of the comparative lateness of this saint's existence. In spite of our regard to his sagacity, we must say with greater assurance that he is far from being correct in this view. The paucity of temples cele brated by these Alvars does not prove the antiquity of the one or the modernity of the other. According to his theory Tondaradippodi Alvar should have been the earliest, because he visited only one temple; and the order of precedence would be like this: Tondaradippodi, Tiruppan, Poigai, Kulasekhara, Andal, Pułam, Pey, Periyalvar, Tirumalisai, Nammalvar and Tirumangai Alvar ; surely it is neither the traditional nor chronological order.
In those days of difficult coninunication, of constant wars between the Tamil kings and their feudatories, and of the fear of robbers and dacoits on the forestclad highways and foot-paths, the circumstances which could have afforded facilities to a pilgrim in visiting a larger number of temples, were wealth, retinue and chiefly one's religious proclivities. Tirumangai Alvar had all these, as he was the ruler of a small but fertile province or nada besides being a robber chieftain ; he had plenty of money and a good many followers to cater for him in his peregrinations. The other Alvars, probably with the exception of Kulasekhara, had none of these accessories, and they were more or less local saints. Tirumalisai and Nammalvar were grogis and did not care to visit all the Vishnu temples of their days. The former did not mention at all
