Andal

Her first work is the Tiruppavai, a collection of 30 verses in which Andal imagines herself to be a gopi, one of the cowherd girls known for their unconditional devotion to Krishna. In Tiruppavai, Andal idolized Radha as the ideal gopi and also invoked the gopis of Braj.[12] Nappinai is identified as a form of Lakshmi, who is accorded the status of the supreme consort of Vishnu in Sri Vaishnavism.[13] In these verses, she describes the yearning to serve Vishnu and achieve happiness not just in one lifetime, but for all eternity. She also describes the religious vows (pavai) that she and her fellow cowherd girls will observe for this purpose. It is said that Tiruppavai is the nectar of Vedas and teaches philosophical values, moral values, ethical values, pure love, devotion, dedication, single-minded aim, virtues, and the ultimate goal of life.[14][15]

Andal extols Krishna thus in this text:[13]

மரயனைமன்னு வடமதுரைலமந்தனை

தூயபெருநீர்‌ யமுனைத்துறைவனை ஆயர்குலத்தினில்‌ தோன்றும்‌ ௮அணிவிளக்மை தாயைக்குடல்‌ விளக்கம்‌ செய்த தாமோதரனை தூயோமாய்வந்துநாம்‌ தூமலர்‌ தூவித்தொழுது வாயினால்பாடி மனத்தினால்‌ சித்திக்க ோயபிழையும்‌ புகுதருவான்‌ நின்றனவும்‌ தியினில்தூசாகும்‌ செப்பேலோரெம்பாவாய்‌

My dear girls! you all know the Mayan, (Sri Krishna the Mysterious, whose greatness is beyond description and whose actions are beyond common understanding), who was born in North Matra and who sports in the large waters of the Pure Jumna, who shines like a Ratna Deepa (Emerald lamp) among the cowherd folk, the Damodara who brought name and fame to His mother Yasoda! We shall approach Him in all purity, We shall strew pure and choice flowers at His feet and worship Him. We shall sing about Him and we shall (unceasingly) think of Him: and thereby shall our sins, those already committed and those we are likely to commit in the future, all of them disappear like cotton in fire.

— Tiruppavai, Verse 5

The second work by Andal is the Nachiyar Tirumoḻi, a poem of 143 verses. "Tirumoḻi" literally means "Sacred Sayings" in a Tamil poetic style and "Nachiyar" means Goddess. Therefore, the title means "Sacred Sayings of the Goddess." This poem fully reveals Andal's intense longing for Vishnu, the Divine Beloved. Utilising classical Tamil poetic conventions and interspersing stories from the Vedas and Puranas, Andal creates imagery that is possibly unparalleled in the whole gamut of Indian religious literature.

In Nachiyar Tirumoḻi, Andal craves for God and says she would offer God 1000 pots of "akkaravadisal" if he marries her, which was later fulfilled by Saint Ramanuja in the 11th century.

Nevertheless, conservative Vaishnava institutions do not encourage the propagation of Nachiyar Tirumoḻi as much as they encourage Tiruppavai because Nachiyar Tirumoḻi belongs to an erotic genre of spirituality that is similar to Jayadeva's Gita Govinda.[16][17][18][19][20]

In contemporary commentaries on Tamil bhakti poetry, A.K. Ramanujan's work remarks on how many other religious traditions would keep and treat passionate love and devotion to God as separate, while in the bhakti tradition, they can be in resonance with one another:

"All devotional poetry plays on the tension between saguna and nirguna, God as person and God as principle. If he were entirely a person, he would not be divine, and if he were entirely a principle, a godhead, one could not make poems about him. The Vaishnavas, too, say that God is characterized by both 'paratva, 'otherness' and soulabhaya, 'ease of access'; he is both here and beyond, both tangible as a person and intangible as a principle-such is the nature of the ground of all being. It is not either/or, but both and; myth, bhakti and poetry would be impossible without the presence of both attitudes".[29]

Several contemporary interpretations view her act of marrying Vishnu as feminist.[30] Divine marriages and virginity allowed women's subjectivity, as she is able to choose her husband, and given an "aristocratic freedom".[31] It is said that by devoting herself to God and rejecting marrying a human, she avoided the regular duties involved with being a wife that would inhibit her freedom.[30]

Andal's idol covered in ornaments and garlands

In one of her poems, Andal says that her voluptuous heart will swell for God alone, and scorns the idea of making love to mortal beings, comparing that with the sacrificial offering made by Brahmins being violated by jackals in the forest,[32] and in another verse she dedicates her swelling breasts to God who carries a conch.[33]

Feminist interpretations look at some of Andal's verses as her open acknowledgement of her love for Vishnu, written with bold sensuality and startlingly savage longing, hunger and inquiry as widely found in Tamil Sangam literature that express women's longings and their separation from their men; even today, her most erotic poems are rarely rendered publicly.[34] In one such verse Andal dispenses with metaphor and imagines herself lying in the arms of Krishna, making love to him:[35]

William Dalrymple- In search of Tamil Nadu's poet-preachers[36][33]

Quoted from Feminism and world religions by Arvind Sharma, Katherine K. Young: "What Andal and other women poets did by living the way they did was to negotiate a space within a marriage-dominated society and made at least some sections of society make room for them".[30]

Andal fulfilled the expectation of becoming a wife by marrying God, but since her husband was divine, she gained her autonomy.[30] This act is referred to as virginal feminism by numerous scholars in patristic theology.[37] Virginity is viewed as giving women the option to avoid childbearing, "male domination" and live a new life of devotion to God.[37]

Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagar Dynasty composed the epic poem Amuktamalyada in Telugu, which is considered as a masterpiece. Amuktamalyada translates to one who wears and gives away garlands, and describes the story of Andal or Goda Devi, the daughter of Periyalvar.[38]

Amuktamalyada describes pain of separation (viraha) experienced by Andal, who is described as the incarnate of Lakshmi the consort of Vishnu. Further, the poem describes Andal's beauty in 30 verses written in the keśādi-pādam style, starting from her hair, going down her body till her feet.[39][40]

Mangalasasanam by Divyadesam: Andal has sung in praise of eleven holy sites:[41]

S.No.	Name of the temple	Location	Photo	Number of Pasurams	Presiding deity	Notes/Beliefs
1	Srirangam (Thiruvarangam)	10.8625°N 78.689722°E / 10.8625; 78.689722		10	Sri Ranganatha Swamy Sri Ranganayaki Thayar	Thiruvarangam temple is often listed as the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world, the still larger Angkor Wat being the largest existing temple. The temple occupies an area of 156 acres (631,000 m²) with a perimeter of 4,116m (10,710 feet) making it the largest temple in India and one of the largest religious complexes in the world.[42][43] The annual 21-day festival conducted during the Tamil month of Margazhi (December–January) attracts 1 million visitors.[44]
2	Vaikuntha (Paramapadam)	Heaven	Vishnu, Lord of Vaikuntha	1	Sri Paramapada Nathan Sri Periya Piratti	Vaikuntha is the celestial abode of Vishnu.[45][46][47] Vaikuntha is an abode exclusive to him, his consort Lakshmi and other liberated souls that have gained moksha.
3	Tirumala (Thiruvenkatam)	13.143°N 79.907°E / 13.143; 79.907		18	Sri Venkateswara Swamy Sri Alarmelmangai Thayar	Venkateswara Temple is a landmark Vaishnavite temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is dedicated to Lord Thiru Venkateswara, an incarnation of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared here to save mankind from trials and troubles of Kali Yuga. Hence the place has also got the name Kaliyuga Vaikuntham and Lord here is referred to as Kaliyuga Prathyaksha Daivam.[48]
4	Kshira Sagara (Thirupaarkadal)	Heaven	Kurma	3	Sri Ksherabthinathan Sri Kadalmagal Nachiyar	In Hindu cosmology, Thiruparkadal (Ocean of milk) is the fifth from the center of the seven oceans. It surrounds the continent known as Krauncha.[49] According to Hindu mythology, the devas (gods) and asuras (demons) worked together for a millennium to churn the ocean and release Amrita the nectar of immortal life.[50] It is spoken of in the Samudra manthana chapter of the Puranas, a body of ancient Hindu legends. It is also the place where Vishnu reclines over Shesha Naga, along with his consort Lakshmi.
5	Mathura (Thiruvadamadurai)	27.504748°N 77.669754°E / 27.504748; 77.669754	Kurma	19	Sri Govardhanesan Sri Sathyabama	The temple in Mathura, is among the most sacred of Hindu sites, and is revered as the birthplace of Krishna.[51] Kehsav Dev (Krishna) is the deity of this temple. According to traditions, the original deity was installed by Bajranabh, who was great-grandson of Krishna.[52]
6	Dwaraka (Thirudwaraka)	22°14′16.39″N 68°58′3.22″E	Dwarka temple	4	Sri Dwarakadeesha Perumal Sri Kalayana Nachiyar	The temple is dedicated to the god Krishna, who is worshiped here by the name Dwarkadhish, or 'King of Dwarka'. The main shrine of the 5-storied building, supported by 72 pillars, is known as Jagat Mandir or Nija Mandir, archaeological findings suggest it to be 2,200 – 2,000 years old.[53][54][55] Temple was enlarged in the 15th- 16th century.[56][57]
7	Thirumaliruncholai	10.074136°N 78.214356°E / 10.074136; 78.214356	Temple tower	11	Sri Kallazhagar Sri Sundaravalli Thayar	The temple is constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture. A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines. The temple has a seven-tiered rajagopuram. The temple is surrounded by a large fort, part of which is dilapidated. Kallazhagar is believed to have appeared sage Suthapava. The temple follows Thenkalai tradition of worship.[58]
8	Thirukudanthai	10°57′34″N 79°22′29″E	Temple tower	1	Sri Sarangapani Perumal Sri Komalavalli Thayar	This temple is along Kaveri and is one of the Pancharanga Kshetrams. The temple is believed to be of significant antiquity with contributions at different times from Medieval Cholas, Vijayanagar Empire and Madurai Nayaks. The temple is enshrined within a granite wall and the complex contains all the shrines and the water tanks of the temple. The rajagopuram (the main gateway) has eleven tiers and has a height of 173 ft (53 m).[59]
9	Thirukannapuram	10°52′7″N 79°42′6″E	Temple tower	1	Sri Sowriraja Perumal Sri Kannapura Nayagi	The presiding deity is believed to have appeared with a wig (called sowri locally) to save a devotee, leading to the name Sowrirajan. A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines and three of its seven bodies of water. The temple has a seven-tiered rajagopuram, the temple's gateway tower and a huge temple tank in front of it. The temple is believed to have been built by the Cholas, with later additions from the Thanjavur Nayaks.[60]
10	Srivilliputhur (Thiruvilliputhur)	9°30′32″N 77°37′56″E	Temple tower	1	Sri Vadapatrasayanar Sri Andal	The temple is associated with the life of Andal, who, according to legend, was found by Periazhwar under a Tulsi plant in the garden inside the temple. She is believed to have worn the garland before dedicating it to the presiding deity of the temple. Periazhwar, who later found the garland, was highly upset and stopped the practice. It is believed Vishnu appeared in his dream and asked him to dedicate the garland worn by Andal to him daily, a practice followed unto the modern day. It is also believed that Ranganatha of Thiruvarangam Ranganathaswamy temple married Andal, who later merged with him. The temple has two divisions – the one of Andal located on the southwestern and the second one on the northeastern side. A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines, the garden where Andal is believed to have been born and two of its three bodies of water. The Vijayanagar and Nayak kings commissioned paintings on the walls of the shrine of temple, some of which are still present.[8][61]
11	Gokula (Thiruvaipadi)	26.95009444667719°N 80.43869165722663°E / 26.95009444667719; 80.43869165722663	Gokul temple	4	Sri Navamohana Krishna Sri Rukmini Sathyabama	It was believed that Lord Krishna spent his childhood in this place.