1) Hindu saints 
The alwar or azhwars (ஆழ்வார்கள், āzvārkaḷ aːɻʋaːr, ‘those immersed in god’) were Tamil poet-saints of south India who espoused ‘emotional devotion’ or bhakti to Visnu-Krishna in their songs of longing, ecstasy and service. Traditionally, Alvars are considered to have lived between 4200 BCE - 2700 BCE. Orthodoxy...
the South Indian Vaishnava poet-saints of the early medieval period. Twelve are considered principal.