List of Indian Poets - Tamil

Tamil

Sangam poets (c. 300 BC to 300 AD)

• Agastya
• Avvaiyar the name of more than one poet who was active during different periods of Tamil literature; Auvaiyar I lived during the Sangam period (c. 1st and 2nd century CE)
• Kadiyalur Uruttirangannanar
• Kapilar

see also Sangam literature

Post Sangam poets (200 AD to 1000 AD)

• Thiruvalluvar ( c. 2nd – 8th century AD) poet who wrote the Thirukkural, an ethical work
• Ilango Adigal (300 to 700 AD) who wrote the epic Cilappathikaaram
• Nakkeerar (fl. c. 9th century)
• Sīthalai Sāttanār
• Tirutakkatevar

Bakthi period poets (700 to 1700 AD)

• 12 Alvars Namely Poigaialvar, Boothathaalvaar etc.
• 63 Nayanars Namely Appar, Sambanthar etc.
• Sekkizhar (fl. 12th century), poet and scholar
• Kambar
• Ottakoothar
• Arunagirinathar
• Pattinathar
• Siva Prakasar

Patriots and British period poets

• Subramanya Bharathi called Mahakavi Bharati ("Great Poet Bharati") (1882–1921) poet, writer, independence advocate and reformer
• Subramanya Siva (1884–1925), poet and independence advocate
• Bharathidasan also spelt Bharatidasan (1891–1964), poet, playwright, screenwriter, short-story writer and essayist
• Kavimani Desigavinayagam Pillai
• Sheikh Thambi Pavalar
• Ramalinga Swamigal

Modern

• Kannadasan (24 June 1927 – 17 October 1981), poet and song lyrics writer
• Vaali (poet) (born 1931), poet and song lyrics writer
• Annamalai Reddiyar - Tamil poet
• Vairamuthu, poet and song lyrics writer
• Pudhumaipithan
• T. K. Doraiswamy ("Nakulan")
• Prof. Karmegha Konar
• P. Vijay poet who writes song lyrics for films
• Mu Metha, poet and songwriter
• L. S. Kandasamy
• V. Akilesapillai (1853–1910), Sri Lankan scholar, poet and writer
• Perumal Rasu poet, writer, painter and spiritual master
• Manushyaputhiran