Alavars: These are Tamil
poet saints and were devoted to Vishnu and his avatar Krishna. They belong to Vaishnava
sect.
Nayanars: These were also
Tamil poets devoted to lord Shiva.
Sufis: This is
an Islamic mysticism.
Virashaivism: This is
a sect of Hinduism. It is predominantly found
in the states of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
Basavanna, a Kannada poet belonged to this sect and belief is that he founded
this sect.