Category: General En

The hounds of Siva called ‘nayanmars’ in Tamizh were staunch Siva devotees who lived in Tamil Nadu and influenced the birth of the bhakti movement in Tamil Nadu. They were also hugely responsible for the resurgence of Saivaite movement in Tamil Nadu after an assault by buddhist and jain monks who had converted a few tamil kings to their religions respectively. With the royal patronage, the assault on Saivam was sometimes violent and not in respect with the princinples that those religions espoused. Thanks to the 63 nayanmars and few other saints that Saivam not only regained its rightful place but also rose back to prominence purely on the strength of its devotion and core universal principles. These 63 nayanmars can be found in almost all Siva temples after a Chola King felt that these hounds of Siva need to be honored and worshiped alongside Siva Himself.