Āḍi Pūram, also kept as Āṇḍāḷ Jayantī, marks the legendary birth of Āṇḍāḷ (Goda or Kotai), the only woman among the twelve Āḻvārs. Srivilliputhur tradition holds that the childless Viṣṇucitta (Periyāḻvār) found the infant under a tulasī plant in the temple garden on this day and raised her as his daughter. She is regarded as an incarnation of Bhūmi or Lakṣmī, and her habit of wearing the garland meant for the Lord before offering it earned her the title Cūḍikoṭutta Nācciyār. Her Tiruppāvai and Nācciyār Tirumoḻi remain at the heart of Śrīvaiṣṇava worship, and many Amman temples also honour the Goddess with bangle offerings on this day. How the day is fixed: The festival falls on the civil day on which Pūrva Phalgunī (Pūram) nakṣatra prevails during the Tamil solar month Āḍi. The month is solar, so it follows the Sun's stay in Karkaṭaka rather than any lunar month. Keep in mind: The same star is called Pūram in Tamil and Malayalam, Pubba in Telugu and Kannada, and Pūrva Phalgunī in Sanskrit. A nakṣatra can straddle two civil days, so the day may shift by one depending on the local sunrise. This year: The 2027 date shown here is worked out from sunrise at the place you chose, so in another city the same day can fall a day earlier or later. The Srivilliputhur chariot: The Srivilliputhur Andal Temple keeps a ten-day festival that climaxes in a great chariot procession of Āṇḍāḷ and Raṅgamannar. Devotees travel from far away to pull the car through the temple streets. Temple rites and bangles: Other Vaiṣṇava temples hold special Āṇḍāḷ darśana, abhiṣeka and garland rites. In many Amman temples the Goddess is adorned with glass bangles, and women take them home as prasāda. At home: Households often visit a local Āṇḍāḷ or Perumāḷ shrine, read verses from Tiruppāvai and keep a sattvic meal. Sweet pongal or akkāra aḍisil is offered to Āṇḍāḷ. Worth remembering: Āḍi Pūram and Āṇḍāḷ Jayantī are two names for the same day, the natal festival of Āṇḍāḷ. Her wedding to Raṅganātha is a separate celebration, kept in many temples on Paṅguṉi Uttiram. How Āḍi Pūram is kept depends on the house. Śrīvaiṣṇava families centre the day on Āṇḍāḷ, her pāśurams and a temple visit, while households devoted to the Amman temples give it to the Goddess and her bangles. Some recite all thirty verses of Tiruppāvai, others a few. Whatever the scriptures say in general, the fullest observance is the one the elders of your own house have handed down.
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