Who among the following was not as allvar Saint?

The answer is B) Tirugyan. The Alvars are the twelve Tamil Vaishnava poet-saints who sang in praise of Vishnu, and their hymns were compiled in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham. Tirugnana Sambandar is not an Alvar. He is a Shaiva saint, one of the Nayanars, who sang in praise of Shiva. Aspirants sometimes confuse the two groups because both are Tamil bhakti movements of roughly the same period, roughly 6th to 9th century CE.

• Poyagai (Poigai Alvar): one of the first three Alvars, the Mudal Alvars. Correct Alvar.
• Pudam (Bhoothath Alvar): also one of the first three Alvars. Correct Alvar.
• Tirumangai: the last of the twelve Alvars, known for his hymns on the Srirangam and other Vishnu shrines. Correct Alvar.

For Mains, the Alvars and Nayanars are the core of the bhakti movement in South India. Their emphasis on devotion over ritual, and their use of Tamil vernacular, shaped later Vaishnava and Shaiva traditions and the spread of bhakti across India. This connects to the Art and Culture and Modern Indian history sections.

Trap: Aspirants tend to pick the name that sounds least Vaishnava, without knowing the saint's tradition. Remember that Alvars are linked to Vishnu and Nayanars to Shiva.