Bhoothath Alvar
Bhoothath Alvar (भूतत्ताल्वार्, c. 7th century by common scholarly estimate) is regarded by Sri Vaishnava tradition as the second of the twelve Alvars, the Tamil poet-saints devoted to Vishnu, and the second of the three Mudhal Alvars. He is the author of the Irandam Tiruvandadhi, a hundred-verse Tamil hymn included in the Divya Prabandham.
Life/Legend
Hagiographic tradition holds that Bhoothath Alvar was born at Thirukkoilur (Tirukkovilur) on the banks of the Pennai river, found as an infant in a palace flower garden, and raised by the local king. His name, related to bhutatma, is interpreted in tradition as indicating one absorbed in the Reality. The best-known legend places him, on a stormy night, in the narrow veranda of a house at Thirukkoilur alongside Poigai Alvar and Pey Alvar, where the three — meeting for the first time — composed hymns of devotion by lamplight. In this telling, where Poigai Alvar sang of a lamp of love, Bhoothath Alvar sang of a lamp of knowledge that dispels the darkness of ignorance. These accounts belong to devotional tradition rather than documentary history.
Works
- Irandam Tiruvandadhi — 100 verses, the second work of the Divya Prabandham, expounding Vishnu as the object of knowledge and devotion.
Legacy
His hymns form part of daily temple liturgy in Sri Vaishnavismm](/topic/vashnavism), and his pairing of knowledge with devotion influenced later Vedantic readings of the Alvar corpus.
Verification notes
- Alvar dating is debated; scholars place the Alvars between the 5th and 9th centuries CE, with the Mudhal Alvars commonly assigned to the 7th.
- The flower-garden birth and veranda meeting are hagiographic tradition, not historical documentation.
- Audited against Wikipedia (September 2026).