Aandaal the Saint Poet

Aandaal the Saint Poet: "(Maargazhi 2000 Special)
Twelve saint (poet) devotees of the 1st millennium CE- the great Aalwaars lived their lives dedicated to expressing their devotion to MahaVishnu - considered to be the supreme manifestation of Divinity in the Vaishnava system of beliefs.. These saints composed verses in chaste tamil, and revitalized the religious spirit of the region, sparking off a renewal of devotional worship in what is generally referred to as the Bhakti movement. Perhaps the best known of the Alwars, is Aandaal.
Srivilliputtur in southern Tamilnadu, is home to Perialwar , and his foster daughter Aandaal; the works of Aandaal are very well known to the tamil world. The Tiruppaavai hymns written by Aandaal (a manifestation of the mother Goddess) are chanted in congregations throughout Tamilnadu during the cold month of Maargazhi, in the cool pre-dawn hours, in temples as well as in the streets that surround temples. The 30 hymns constituting Tiruppaavai have been recorded by several artists, and the national radio station All India Radio (used to) broadcast(s) a hymn each day throughout the month of Margazhi. Also composed by Andal is 'Vaaranam Aayiram' (Kanaakkanden Tozhi), describing Andal's dream of her marriage to Narayanan (Vishnu). This work is chanted during Sri Vaishnava weddings. A popular version of Vaaranam Aayiram sung by S. Janaki hit the charts in 1990.
Aandaal is also known by the phrase Soodikkodutta Sudarkkodiyaal - the lady who offered garlands to Vishnu, after trying them out herself. Indeed, this is the central theme of the legend of Aandaal, which culminates in the divine marriage between the Saint Poetess, and Maha Vishnu himself.
Legend has it that Periaalwar discovered a beautiful infant girl in in a lush grove in the vicinity of the Srivilliputtur temple, in the 9th century CE"