Andadi is a verse form of old and medieval Tamil literature use in Vaishnava texts. The earlies andadis are a hundred verses each composed by the three poets reckoned as Mudal Alvarkal (included in Iyar -pa of the Divya Prabandham), who are usually placed in the 6th century CE. The distinguishing characteristic of an andadi is that the end-syllable or word or phrase or full line of a verse is repeated as the beginning of the next. This feature helps Sri Vaishnava devotees in the memorization of andadis.
As an outstanding example of virtuosity in using the andadi
we may cite Nammalvar’s Tiruvaymoli, a magnificent devotional epic poem in 1102
verses, each of which is linked to the next by a continuous chain of sweet
sounds. The tradition of oral recital of this masterpiece in the manner of the
recitation of Vedas, practice for centuries, has been facilitated by the
unbroken andadi linkage of the poem. It is notable that the end of the final 1102nd
verse (uyarnte) is also beginning of uyarvara (the first verse); the
established practice is that after the poem has been recited one should go
back, and re-chant the first verse again, indicating the cyclic movement of the
verbal andadi device.
Besides Tiruvaymoli and the four andadis of the Iyar pa
other andadis are Kanninunsiruttambu and Periya-tiruv andadi (included in the Divya
Prabandham), Ramanuja nurrandadi (reckoned as part of the 4000 verses of the
Prabandham by the Northern School), Tiruvaymoli-nurrandadi (included in daily
recitals in worship by the Southern School) and later literary anthologies like
Satakopar-andadi, Tiruvarangattu-andadi, Alakar-andadi, etc.