Kulashekhara

(9th c.) One of the Alvars, a group of
twelve poet-saints who lived in southern
India between the seventh and tenth
centuries. All the Alvars were devotees
(bhakta) of the god Vishnu, emphasizing passionate devotion (bhakti) to a
personal god, conveyed through hymns
sung in the Tamil language. According
to tradition, Kulashekhara was the king
of the Travancore region in modern
Kerala. His religious commitment grew
so strong that he eventually abdicated
his throne. For further information see
Kamil Zvelebil, Tamil Literature, 1975;
and John Stirling Morley Hooper, Hymns
of the Alvars, 1929.