Tiruppan Alvar is known for his affiliation to Ranganatha of the Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple and is traditionally believed to have merged with the deity upon his demise.

'Āḻ' (ஆழ்), 'to immerse oneself' as one who dives deep into the ocean of the countless attributes of god, a seminal research[3] by the Indologist S. Palaniappan has established that this word is actually a corruption of the original inscriptionally attested pre-11th century 'Alvar' 'one who rules' or 'a great person' which should be compared with the epithet 'Āṇḍãḷ' (ஆண்டாள்) for the female canonized Vaishnava saint Kōtai (கோதை).

Divya Suri Saritra by Garuda-Vahana Pandita (11th century CE), Guruparamparaprabavam by Pinbaragiya Perumal Jiyar, Periya tiru mudi adaivu by Anbillai Kandadiappan, Yatindra Pranava Prabavam by Pillai Lokacharya, commentaries on Divya Prabandam, Guru Parampara (lineage of Gurus) texts, temple records and inscriptions give a detailed account of the Alvars and their works.

[5][6] According to traditional account by Manavala Mamunigal, the first three Alvars namely Poigai, Bhoothath and Pey belong to Dvapara Yuga (before 4200 BC).

[4][5][7][8][9] Along with the three Saiva nayanmars, they influenced the ruling Pallava kings, creating a Bhakti movement that resulted in changing the religious geography from Buddhism and Jainism to these two sects of Hinduism in the region.

[12][13] Tiruppan Alvar was born in Purthurmadhi year, Kaarthigai (Nov-Dec) month, on a Wednesday in the Rohini Nakshatra (star) in a small village of Alagapuri near Srirangam in the 8th or 9th century CE.

[16] As Palaniappan states therein: "What is interesting about the traditional views regarding the social status of the Pāṇars is that they were not informed by any real data on the Paṇars actually living in Tamil Nadu during medieval times.

That very night, Vishnu appeared in the dream of Loka Saranga and commanded him to fetch Tiruppan to the temple the next morning in his shoulders.

On seeing the thiruvadi (lotus feet) of Ranganatha, he sang: Neel madhil Arangathamman thrukkamalpadham vandhu en Kanninullana okkinrathe.

He then started to see the whole thirumeni (body) of Ranganatha, and he sang a total of ten pasurams (hymns) which explain the beauty of Sri Ranganathar from his thiruvadi (foot) to thirumudi (head).

[22][23] One of the verses reads Transliteration Kondal vannanaik kovalanay venney Unda vayan en ullam kavarndhanai Andar kon ani arangan en amudhinaik Kanda kangal marronarinaik kanave[24] Meaning I have seen the One whose color is like dark rainclouds He is the one with the mouth that swallowed the butter of cowherds, He is the Lord of the devas, He is Lord Ranganatha, He is my nectar, my life!

[25] Vedanta Desikan was moved by the composition of the Alvar, and wrote a commentary called Munivahana Bhogam in Sanskritized Tamil - Manipravalam.

Desikan was so overwhelmed by the profundity of the saint's Bhagavad Anubhavam that he declared the ten verse compendium to be the essence of countless Vedic texts.

[citation needed] The devotees of the Sri Vaishnava sect of Hinduism accord veneration to the Alvars along with their worship of Vishnu.

The verses of the Alvars are recited as a part of daily prayers and during festive occasions in several Vishnu temples in South India.

[26] In Srirangam's Ranganthaswamy temple, a yearly birth festival of Tiruppan Alvar is celebrated with the Vishvarupa darshana of Ranganatha at the sanctum on his birthday.

The festive idol of Tiruppan Alvar is brought from his birth place in Sri Alagiya Manavala Perumal Temple at modern day Woraiyur to Srirangam.