||    PeriyAzhwAr    ||

Vishnuchitthar was a pious Brahmin belonging to a devout Munkudumi Chozhiar family (poorva SikhA Brahmins) at Srivilliputthur. He was born in the Tamil month of Aani, when the SvAthi Constellation was in ascendance. He is an amsam of Veda Moorthy, Garudan, the Lord's flag and transport.

Vishnu Chitthar was engaged in performing MaalA kaimkaryam to the PerumaL of Srivillipputthur dhivya dEsam (Vatapathra Saayee) .He had a lovely garden full of TuLasi and Flowering plants. He found one day a baby girl in his TuLasi garden and named the baby, Godhai, and raised Her as his own daughter. Godhai is the incarnation of Bhumi Devi and has blessed us with ThiruppAvai and NaacchiyAr Thirumozhi;She married Lord RanganAthA at Srirangam and made Her foster father acquire later the name of PeriyAzhwAr as a result of his becoming the father-in-law to Lord RanganAthan Himself.

Vishnu Chitthar was not versed in VedAs and other traditonal forms of scholarship.He presented daily TuLasi Maalais adorned by His daughter to Vadapathra Sayee as commanded by Him. He led a life full of VairAgyam (Dispassion), anushtAnam, Bhakthi and Bhagavath Kaimkaryam. Lord Vatapathra Sayee decided one day to bring out the glory of Vishnu Chitthar. There was a royal competition going on at the southern city of Mathurai convened by King Sri Vallabha Devan to establish who is the Supreme God based on vedic pramANams. Many vidhvAns of the day and great Vedic scholars participated in that assembly (sathas)to win the sumptous purse set aside for the winner in that competition .

Lord Vadapathra Sayee appeared in Vishnu Chitthar's dream and commanded him to appear in the sathas and win the prize money. Vishnu Chitthar protested and pointed out to the Lord that he was illiterate in the VedAs and had no formal tutelage in them. The Lord responded that He is responsible for the outcome of the debate on establishing His Parathvam as Sriman NaarAyaNan and insisted that Vishnu Chitthar attend the royal sathas. The obedient servant of the Lord arrived at the sathas and was able to deliver a brilliant and convincing discourse on the unquestioned supermacy (parathvam) of Sriman NaarAyaNan with ample pramANams (proofs) from VedAs and VedAntham. This he did through the anugraham of PerumAL since he did not learn VedAs and VedAntham through the traditional route. The judges of the competition declared VishNu Chitthar as the winner and the King let him cut down the bag of gold tied up on a lofty pole.When VishNu Chitthar approached the flag stand, the pole bent down to his level and the prize money was collected and Sriman NaarayaNa Parathvam was established in an uncontestable manner.

The King fell at the feet of VishNu Chitthar and placed him on the back of the royal elephant for a procession around the main streets of Tenn Mathurai. Sriman NaarAyaNan with His Devis wanted to witness the honors accorded to His dear devotee and appeared in the sky on the back of Garudan. When Vishunu Chitthar saw the Lord, he was overwhelmed with the beauty, youth and laavaNyam of the Lord and broke out spontaneously with his mangaLAsAsanam (eulogy) of the Lord using the bells on the neck of the elephant as taaLam. VishNu Chitthar was anxious that no harm came the way of his Lord, while He appeared before the people of the world in His from as Sri VaikuntanAthan worshipped by the nithya sooris. Thus arose the famous ThiruppallANDu Dhivya Prabhandham, wherein he wished the Lord hundreds of thousands of years of well being (PallANDu). Out of his Vaathsalyam and concern for the Lord's "well being ", VishNuchitthar performed the MangaLAsAsanam and came to be known as PeriyAzhwAr. ThiruppallANDu is recogognized as PraNavam for the Tamil Vedams .In ThiruppallANDu, the noble codes of behaviour and the tatthvams of Sri VaishNavam are enshrined beautifully.

PeriyAzhwAr returned to Srivilliputthur and used the royal purse to build a new temple for Vatapathra Saayee that we see today.

Since PeriyAzhwAr had acquired all encompassing Jn~Anam, he came to be called "Bhattar PirAn Or Bhatta Naathan". ANDAL, his daughter came to be known as "Bhatta Naatha Sri" or the wealth of Bhatta Naathan.PeriyAzhwAr created four hundred plus paasurams describing the Baala leelais of KrishNan and assumed the role of YashOdhA pirAtti to enjoy them. These paasurams are KarNAmruthams. Many deep doctrines of Sri VaishNavam are also explained to us in a moving manner by this AzhwAr in his PeriyAzhwAr Thirumozhi.

The Ninteen Dhivya Desams sung by PeriyAzhwAr
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These 19 Dhivya Desams stretch from AyOddhi in the North to Srirangam in the South. These kshEthrams are:

1.  AyOddhi
2.  Srirangam
3.  Thiru AaypAdi
4.  THirukkaNDamkudi / Deva PrayAg
5.  ThirukkaNNapuram
6.  Thirukkudanthai
7.  Thirukkurumkudi
8.  ThirukkOttiUr
9.  Thiru SaaLgrAmam
10. Thiru DhvArakai
11. Thiru Parama Padham
12. Thiru PaaRRkkadal
13. ThiruppErnagar
14. ThirumAlirumchOlai
15. Thiru Vadamathurai
16. Thiru BadarikAsramam
17. Srivilliputthur
18. ThiruveLLaRai
19. Thiruvenkatam

PeriyAzhwAr's prabhandhams
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ThiruppallANDu of PeriyAzhwar and PeriyAzhwAr Thirumozhi are the two prabhandhams

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