The
alvars, also spelt as
alwars or
azhwars (,
āḻvārkaḷ , ‘those immersed in god’) were
Tamil poet-saints of
South India who espoused
bhakti (devotion) to the
Hindu god
Vishnu or his
avatar Krishna in their songs of longing, ecstasy and service. They are venerated especially in
Vaishnavism, which regards Vishnu or Krishna as the Supreme Being.