Āṇḍāl
c. 8th–9th century · Śrīvilliputtūr, Tamil Nadu · Āḻvār (Vaiṣṇava)
Āṇḍāl, also called Godā, is the only woman among the twelve Āḻvārs, the Tamil poet-saints of Viṣṇu. Tradition says she was found as an infant under a tulasī plant by the Āḻvār Periyāḻvār at Śrīvilliputtūr, who raised her as his daughter.
Her Tiruppāvai, thirty verses in which young women wake each other before dawn to go to Kṛṣṇa, is sung in homes and temples across South India during the month of Mārgaḻi (Dhanu). Her Nācciyār Tirumoḻi expresses her longing to wed the Lord. Tradition says she merged into Raṅganātha at Śrīraṅgam.
Tradition says Āṇḍāl secretly wore the garlands meant for the Lord to see if she was worthy of him. When her father discovered this and offered a fresh garland, the Lord in a dream asked only for the one she had worn. She is lovingly called “Cūḍikkoḍutta Nācciyār”, the lady who gave the garland she had worn.
Only woman Āḻvār · Tiruppāvai · Śrīvilliputtūr · Mārgaḻi month