The Nayanmars (or Nayanmargal) were 63 Tamil saints who lived during the 6th to 8th centuries CE. They were completely devoted to Lord Shiva and played a crucial role in the Bhakti movement in South India. Their stories of extreme devotion, sacrifice, and unconditional love for Lord Shiva are recorded in the great epic, Periya Puranam, compiled by Sekkizhar.
Who Were They?
The Nayanmars came from all walks of life—kings, soldiers, merchants, farmers, hunters, and outcastes. Lord Shiva tested their devotion in extreme ways, and they proved that true devotion transcends caste, wealth, and logic.
The Complete List of 63 Nayanmars
Below is the complete list of all 63 saints along with their significance:
- அதிபத்தர் (Adipathar): A fisherman who offered his best catch—a golden fish—back into the sea for Shiva.
- அப்பூதியடிகள் (Appudhi Adigal): A Brahmin who worshipped Saint Appar as God and served the public in Appar's name.
- அமர்நீதி நாயனார் (Amarneethi Nayanar): A merchant who gave all his wealth, and finally himself and his wife, to balance a scale against a single loincloth belonging to a Shiva devotee.
- அரிவட்டாயர் (Arivattayar): A farmer who attempted to slit his own throat when he spilled the rice meant for Shiva's offering.
- ஆனாய நாயனார் (Anaya Nayanar): A cowherd who enchanted Shiva himself by playing the Panchakshara mantra on his flute.
- இசைஞானியார் (Isaignaniyar): The mother of Sundaramoorthy Nayanar, honored for raising a great saint.
- இடங்கழி நாயனார் (Idangazhi Nayanar): A king who allowed a thief to steal from his granary because the stolen grain was meant to feed Shiva devotees.
- இயற்பகை நாயனார் (Iyarpagai Nayanar): A merchant who never said "no" to a devotee, even offering his own wife to Shiva in disguise.
- இளையான்குடி மாற நாயனார் (Ilayankudi Mara Nayanar): A farmer who sowed seeds in the rain, then gathered them back from the mud the same night to feed a starving devotee.
- உருத்திர பசுபதி நாயனார் (Rudra Pasupathi Nayanar): Stood neck-deep in a lotus pond reciting the Sri Rudram day and night.
- எறிபத்த நாயனார் (Eripatha Nayanar): A fierce devotee who killed the king's royal elephant for knocking the flowers out of a Shiva devotee's hands.
- ஏயர்கோன் கலிக்காம நாயனார் (Eyarkon Kalikkama Nayanar): A commander who preferred to cut out his own stomach rather than accept a cure from Sundaramoorthy Nayanar, whom he misunderstood.
- ஏனாதிநாத நாயனார் (Enadinatha Nayanar): A swordsman who allowed himself to be killed by his rival in battle simply because the rival smeared sacred ash (Vibhuti) on his forehead.
- ஐயடிகள் காடவர்கோன் (Aiyadigal Kadavarkon): A Pallava king who renounced his throne to sing hymns at various Shiva temples.
- கணநாத நாயனார் (Gananatha Nayanar): Dedicated his life to organizing and training others in temple service and flower plucking.
- கணம்புல்ல நாயனார் (Kanampulla Nayanar): When he had no oil for the temple lamps, he burned his own hair to keep the light burning for Shiva.
- கண்ணப்ப நாயனார் (Kannappa Nayanar): A tribal hunter who plucked out his own eyes to replace the bleeding eyes of a Shiva Lingam. One of the greatest examples of pure devotion.
- கலிய நாயனார் (Kaliya Nayanar): An oil merchant who, when impoverished, tried to offer his own blood to light the temple lamps.
- கழறிற்றறிவார் (Kazharitrarivar / Cheraman Perumal): A Chera king who could understand the language of all living beings and was a close friend of Sundaramoorthy Nayanar.
- கழற்சிங்க நாயனார் (Kazharsinga Nayanar): A Pallava king who cut off his own queen's hand because she accidentally smelled a flower meant for Lord Shiva.
- காரி நாயனார் (Kari Nayanar): Composed beautiful Tamil poems to earn money, which he entirely spent on building Shiva temples.
- காரைக்கால் அம்மையார் (Karaikkal Ammaiyar): One of the three female saints. She walked on her hands to Mount Kailash out of reverence and asked for a skeletal body to focus solely on singing Shiva's praises.
- குங்கிலியக் கலைய நாயனார் (Kungiliya Kalaya Nayanar): Sold his wife's mangalsutra (sacred thread) just to buy Kungiliyam (incense) for Lord Shiva.
- குலச்சிறையார் (Kulachirai Nayanar): The prime minister of the Pandya Kingdom who supported Saint Sambandar.
- கூற்றுவ நாயனார் (Kootruva Nayanar): A chieftain who, denied a physical crown, requested Lord Shiva to place His divine feet on his head as a crown.
- கலிக்கம்ப நாயனார் (Kalikkamba Nayanar): Cut off his own wife's hand because she hesitated to serve a devotee who was formerly their servant.
- கோச்செங்கட் சோழ நாயனார் (Kochengat Chola Nayanar): A Chola king who built 70 "Mada Kovils" (elevated Shiva temples) that elephants could not enter.
- கோட்புலி நாயனார் (Kotpuli Nayanar): A commander who killed his entire family because they consumed the paddy he had strictly reserved for Lord Shiva.
- சடைய நாயனார் (Sadaiya Nayanar): The father of Sundaramoorthy Nayanar.
- சண்டேசுவர நாயனார் (Chandesa Nayanar): A young cowherd who cut off his own father's legs because the father kicked over the milk pots meant for Shiva's abhishekam. He is now the chief steward of Shiva.
- சக்தி நாயனார் (Sakthi Nayanar): Would cut out the tongues of anyone who spoke ill of Lord Shiva or His devotees.
- சாக்கிய நாயனார் (Sakkiya Nayanar): A Buddhist who realized Shiva was the supreme truth and worshipped a Lingam daily by throwing a stone at it in pure love.
- சிறப்புலி நாயனார் (Sirappuli Nayanar): A Brahmin who constantly chanted the Panchakshara mantra and served devotees tirelessly.
- சிறுத்தொண்ட நாயனார் (Siruthonda Nayanar): A commander who cooked and offered his own beloved young son as meat to feed Lord Shiva, who came disguised as a terrifying Bhairava ascetic.
- சுந்தரமூர்த்தி நாயனார் (Sundaramurthi Nayanar): One of the four great Samaya Kuravars (teachers). Shiva treated him as a close friend and companion.
- செருத்துணை நாயனார் (Seruthunai Nayanar): Cut off the nose of a Pallava queen because she accidentally smelled a flower meant for the deity.
- சோமாசிமாற நாயனார் (Somasimara Nayanar): Worshipped Sundaramoorthy Nayanar and successfully conducted a massive Somayaga sacrifice.
- தண்டியடிகள் நாயனார் (Dandi Adigal): A blind devotee who single-handedly dug a temple tank with the help of a rope, overcoming the mockery of Jains.
- திருக்குறிப்புத் தொண்ட நாயனார் (Thirukkuripputh Thonda Nayanar): A washerman who beat his own head against a washing stone because he couldn't wash a devotee's clothes before sunset due to rain.
- திருஞானசம்பந்தர் (Thirugnana Sambandar): The child saint who was fed divine milk by Goddess Parvati herself. He composed thousands of hymns and revived Shaivism in Tamil Nadu.
- திருநாவுக்கரசர் (Thirunavukkarasar / Appar): Survived being tied to a stone and thrown in the ocean. He spent his life cleaning temple pathways with a simple hoe (uzhavaram).
- திருநாளைப்போவார் நாயனார் (Thirunalaipovar / Nandanar): An untouchable who longed to see Nataraja in Chidambaram and eventually walked through fire to merge with the Lord.
- திருநீலகண்ட நாயனார் (Thiruneelakanta Nayanar): A potter who swore on Lord Shiva's blue throat never to touch his wife or any woman, and lived a completely celibate life with his wife until old age.
- திருநீலகண்ட யாழ்ப்பாண நாயனார் (Thiruneelakanta Yazhpanar): A traveling musician who accompanied Saint Sambandar and played his hymns on the Yazh (lute).
- திருநீலநக்க நாயனார் (Thiruneelanakka Nayanar): Abandoned his wife because she blew on a Shiva Lingam to remove a spider.
- திருமூலர் (Thirumular): A mystic yogi who entered the dead body of a cowherd to comfort the cows, and sat in meditation for 3,000 years, writing one verse a year (Tirumantiram).
- நமிநந்தியடிகள் (Naminandi Adigal): When denied oil by Jains, he miraculously lit the temple lamps using mere water.
- நரசிங்க முனையரையர் (Narasinga Munaiyaraiyar): A king who adopted Sundaramoorthy Nayanar and raised him as a prince.
- நின்றசீர் நெடுமாற நாயனார் (Ninra Seer Nedumaran): The Pandya king who was cured of his fever and hunchback by Sambandar.
- நேச நாயனார் (Nesa Nayanar): A weaver who constantly chanted Shiva's name while weaving clothes and donating them to devotees.
- புகழ்ச்சோழ நாயனார் (Pugazh Chola Nayanar): A Chola king who jumped into a fire because he accidentally killed a devotee holding a matted hair in battle.
- புகழ்த்துணை நாயனார் (Pugazhthunai Nayanar): A priest who carried water for Shiva's abhishekam even when he was starving during a famine. Shiva placed a gold coin daily for him to survive.
- பூசலார் நாயனார் (Poosalar Nayanar): Built a massive, magnificent Shiva temple entirely within his mind through visualization. Shiva preferred this mental temple over a real granite temple built by a King.
- பெருமிழலைக் குறும்ப நாயனார் (Perumizhalai Kurumba Nayanar): Worshipped Sundaramoorthy Nayanar as God and attained liberation on the exact same day as him through yoga.
- மங்கையர்க்கரசியார் (Mangayarkkarasiyar): The brave Pandya Queen who invited Sambandar to Madurai to save Shaivism.
- மானக்கஞ்சாற நாயனார் (Manakkanchara Nayanar): Cut off his own daughter's beautiful long hair on her wedding day to offer it to a Shiva devotee who needed it for a sacred thread.
- முருக நாயனார் (Muruga Nayanar): Devoted his entire life to picking the best flowers at dawn to make beautiful garlands for Lord Shiva.
- முனையடுவார் நாயனார் (Munaiyaduvar Nayanar): A fierce mercenary warrior who fought for others for money, but used every single coin to feed Shiva devotees.
- மூர்க்க நாயனார் (Moorka Nayanar): Gambled in the streets and used violence to collect his winnings, but used all the money strictly to feed devotees.
- மூர்த்தி நாயனார் (Murthi Nayanar): When denied sandalwood by a cruel king, he began grinding his own elbow on the stone to make sandalwood paste for Shiva.
- மெய்ப்பொருள் நாயனார் (Meypporul Nayanar): A king who allowed himself to be assassinated by a rival disguised as a monk, because the assassin wore holy ash and rudraksha.
- வாயிலார் நாயனார் (Vayilar Nayanar): Practiced complete silence and worshipped Shiva only through internal mental devotion, without any external rituals.
- விறன்மிண்ட நாயனார் (Viralminda Nayanar): A stern devotee who declared even Sundaramoorthy Nayanar an outcast for ignoring devotees in the temple.