Andal

(9th c.) The only woman among the
Alvars, a group of twelve poet-saints
who lived in southern India between
the seventh and tenth centuries. All the
Alvars were devotees (bhakta) of the
god Vishnu, and their stress on passionate devotion (bhakti) to a personal
god, conveyed through hymns sung in
the Tamil language, transformed and
revitalized Hindu religious life.
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Andal
As with many female bhakti figures,
Andal had a particularly passionate relationship with her chosen deity, whom
she considered her betrothed husband.
This deity was Ranganatha, a particular
form of Vishnu resident at the temple of
Shrirangam in the state of Tamil Nadu.
According to legend, Andal was an
earthly manifestation of Vishnu’s wife
Bhudevi (“Earth Goddess”) and
appeared as an abandoned baby to her
foster father, Periyalvar, another of the
Alvars. When she came of age, she was
adamant that she would have no human
husband and merged into the image of
Ranganatha at Shrirangam.
Although many of the details about
her life are uncertain, Andal did
compose two collections of poetry,
the Tirruppava i and the Nacciyar
Tirumoli, both of which are dedicated
to Vishnu in his form as Krishna. For
further information see Vidya Dehejia
(trans.), Antal and Her Path of Love, 1990.