Southern India's 75 Apostles of Bhakti are the twelve Alvars

Alvars

The alwar or azhwars were Tamil poet saints of south India who lived between the sixth and ninth centuries A.D. and espoused ‘emotional devotion’ or bhakti to Visnu-Krishna in their songs of longing, ecstasy and service. Sri Vaishnava orthodoxy posits the number of alvars as ten, though there are...

 (also, Aazhvaars, Aazhwaars) and sixty-three Nayanmars (also Nayanars, Naayanars, Naayanmaars). They are regarded as the greatest exponents of the bhakti tradition of Hinduism. Most of them came from the Tamil

Tamil people

Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...

 region. The last of them lived in the 9th century.

Icons of temple worship

While north India produced Saints who wrote poetry and sang devotional music like Mirabai, Kabir

Kabir

Kabīr was a mystic poet and saint of India, whose writings have greatly influenced the Bhakti movement...

 and Surdas

Surdas

Surdas, the 15th century sightless saint, poet and musician, is known for his devotional songs dedicated to Lord Krishna. Surdas is said to have written and composed a hundred thousand songs in his magnum opus the 'Sur Sagar' , out of which only about 8,000 are extant...

, they were not immortalised in art to be worshipped in temples. Saints of the western world are frequently portrayed in art, but their presence in churches and cathedrals does not seem to be universal. By contrast, icons of these 12 Vaishnava and 63 Saivate saints are iconised at various Vishnu and Shiva Temples respectively.
Names of 63 Nayanmars:
1. Thirunilakanda nayanar
2. Iyarpakai nayanar
3. Ilaiyankudi maara nayanar
4. Meypporul nayanar
5. Viranminda nayanar
6. Amarnidhi nayanar
7. Eripaththa nayanar
8. Enathi natha nayanar
9. Kannappa nayanar
10. Kunkiliyak kalaya nayanar
11. Manak kanychara nayanar
12. Arivattaya nayanar
13. Anaya nayanar
14. Murththi nayanar
15. Muruga nayanar
16. Uruththira pachupathi nayanar
17. Thirunalaip povar nayanar
18. Thirukkuripputh thondar
19. Chandicha nayanar
20. Thirunavukkarachaar (Appar)
21. Kulachchirai nayanar
22. Perumizalaik kurumba nayanar
23. Karaikkal ammaiyar
24. AppuUdhi adikalar
25. Thiru nilanakka nayanar
26. Naminandhi nayanar
27. Thiru Gnanasampandhar
28. Eyarkon kalikamar
29. Thirumula nayanar
30. DhandiyadikaL
31. Murgga nayanar
32. Chomachi mara nayanar
33. Chakkiya nayanar
34. Chirappuli nayanar
35. Chiruththonda nayanar
36. Kazarirru arivar nayanar/Cheraman perumal nayanar
37. Gana nadha nayanar
38. Kurruva nayanar
39. Pukazch choza nayanar
40. Narachinka munaiyaraiya nayanar
41. Adhipaththa nayanar
42. Kalikkamba nayanar
43. Kaliya nayanar
44. Chaththi nayanar
45. AiyadikaL kadavar kon nayanar
46. Kanampulla nayanar
47. Kari nayanar
48. Ninra chir nedumara nayanar
49. Vayilar nayanar
50. MunaiyaduyAr nayanar
51. Kazarchinka nayanar
52. Idankazi nayanar
53. Cheruththunai nayanar
54. Pukazth thunai nayanar
55. Kotpuli nayanar
56. Puchalar nayanar
57. Mankayarkkarachiyar nayanar
58. Necha nayanar
59. Kochchenkat choza nayanar machi
60. Thirunilakanda yazppana nayanar
61. Chadaiya nayanar
62. Ichainyaniyar
63. Sundhara murthi nayanar

Because his immense service to Saivisim, giving discourses about saivite works of Nayanmars and greatness of Lord Subrahmnya (Murugan) in India and abroad, Sri Krupananda Variar Swamigal (1906-1993), is considered as 64th Nayanmar.