List of Indian poets

Assamese

• Amulya Barua, first published posthumously in 1964
• Atul Chandra Hazarika, poet, dramatist, children's story writer and translator
• Bhabananda Deka, writer, poet, critic, columnist, playwright
• Ganesh Gogoi
• Hem Barua, poet and politician
• Lakshminath Bezbarua, a doyen of Assamese literature
• Chandra Kumar Agarwala, Romantic poet
• Hemchandra Goswami, Romantic poet
• Ambikagiri Raichoudhury, Romantic poet
• Hiren Bhattacharya, writer, poet, critic, columnist and editor
• Homen Borgohain, writer, poet, critic, columnist and editor
• Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, playwright, songwriter, poet, writer and film maker
• Bishnu Prasad Rabha
• Nabakanta Barua, also known as Ekhud Kokaideu, novelist and poet
• Nilmani Phookan
• Harekrishna Deka, poet, fiction writer, and critic
• Mahim Bora, poet, fiction writer

  Bengali

• Abul Bashar, poet and writer
• Annadashankar Roy
• Bharatchandra Ray, Raygunakar, court poet in Krishnanagar
• Binoy Majumdar, Indian poet
• Bishnu Dey, poet, prose writer, movie critic
• Buddhadeb Basu , poet, novelist, short-story writer and essayist
• Chandan Kumar Bhattacharya, Indian poet, fiction writer, mail artist, and editor
• Chandidas, refers to medieval poet
• Dwijendralal Ray, poet, playwright, and musician, known primarily for patriotic plays and songs, as well as Hindu devotional lyrics
• Govindadasa, Medieval Vaishanavite poet
• Humayun Kabir, poet, educationalist, politician, writer, philosopher
• Iswarchandra Gupta, poet and writer
• Jatindramohan Bagchi
• Jatindranath Sengupta, poet and writer
• Jibanananda Das
• Joy Goswami, Indian poet
• Kazi Nazrul Islam , poet, musician, revolutionary, and philosopher
• Krittibas Ojha, medieval poet
• Malay Roy Choudhury, founder of the Hungry generation movement
• Mallika Sengupta, poet and writer
• Michael Madhusudan Dutta , born Madhusudan Dutt, poet and dramatist
• Nabaneeta Dev Sen , writer and poet
• Nabinchandra Sen, poet and writer
• Kazi Nazrul Islam, poet, national poet of Bangladesh, novelist, short story writer, dramatist, singer, composer, essayist, translator, and movie director
• Premendra Mitra, poet, novelist, short-story writer, including thrillers and science fiction
• Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar, known for Prabhat Samgiita
• Purnendu Patri, poet, novelist, artist and film maker
• Rabindranath Tagore, Indian poet who won the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature
• Shankha Ghosh, poet and critic
• Samir Roychoudhury, post-modern poet, short story writer, critic and editor
• Subhash Mukhopadhyay
• Subhro Bandopadhyay, poet
• Subodh Sarkar, poet
• Sudhindranath Dutta
• Sukanta Bhattacharya, poet
• Sukumar Ray, humorous poet, short-story writer and playwright
• Sunil Gangopadhyay , Indian poet, novelist
• Syed Kawsar Jamal, Indian poet and essayist
• Tarapada Roy, poet, essayist and short-story writer, short stories, and essays, humourist

  Indian poets writing in English

• A. J. Thomas, poet, editor
• A. K. Ramanujan, poet and scholar of Indian literature who wrote in both English and Kannada
• Abhay K, poet, diplomat, writer, author and artist
• Agha Shahid Ali, Kashmiri-American poet writing in English
• Amit Chaudhuri, author and poet writing in English
• Anuradha Bhattacharyya, author and poet writing in English
• Amol Redij, English poet and writer
• Arun Kolatkar, Indian poet writings in English and Marathi
• Arundhathi Subramaniam, poet and writer and web editor writing in English
• Arvind Krishna Mehrotra, Indian poet, anthologist, literary critic and translator writing in English
• Bibhu Padhi, poet, translator and critic writing in English
• C. P. Surendran, poet, novelist and editor writing in English
• D. C. Chambial, Indian English poet, editor and critic
• Eunice De Souza, Indian poet, literary critic and novelist writing in English
• Feroze Varun Gandhi, poet, politician and columnist
• G. S. Sharat Chandra, author and poet writing in English
• Gieve Patel, Indian poet, playwright and painter who practised to be a general physician writing in English
• Gopi Kottoor, Indian poet, playwright, translator writing in English
• Hemant Mohapatra, poet writing in English
• Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, Indian poet
• Jagannath Prasad Das, also known as J P Das, award-winning poet in English and Oriya
• Jayanta Mahapatra, poet, critic, arts scholar, and curator writing in English
• Jeet Thayil, poet, novelist, editor
• Kamala Das also known as "Kamala Suraiya", writer and poet in English and Malayalam
• Keki Daruwalla, Indian poet writing in English
• K. V. Dominic, Indian poet, short story writer, critic and editor
• Makarand Paranjape, Indian poet writing in English
• Mani Rao, Indian poet writing in English
• Meena Kandasamy, writer, poet, translator and activist
• Michael Madhusudan Dutt, poet and dramatist
• Nissim Ezekiel, Indian poet, playwright and art critic and editor writing in English
• Nalini Priyadarshni, Indian poet, writer, and critic in English
• Nandini Sahu, Indian poet, writer, and critic writing in English
• Neelam Saxena Chandra, author, novelist and poetry writing in English and Hindi
• P. Lal, Indian poet, translator, professor and publisher; also the founder and publisher of Writers Workshop in Calcutta, India
• P C K Prem, In Palampur Himachal Pradesh India- Poet,critic and author writing in Hindi and English
• Pritish Nandy, Indian poet, journalist, politician, television personality and film producer writing in English
• R. Parthasarathy, Indian poet, translator, critic, and editor writing in English
• Rochelle Potkar, Indian fiction writer and poet
• Raman Mundair, poet, writer, artist and playwright writing in English
• Yuyutsu Sharma, poet, editor and translator, writes in English
• Ranjit Hoskote, Indian poet, art critic, cultural theorist and independent curator writing in English
• Robin S Ngangom. Indian poet writing in English
• Rukmini Bhaya Nair Indian poet and theorist, writing in English
• Salik Shah, poet, author, editor and publisher in English
• Sarojini Naidu. Indian poet writing in English
• Shahzad A. Rizvi, author, scholar and poet writing in English and Urdu
• Shiv Kumar Indian poet, playwright, novelist, short story writer
• Shreekumar Varma, newspaper columnist, poet, novelist writing in English
• Smita Agarwal, Indian poet, critic, educator, and singer
• Som Ranchan, Indian poet and novelist writing in English
• Sreyash Sarkar, Indian poet and engineering researcher
• Sri Aurobindo, Indian English poet, philosopher, and yogi writing in English
• Subhash Misra
• Sudeep Sen, Indian poet and editor writing in English
• Tabish Khair, poet, novelist and essayist
• Tapan Kumar Pradhan, activist, essayist and poet in English and Oriya
• Tishani Doshi
• T.K. Doraiswamy, poet, novelist, translator and professor of English
• T. Vasudeva Reddy, poet, novelist, critic and professor of English
• Toru Dutt. Indian poet, wrote in English and French
• Vihang A. Naik, Indian poet
• Vikram Seth, Indian novelist and poet

  Gujarati

• Akho, poet, Vedantist and radical
• Adil Mansuri, Gujarati poet from Gujarat, India
• Niranjan Bhagat, Gujarati poet
• Anil Chavda, Gujarati language poet, writer and columnist from Gujarat
• Ashok Chavda, Gujarati language poet, writer and critic from Gujarat
• Pir Sadardin, fourteenth-century Ismaili Da'i; regarded as the founder of the Khoja Ismaili sect; also called Satpanth
• Dalpatram, father of Nanalal Dalpatram Kavi
• Dayaram, Gujarati poet of medieval Gujarati literature
• Dileep Jhaveri, poet, translator and editor from Mumbai
• Mahadev Desai, writer in English, Gujarati and Bengali
• Suresh Joshi, novelist, short-story writer, critic, poet and writer
• Umashankar Joshi – see listing under "Umashankar", below
• Kalapi, poet and the royal of Lathi state in Gujarat
• Kavi Kant, writer and poet in Gujarati
• Nanalal Dalpatram Kavi
• Jhaverchand Meghani, novelist, poet, short-story writer, folklorist in Gujarati
• Narsinh Mehta, alternate spelling Narasingh Mehta
• Chinu Modi, Gujarati poet from Gujarat, India
• Manhar Modi, Gujarati poet from Gujarat, India
• K. M. Munshi, novelist, playwright, writer, politician and lawyer
• Narmad, Gujarati poet, playwright, essayist and reformer during British India
• Vihang A. Naik, writes poetry in Gujarati and English
• Ravji Patel, modernist poet and novelist in Gujarati
• Rajendra Shah, Gujarati poet and Jnanpith Award winner
• Rajendra Shukla, Gujarati poet
• Sundaram, poet, short-story writer, travel writer, biographer and critic
• Govardhanram Tripathi, novelist and poet
• Umashankar Joshi, novelist, poet, playwright, writer and academic; surname: Umashankar, Jnanpith Award winner
• Sitanshu Yashaschandra, Gujarati language poet and playwright

  Hindi

• Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana, composer, poet, and produced books on astrology
• Amir Khusrow, musician, scholar and poet
• Ashok Chakradhar, author and poet
• Banarsidas, poet, businessman
• Bihari, poet, author
• Bhikhari Das, poet
• Bharatendu Harishchandra, novelist, poet, playwright
• Bhawani Prasad Mishra, poet and author
• Dharmveer Bharti, poet, author, playwright and social thinker
• Dushyant Kumar
• Gulzar, poet, lyricist, film director
• Geet Chaturvedi, poet, short story author and journalist
• Gopal Singh Nepali, poet of Hindi literature and lyricist of Bollywood
• Gopaldas Neeraj, poet and author
• Gulab Khandelwal, poetry including some in Urdu and English
• Harivansh Rai Bachchan, poet of Chhayavaad literary movement
• Hemant Shesh, writer, poet and civil servant
• Jagdish Gupt, Chhayavaad literary movement poet
• Jagdish Prasad Baranwal, Hindi and bhojpuri poet
• Jaishankar Prasad, novelist, playwright, poet
• Javed Akhtar, poet, lyricist and scriptwriter
• Jumai Khan Azad, poet
• Jwalamukhi, poet, novelist, writer and political activist
• Kabir, mystic poet and saint of India
• Kavi Bhushan, poet and scholar
• Kaka Hathrasi, satirist and humorist poet
• Kedarnath Agarwal, Hindi language poet and littérateur
• Kedarnath Singh, poet, critic and essayist
• Kalpna Singh-Chitnis, poet, actress, filmmaker
• Keshavdas, best known for his Rasik Priya, a pioneering work of the riti kaal
• Kripalu Maharaj, spiritual master and poet
• Krishan Kumar Sharma "Rasik", Hindi, Punjabi, English and Urdu poet and writer
• Kumar Vishwas, poet and professor
• Kunwar Narayan, poet
• Kanwal Ziai
• Mahadevi Varma, poet, woman's activist and educationist
• Maithili Sharan Gupt, poet, politician, dramatist, translator
• Makhanlal Chaturvedi, Indian poet, writer, essayist, playwright and journalist
• Meera, mystic singer and composer of Bhajans
• Mohan Rana, poet
• Murari Lal Sharma Neeras, poet and educator
• Naresh Mehta, poet and playwright
• Nagarjun, poet, writer, essayist, novelist
• Nawal Kishore Dhawal, writer, poet, proofreader, editor, critic, journalist and author
• Neelam Saxena Chandra, poet, writer, novelist
• Padma Sachdev, poet, novelist
• Parichay Das, writer and editor and contemporary Bhojpuri poetry
• Pawan Karan, poet, writer, editor, and journalist
• Prasoon Joshi, poet, lyricist
• Rambhadracharya , Hindu religious leader, educator, Sanskrit scholar, polyglot, poet, author, textual commentator, philosopher, composer, singer, playwright and Katha artist
• Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, poet, essayist and academic
• Ramesh Chandra Jha, poet, novelist and freedom fighter
• Rustam Singh, poet, philosopher, translator and editor
• Ravindra Prabhat, author and poet
• Sachchidananda Vatsyayan, poet, writer, novelist, journalist, traveller
• Sahir Ludhianvi, lyricist, poet from Punjab
• Shahnaz Fatmi, poet, writer, essayist, novelist
• Shivmangal Singh Suman, poet and academician
• Shail Chaturvedi, poet, humorist, lyricist, actor
• Sri Lal Sukla, author, writer
• Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, poet
• Sudama Panday 'Dhoomil', poet
• Sūdan, poet, writer
• Sumitranandan Pant, Chhayavaad poetry, verse plays and essays
• Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala', poet, novelist, essayist and story-writer
• Suryakumar Pandey, poet, writer
• Surdas, composer and devotional poet
• Tara Singh, poet
• Teji Grover, Hindi poet, fiction writer, translator and painter
• Tulsidas, poet-saint, reformer and philosopher
• Tribhuvan, poet, writer, and journalist
• Uday Prakash, scholar, poet, journalist, translator and short story writer
• Valmiki, poet-saint, author of the epic Ramayana
• Virendra Kumar Baranwal, Indian poet and writer
• Vrind, poet

  Kannada

• A. K. Ramanujan, poet and scholar of Indian literature who wrote in Kannada and English
• Kuvempu
• D. R. Bendre
• Gopalakrishna Adiga
• V. K. Gokak
• K. S. Narasimhaswamy
• U. R. Ananthamurthy
• Adikavi Pampa
• Ranna
• Janna
• Harihara
• Vaidehi
• D. V. Gundappa
• Purandara Dasa
• Kanaka Dasa
• M. Govinda Pai
• Dinakara Desai
• Gangadevi
• Gourish Kaikini
• Kumara Vyasa
• Akka Mahadevi
• Nagavarma I
• Nagavarma II
• T. N. Srikantaiah
• B. M. Srikantaiah
• G. S. Shivarudrappa
• Allama Prabhu
• Shishunala Sharif
• Sarvajna
• K. S. Nissar Ahmed
• Masti Venkatesha Iyengar
• Gorur Ramaswamy Iyengar
• Raghavendra Swami
• Devanur Mahadeva
• Sri Ponna
• Kayyar Kinhanna Rai
• Raghavanka
• Rudrabhatta
• Palkuriki Somanatha
• Kesiraja

  Kashmiri

• Allama Muhammad Iqbal
• Abdul Ahad Azad
• Agha Shahid Ali
• Amin Kamil
• Arnimal
• Ghulam Ahmad Mahju
• Habba Khatun
• Lalleshwari, also known as "Lalla" or "Lal Ded"
• Mahmud Gami
• Maqbool Shah Kralawari
• Nund Reshi
• Rasul Mir
• Rehman Rahi, poet, translator and critic
• Rupa Bhavani
• Zinda Kaul 'Masterji'
• Hakeem Manzoor
• Ghulam Nabi Firaq

  Konkani

• Balakrishna Bhagwant Borkar, also known as "Baki-baab"
• R. V. Pandit, vast poetic production in Konkani, and some in Portuguese
• Uday Bhembre
• Ramesh Veluskar, prominent and award-winning Konkani poet

  Maithili

• Vidyapati, also known as Vidyapati Thakur and called Maithil Kavi Kokil "the poet cuckoo of Maithili", Maithili poet and Sanskrit writer
• Acharya Ramlochan Saran, littérateur, grammarian, publisher and poet
• Jayamant Mishra, Sanskrit scholar and Maithili poet

  Malayalam

• Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, called the "Father of the Malayalam language"
• Johann Ernst Hanxleden, also known as "Arnos Paathiri", German Jesuit priest
• Poonthanam Namboothiri, devotional poet
• Kunchan Nambiar
• Unnayi Warrier
• Irayimman Thampi, court poet and musician
• Moyinkutty Vaidyar

• Kumaran Asan
• Kerala Varma Valiya Koyithampuran, also known as Kerala Varma, poet and translator
• Vallathol Narayana Menon
• Ulloor S Parameswara Iyer
• K. V. Simon
• K.C. Kesava Pillai
• A. R. Raja Raja Varma, poet, grammarian, scholar, critic and writer

• Changampuzha Krishna Pillai, poet and translator
• Edappalli Raghavan Pillai
• P. Kunhiraman Nair
• Sanjayan

• G. Sankara Kurup, aka "Sankara Kurup"
• Vyloppilli Sreedhara Menon, aka "Vailoppilli Sreedhara Menon"
• Edasseri Govindan Nair )
• N.V. Krishna Warrier, poet and scholar
• Thirunalloor Karunakaran, poet and scholar
• P. Bhaskaran, poet and film songwriter
• Vayalar Ramavarma, also spelled Vayalar Rama Varma
• O.N.V. Kurup
• Vishnunarayanan Namboothiri
• Kunjunni
• Balamani Amma
• Sugathakumari

• M. Govindan
• K. Ayyappa Panicker, also spelled Ayyappa Paniker, Indian
• Attoor Ravi Varma
• Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan, popularly known as Kadammanitta
• Satchidanandan, critic, poet
• S. Rajasekharan, poet and literary critic
• D. Vinayachandran
• A. Ayyappan
• Balachandran Chullikkad, poet and actor
• Nellikkal Muraleedharan, poet, writer and critic
• Venu V Desom

• P. P. Ramachandran
• T. P. Rajeevan, poet, novelist and literary critic.
• V. M. Girija, poet
• Veerankutty
• Syam Sudhakar, poet and literary critic

  Manipuri

• Nongthombam Biren Singh, politician, poet and former journalist
• Ashangbam Minaketan Singh
• Robin S Ngangom, poet who writes in English and Meiteilon
• Angom Gopi
• Rajkumar Shitaljit Singh
• Elangbam Nilakanta Singh

  Marathi

• Samarth Ramdas, wrote Manache Shlok; known as the Guru of Shivaji Maharaj
• Sant Dnyaneshwar, also known as "Sant Jñāneshwar" and "Jñanadeva", saint, poet, philosopher and yogi
• Eknath or Eknāth, poet and scholar
• Tukaram
• Keshav Pandit, also known as Keshav Pandit or Keshav Bhat Pandit, religious official under Chhatrapati Shivaji, poet and Sanskrit scholar
• Raghunath Pandit
• Suresh Bhat 1932–2003), known as Ghazal Samrat for his exposition of that form
• Namdeo Dhasal, poet, writer, journalist, editor and Dalit activist
• Manohar Oak, poet and novelist
• Arun Kolatkar, poet who wrote both in Marathi and English; also a graphic designer
• Bahinabai Chaudhari, illiterate poet whose son wrote down her poems for her
• Tryambak Bapuji Thombre "Balkavi"
• Vilas Sarang, writer, critic, translator and poet
• Kusumagraj, pen name of Vishnu Vāman Shirwādkar, poet, writer and humanist
• P. S. Rege, poet, playwright, fiction writer and academic
• Shanta Shelke, poet, journalist, professor, composer, story writer, translator, writer of children's literature
• Hemant Divate, poet, editor of Abhidhanantar magazine, translator
• Hridaynath Mangeshkar, eminent poet and composer of songs mainly in Marathi and Hindi
• Manya Joshi, Marathi poet
• Mangesh Narayanrao Kale, poet, editor, critic and translator
• Saleel Wagh, poet, translator, critic
• G. D. Madgulkar, popularly known in his home state of Maharashtra by his initials, Ga Di Ma, poet, lyricist, writer and actor; older brother of writer Venkatesh Madgulkar
• Poet Borkar, Balakrishna Bhagwant Borkar, also known as "Baki-baab", wrote mostly in Marathi but with numerous works in Konkani
• Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, revolutionary freedom fighter, ideologue and thinker who composed mainly poems and songs of nationalist and revolutionary sentiments
• Varjesh Solanki, award-winning Marathi poet
• Vasant Abaji Dahake, poet, novelist, playwright, artist, and critic
• Bhau Panchbhai, poet and dalit activist
• Mangesh Padgaonkar, Marathi poet and recipient Maharashtra Bhushan Award
• Indira Sant

  Nepali

• Agam Singh Giri
• Parijat
• Rajendra Bhandari
• Yuyutsu Sharma
• Salik Shah

  Odia

• Jayadeva, author of the famous Gita Govinda in Sanskrit and some poems in Odia
• Markanda Dasa, author of Kesaba Koili
• Sarala Dasa, author of the Odia Mahabharata
• Balarama Dasa, author of the Jagamohana Ramayana and one of the panchasakha
• Jagannatha Dasa, author of the Odia Bhagabata and one of the panchasakha
• Jasobanta Dasa, author of Gobindachandra and one of the panchasakha
• Achyutananda Dasa, author of Sunya Sanghita and multiple other texts, one of the panchasakha
• Dinakrusna Dasa, author of Rasakallola
• Salabega, Muslim author of many bhajans and devotee of Jagannath
• Upendra Bhanja, poet and member of the royal family of a princely state
• Abhimanyu Samantasinghara, author of Bigadha Chintamani
• Gopalakrusna Pattanayaka, author of hundreds of Radha-Krishna theme based poems
• Bhima Bhoi, author of Stuti Chintamani, blind Mahima saint poet of Odisha
• Brajanath Ratha
• Fakir Mohan Senapati, short-story writer, novelist, poet, writer, government official and social activist
• Gangadhar Meher
• Gopabandhu Das, called Utkala Mani, social worker, political activist, writer, novelist and poet
• Jayanta Mahapatra
• Krushna Chandra Kar
• Manasi Pradhan
• Manmohan Acharya
• Nanda Kishore Bal
• Nirmala Devi
• Pratibha Satpathy
• Radhanath Ray
• Ramakrushna Nanda
• Ramakant Rath
• Sitakanta Mohapatra
• Tapan Kumar Pradhan

  Punjabi

• Baba Farid
• Damodar Das Arora
• Shah Hussain
• Sultan Bahu
• Saleh muhammad safoori
• Bulleh Shah
• Waris Shah
• Khwaja Ghulam Farid
• Mian Muhammad Bakhsh
• Qadaryar
• Peelu
• Hashim
• Shareef Kunjahi
• Mir Tanha Yousafi
• Anwar Masood
• Afzal Ahsan Randhawa
• Aatish
• Shaista Nuzhat –
• Bhai Veer Singh
• Jaswant Singh Rahi
• Dhani Ram Chatrik
• Faiz Ahmad Faiz
• Amrita Pritam
• Darshan Singh Awara
• Dr. Harbhajan Singh
• Shiv Kumar Batalvi
• Sharif Kunjahi
• Paash
• Surjit Paatar
• Ajmer Rode
• Sukhdarshan Dhaliwal
• Satinder Sartaj
• Balwant Gargi
• Sukhbir
• Shardha Ram Phillauri
• Ustad Daman
• Munir Niazi

  Rajasthani

• Chand Bardai
• Bankidas Asiya
• Kanhaiyalal Sethia, Rajasthani and Hindi poet
• Sanwar Daiya
• Sawai Singh Dhamora
• Kripa Ram Barath
• Lakshmi Kumari Chundawat
• Narayan Singh Bhati
• Vijaydan Detha

  Sanskrit

• Valmiki, author of Ramayana
• Vedavyasa, author of

• Kālidāsa, Classical Sanskrit poet and dramatist writer of Kumara Sambhavam, Meghadootam, abhignana shakuntalam
• Adi Sankara, author of a lot of poems; Bhaja Govindam, Soundarya Lahari, Eulogy on Brahma sutrams, Bhagavathgita Bhashyam and Lalitha Sahasranama
• Bharavi, author of Kiratarjuniya
• Magha
• Bhatti, author of Bhattikāvya, known as Rāvatavadha

• Jayadeva, author of Gita Govinda
• Narayana Panditacharya, author of Sumadhvavijaya, Sangraha Ramayana
• Vedanta Desika, Sri Vaishnava writer, poet, devotee, philosopher and teacher

• Krishnadevaraya, king of the Vijayanagara empire and poet
• Kavikalanidhi Devarshi Shrikrishna Bhatt, court poet of Jai Singh II

• Jagadguru Rāmabhadrācārya
• Ram Karan Sharma, of New Delhi
• Srinivas Rath
• Vanikavi Manomohan Acharya, Cuttack
• Pandhareenathachar Galagali

  Sindhi

• Moti Prakash

  Tamil

• 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
• Kadiyalur Uruttirangannanar
• Kapilar

• Thiruvalluvar, poet who wrote the Thirukkural, an ethical work
• Ilango Adigal, wrote the epic Cilappathikaaram
• Nakkeerar
• Sīthalai Sāttanār
• Tirutakkatevar

• Manikkavacakar
• 63 Nayanars, namely Appar, Sambanthar, Sundarar etc.
• 12 Alvars, namely Poigaialvar, Boothathaalvaar etc.
• Sekkizhar, poet and scholar
• Kambar
• Ottakoothar
• Arunagirinathar
• Pattinathar
• Siva Prakasar

• Anandabharati Aiyangar
• Henry Alfred Krishnapillai
• Subramanya Bharathi called Mahakavi Bharati poet, writer, independence advocate and reformer
• Subramanya Siva, poet and independence advocate
• Bharathidasan, also spelled Bharatidasan, poet, playwright, screenwriter, short-story writer and essayist
• Kavimani Desigavinayagam Pillai
• Sheikh Thambi Pavalar
• Ramalinga Swamigal

• Perunchithiranar, poet and philosopher
• Kannadasan, poet and song lyrics writer
• Vaali, poet and song lyrics writer
• Annamalai Reddiyar, Tamil poet
• Vairamuthu, poet and song lyrics writer
• Pudhumaipithan
• T. K. Doraiswamy
• Prof. Karmegha Konar
• P. Vijay, poet who writes song lyrics for films
• Mu Metha, poet and songwriter
• L. S. Kandasamy
• V. Akilesapillai, Sri Lankan scholar, poet and writer
• Perumal Rasu, poet, writer, painter and spiritual master
• Manushyaputhiran

  Telugu

• Nannaya Bhattaraka, also known as the First Poet "Aadi Kavi", the first poet of the Kavi Trayam, or "Trinity of Poets", that translated Mahabharatamu into Telugu over the course of a few centuries
• Tikkana also called "Tikkana Somayaji", poet and member of Kavi Trayam
• Errana also known as "Yellapregada" or "Errapregada".
• Gona Budda Reddy – 13th-century poet
• Annamacharya, mystic saint composer of the 15th century, widely regarded as the Telugu pada kavita pitaamaha ; husband of Tallapaka Tirumalamma
• Sri Krishnadevaraya, Vijayanagar Emperor, Telugu language patron, Telugu language poet
• Allasani Peddana, 15th century poet and known as foremost of Asthadiggajas
• Nandi Thimmana, a member of Ashtadiggajas
• Madayyagari Mallana, a member of Ashtadiggajas
• Dhurjati, a member of Ashtadiggajas
• Ayyalaraju Ramambhadrudu, a member of Ashtadiggajas
• Pingali Surana, a member of Ashtadiggajas
• Ramarajabhushanudu, a member of Ashtadiggajas
• Tenali Ramakrishna, poet, scholar, thinker and a special advisor in the court of Sri Krishnadevaraya, nicknamed Vikatakavi
• Molla, also known as "Mollamamba", both popular names of Atukuri Molla, poet who wrote Telugu Ramayan; a woman
• Potana, born Bammera Pothana, poet best known for his translation of the Bhagavata Purana from Sanskrit; the book is popularly known as Pothana Bhagavatham
• Tallapaka Tirumalamma, also known as "Timmakka" and "Thimmakka", poet who wrote Subhadra Kalyanam; wife of singer-poet Annamacharya and was popularly known as Timmakka
• Vemana, poet
• Bhadrachala Ramadasu, 17th-century Indian devotee of Lord Rama and a composer of Carnatic music.

• Kandukuri Veeresalingam, social reformer, poet, scholar, founded the journal Vivekavardhani, introduced the essay, biography, autobiography and the novel into Telugu literature
• Gurajada Apparao, poet, writer and playwright who wrote the first Telugu play, Kanyasulkam; also an influential social reformer sometimes called Mahakavi
• Gurram Jashuva, a dalit poet and writer and producer of All India Radio, awarded "Padma Bhushan" by the Govt of India, known for poetry on social evils
• Sri Sri, Srirangam Srinivasa Rao, marxist poet notable for his work Maha Prasthanam
• Jwalamukhi, pen name of Veeravalli Raghavacharyulu, poet, novelist, writer and political activist
• Viswanatha Satyanarayana, popularly known as the Kavi Samraat
• Balijepalli Lakshmikantham, poet and dramatist
• Chellapilla Venkata Sastry, poet and scholar
• Devulapalli Krishna Sastry, poet and writer of radio plays, known as "Andhra Shelly"
• Devarakonda Balagangadhara Tilak
• Divakarla Tirupati Sastry
• Rayaprolu Subba Rao
• C. R. Reddy

• C. Narayana Reddy, poet, academic and songwriter
• Aarudhra, pen name of Bhagavatula Siva Sankara Sastry, author, poet, essayist, writer of stories, playwright, translator, composer of film songs
• Ismail, popular name of Mohammad Ismail
• Suravaram Pratap Reddy, writer and historian from Telangana
• Kethu Viswanatha Reddy, poet from Rayalaseema
• Gunturu Seshendra Sarma, also known as Yuga Kavi
• Papineni Sivasankar, poet and critic from Andhra Pradesh
• Sirivennela Sitaramasastri, popular poet and lyricist

  Urdu

• Javed Akhtar Eminent lyricist and script writer for movies.
• Mir Babar Ali Anis
• Kaifi Azmi
• Ghalib
• Raza Naqvi Wahi, poet from Patna, Bihar
• Shahnaz Fatmi, poet, writer from Patna, Bihar
• Rafiq Husain
• Rahat Indori
• Masud Husain Khan
• Syed Mahmood "Talib" Khundmiri
• Syed Hasnain Raza Naqvi
• Irfan Nasirabadi
• Nazish Pratapgarhi
• Shahzad A. Rizvi, author, scholar and Urdu poet
• Iftikhar Imam Siddiqui
• Kanwal Ziai