Know how he became an Alvar Saint from a military commander
Thirumangai Alvar
Thirumangai Alvar
Oxford University is returning a stolen 500-year-old bronze idol of Saint Thirumangai Alvar, originally from Tamil Nadu, to India.
The statue was acquired by the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford in 1967 from an auction at Sotheby’s, after being in the possession of collector Dr. JR Belmont.
The return of the idol follows a formal request by the Indian High Commission after the statue’s origins were highlighted by an independent researcher in November 2023.
Thirumangai Alvar, also known as Thirumangai Mannan, was the last of the 12 Alvar saints of South India, devoted to Vaishnavism.
Before his sainthood, Thirumangai was a military commander and chieftain, known for his prowess as a skilled archer under the Chola empire.
He is celebrated as 'Narkavi Perumal', meaning an excellent poet, and 'Parakala', implying beyond time.
His transformation into a saint was influenced by his love for Kumudavalli, a Vaishnava doctor’s adopted daughter, who agreed to marry him if he converted to Vaishnavism.
Thirumangai Alvar is renowned for his poetic work 'Periya Tirumoli', which includes 1084 hymns praising Vaishnava deities and temples.
He discusses themes of human suffering and salvation in his works, drawing from earlier Tamil literature and Jain texts.
The Council of the University of Oxford approved the return of the idol on March 11, 2024, pending approval from the Charity Commission.