2. Bhakti initially flourished in South India through the great
Vaishnava saints known as the twelve Alvars (6th–9th
centuries). Shaivism also has its bhakti traditions and during
roughly the same period 63 Nayanars (bhakti poets) wrote
songs that now form the twelve books of the Tirumurai. Shortly
after, and especially from 1500 CE onwards, a great devotional
renaissance swept through the entire sub-continent.
The bhakti saints largely rejected the hereditary caste system
and its emphasis on prescribed ritual, stressing instead the
need for morality, purity of heart and an attitude of selfless
service. They expressed their sentiments through song, poetry
and music, often attracting thousands of followers. Their
preference for the spirit of the law rather than its letter enabled
many followers of apparently lower birth to participate. These
include a number of famous women saints. The considerable
influence of the bhakti saints continues up to the present time.

4. Andal is the only female Alvar of the 12 Alvar saints of South
India, who are known for their affiliation to Srivaishnava
tradition of Hinduism. She is credited with the great Tamil
works of Thirupavai and Nachiar Tirumozhi that are still
recited by devotees during the Winter festival season of
Margazhi. Andal is known for her unwavering devotion to
the Lord Vishnu/Krishna, the God of the Srivaishnavas. The
Srivilliputhoor Temple is dedicated to her and marks her
birthplace.[2] Adopted by her father, the Alvar saint
Periyalvar who found her as a baby, Andal avoided earthly
marriage, the normal and expected path for women of her
culture, to "marry" Krishna, both spiritually and physically.
In many places in India, particularly in Tamilnadu, Andal is
treated more than a saint and as a form of God herself.

6. Thiruvilliputhur andal kovil

8. Adi shankaracharya was an Indian philosopher from Kaladi in present day
Eranakulam district, Kerala who consolidated the doctrine of advaita vedānta
.[1][2] His teachings are based on the unity of the ātman and brahman— nondual brahman, in which brahman is viewed as nirguna brahman
, brahman without attributes.[3]
Shankara travelled across the Indian subcontinent to propagate his
philosophy through discourses and debates with other thinkers. He is
reputed to have founded four mathas ("monasteries"), which helped in the
historical development, revival and spread of Advaita Vedanta of which he
is known as the greatest revivalist.[2] Adi Shankara is believed to be the
organizer of the Dashanami monastic order and the founder of the Shanmata
tradition of worship.
His works in Sanskrit concern themselves with establishing the doctrine of
advaita (nondualism). He also established the importance of monastic life as
sanctioned in the Upanishads and Brahma Sutra, in a time when the
Mimamsa school established strict ritualism and ridiculed monasticism.
Shankara represented his works as elaborating on ideas found in the
Upanishads, and he wrote copious commentaries on the Vedic canon (
Brahma Sutra, principal upanishads and Bhagavad Gita) in support of his
thesis. The main opponent in his work is the Mimamsa school of thought,
though he also offers arguments against the views of some other schools
like Samkhya and certain schools of Buddhism.

15. Ramanuja born in a Brahmin family in the
village of Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu,
He was a theologian, philosopher, and
scriptural exegete. He is seen by
Śrīvaiṣṇavas as the most important
teacher (ācārya) of their tradition who
followed Nathamuni and Yamunacharya,
and by Hindus in general as the leading
expounder of Viśiṣṭādvaita, one of the
classical interpretations of the dominant
Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy

18. Madhavacharya also known as Purna
Prajna and Ananda Tirtha, was the chief
proponent of Tattvavāda "Philosophy of Reality",
popularly known as the Dvaita (dualism) school of
Hindu philosophy. It is one of the three most
influential Vedānta philosophies. Madhvācārya was
one of the important philosophers during the
Bhakti movement. He was a pioneer in many ways,
going against standard conventions and norms.
According to tradition, Madhvācārya is believed to
be the third incarnation ofVāyu (Mukhyaprāṇa) and
first two being Hanuman and Bhīma.

23. Basavanna was a social reformer and philosopher who was
mainly responsible for establishing the Lingayat tradition in the
12th century. He rebelled against the rigid practices of the
caste system then prevalent in orthodox Hindu society, and
eventually began expounding his own philosophy with a
casteless society at its core. His egalitarian philosophy and
reform movement attracted large numbers of people. Saints
like Allama Prabhu, Akka Mahadevi and Channabasavanna also
played pivotal roles in the growth of the Lingayat tradition.
Basavanna lived and taught in the northern part of what is now
Karnataka. This movement found its roots during the brief rule
of the southern Kalachuridynasty in those parts of the state. Like
Martin Luther who came nearly three hundred years after him,
Basavanna preached that the devotion of people to God was a
direct relationship and did not need the intervention of the
priestly class. Temple building is generally not practised
among Lingayats.

27. Akka Mahadevi (ಅಕಕ ಮಹಾದೇವ) was a prominent figure of the
Veerashaiva Bhakti movement of the 12th century Karnataka.[1]
Her Vachanas inKannada, a form of didactic poetry, are
considered her most notable contribution
to Kannada Bhakti literature.[2] In all she wrote about 430
Vachanas which is relatively fewer than that compared to some
other saints of her time. Yet the term 'Akka' (elder Sister) which
is an honorific given to her by great Veerashaiva saints
like Basavanna, Chenna Basavanna, Kinnari Bommayya,
Siddharama, Allamaprabhu and Dasimayya speaks volumes of
her contribution to the movement that was underway. She is in
hindsight seen as a great and inspirational woman for Kannada
literature and the history of Karnataka. She is said to have
accepted the god Shiva ('Chenna Mallikarjuna') as her husband,
traditionally understood as the 'madhura bhava' or 'madhurya'
form of devotion