नायनार्).—The protagonists of Southern Śaivism are known as Nāyanārs while those of Vaiṣṇavism are called Ālvārs.

Purana book cover
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The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.

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India history and geography

Source: Wikipedia: India History

Nāyaṉār (நாயனார்) is another name for Valluvar (or Thiruvalluvar)—an Indian poet and philosopher. He is best known as the author of the Tirukkuṟaḷ, a collection of couplets on ethics, political and economic matters, and love. The text is considered an exceptional and widely cherished work of Tamil literature. Thiruvalluvar (or Nāyaṉār) is believed to have lived at least in the town of Mylapore (a neighbourhood of the present-day Chennai), and his floruit is dated variously from fourth century BCE to early fifth century CE, based on the traditional accounts and the linguistic analyses of his writings.

India history book cover
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The history of India traces the identification of countries, villages, towns and other regions of India, as well as mythology, zoology, royal dynasties, rulers, tribes, local festivities and traditions and regional languages. Ancient India enjoyed religious freedom and encourages the path of Dharma, a concept common to Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.

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Languages of India and abroad

Kannada-English dictionary

Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpus

Nāyanār (ನಾಯನಾರ್):—[noun] any of the sixty three ancient ardent Śaiva devotees who spread Śaivism in Tamil Nadu.

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Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.

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Tamil dictionary

[«previous next»] — Nayanar in Tamil glossary
Source: DDSA: University of Madras: Tamil Lexicon

Nāyaṉār (நாயனார்) noun < idem. [Malayalam: nāyanār.]

1. Lord, master; தலைவர். [thalaivar.]

2. God; கடவுள். இந் நாயனார்க்குத் திருவிடையாட்டமாக [kadavul. in nayanarkkuth thiruvidaiyattamaga] (S. I. I. i, 68, 80).

3. Śiva; சிவபெருமான். [sivaperuman.] (தக்கயாகப்பரணி பக். [thakkayagapparani pag.] 344.)

4. Father; தந்தை. நாயனார் போனநாள் இன்றென்று அகத்திலுள்ளோ ரெல்லாருங் கூறி அழுதபின்பு [thanthai. nayanar ponanal inrenru agathilullo rellarung kuri azhuthapinpu] (சீவகசிந்தாமணி [sivagasindamani] 2097, உரை [urai]).

5. Title of canonized Śaiva saints; சிவனடியார். [sivanadiyar.]

6. Title of certain castes, as Caiṉar, Kaikkōḷar, Uṭaiyar and a section of Vēḷāḷar; சில சாதியாரின் பட்டப்பெயர். [sila sathiyarin pattappeyar.]

7. See திருவள்ளலார்சாத்திரம்ுவர் [thiruvalluvar], 1.

context information

Tamil is an ancient language of India from the Dravidian family spoken by roughly 250 million people mainly in southern India and Sri Lanka.

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