Andal, a foster child of Vishnuchitta or Periyalwar, is one of the twelve Alwars of Vaishavite tradition. She, also known as Godhai, eventually came to be known as the consort of Vishnu. She is regarded as Goddess. Her poetic talents were extraordinary and she composed Thiruppavai consisting of 30 hymns and Nachiar Thirumozhi in 143 stanzas. The month of Margasiram known as Margazhi in Tamil is the month of religious austerities and devotional singing. People of Tamil Nadu rise up at dawn; go round the streets singing the bhajans of Thiruppavai sung by Andal. But Manonmaneeyam Sundaranar University of Tirunelveli came with severe criticism by prescribing a textbook on Andal. It described Andal as devadasi and as ‘illegal child’ of Periyalwar, another Vaishnavite saint. So, the ABVP and Hindu Munnani protested against it and said the denigration of Gods and Goddesses would not be tolerated. Both the organisations demanded immediate removal of the blasphemous pages from the BA I year textbook. After the prolong protest, the Government ordered removal of the textbook. (VSK, Chennai)
