How Vishnuchitta found Kothai? Why she was named Andal?
Answers
She was brought up by a devout Brahmin named Vishnuchitta who lived in Villiputtur.
While visiting the temple garden to collect flowers for Lord Vishnu, vishnuchitta discovered a baby girl lying under a Tulasi plant. The child was goddess Mahalakshmi herself. Seeing this baby, he felt that the baby was blessed to him by God’s grace as he had no family himself, and thus took the baby home and raised her.
Kothai then grew into a great devotee of Lord Vishnu by listening to Lord Vishnu's Leela daily and a daily visit to the temple, which eventually metamorphized into a desire to marry the Lord Ranganatha himself. And as she grew older, her intensity, love and desire for the Lord only grew stronger. Kodhai used to collect flower and tread them into a beautiful Garland. Then she would wear it herself in front of the mirror and when satisfied she takes it to the temple and offer it to the lord. This was happening till Vishnuchitta notices a single strand of hair in the Garland and realised that it belongs to Kodhai.