Tirumurai is the sacred poetry in the Saiva tradition of ancient Tamilnadu. Sung to the rhythm of percussion, string and reed instruments, the devotional outpouring of saints and poets known as Nayanars of the fifth to the twelfth century CE reflect the religious and cultural mores of the people. This book attempts to capture the grandeur of this vast, fascinating subject by presenting a detailed overview of the salient features. Beginning with an introduction to Nataraja Tattvam and Tamil Isai, all twelve Tirumurai are explained. Each chapter begins with the life story of the Nayanar followed by an analysis of the poetry with explanation of paN (raga) and sthala puranam. A few select songs from each Tirumurai are presented in the original Tamil with Romanized transliteration as well as English translation, made available in an online audio album complementing this book. Foreword by Lakshmi ViswanathanCONTENTS Preface Foreword Contents 1. Cosmic Dance of Siva 1.1 The Legemd of Ananda Tandava 1.2 Chidambaram Temple 1.3 Symbolism of Nataraja 1.4 Artistic Representation 1.5 Nayanars and Tirumurai 1.6 Salient Features of Saiva Philosophy 2.Pannisai Tradition 2.1 Tamil Iyal – Literature 2.2 Tamil Isai – Music 2.3 Discovery of Tevaram Hymns 2.4 Literary Features of Tevaram 2.5 The Tradition of Pan 3.Tirujnanasambandhar 3.1 Life History of Sambandhar 3.2 Tirukadaikappu and their Beauty 3.3 A Few Hymns 4.Tirunavukkarasar 4.1 Life History of Tirunavukkarasar 4.2 Tevaram of Tirunavukkarasar 4.3 A Few Hymns 5.Sundaramurti Nayanar 5.1 Life History of Sundarar 5.2 Tiruppattu of Sundarar 5.3 A Few Hymns 6.Manikkavachagar 6.1 LIfe History of Manikkavachagar 6.2 Tiruvachakam and Tirukkovaiyar 6.3 A Few Hymns 7.The Ninth Tirumurai 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Nine Nayanars 7.3 Tiruvisaippa and Tirupallandu 8.Tirumantiram of Tirumular 8.1 LIfe History of Tirumular 8.2 The Nine Tantrans 8.3 A Few Verses 9.The Eleventh Tirumurai 9.1 The Arrangement of Hymns 9.2 Twelve Nayanars 9.3 A Few Somgs 10.Periya Puranam of Sekkizhar 10.1 The Cultural Context 10.2 Tiru Tondar Puranam 10.3 A Few Songs Appendix 10.4 Notes 10.5 Glossary of Common Terms 10.6 List of Songs in audio album 10.7 Bibliography 10.8 Index