Pey Alvar
Sri Vaishnava poet-saint
Pey Alvar (also spelt Peyalvar, Peialvar, Pey Azhwar, or Pei Azhwar) is one of the twelve Alvar saints of South India, who are known for their affiliation to Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. The verses of Alvars are compiled as Nalayira Divya Prabandham and the 108 temples revered are classified as Divya Desams. Pey Alvar is considered third in the list of the three principal Alvars, with the other two being Poigai Alvar and Bhoothath Alvar, collectively called Mutalamalvargal who are known to be born out of divinity. Pey Alvar composed hundred verses that are classified as Munram Tiruvantati and his composition is set in the antati style in which the ending syllable is the starting one for the next verse.
As per Hindu legend, Pey Alvar was found in the lily flower in the pond of the Adi Kesava Perumal Temple in Mylapore. The site can be found in Arundale Street, Mylapore, Chennai. In Tamil, pey refers to one who is possessed and since the saint was madly attracted to Hindu god Vishnu, he got the name.
As per legend, the three Alvars were once were confined in a small dark enclosure during a rain in Thirukovilur and they experienced a fourth individual among them. They found out that it was god Vishnu and Poigai Alvar wished to see his face continuously but could view only from the simmering light of the lightning. With a view to maintain the continuity of light, Poigai instantly composed hundred songs wishing light to emerge.
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Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3790117. VIAF identifies the subject as 73292656. The Library of Congress control number is n2006173219. None of the 4 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Pey Alvar” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.