The Noble Princess
Thirukumāri (Tamil: tiru = sacred/noble + kumāri = princess/young woman; 'the sacred princess' / 'the noble daughter') is the honorific used within the Śrī Vaiṣṇava community for a daughter or young female devotee. Rather than the ordinary Tamil makaḷ (daughter) or ponnuṉṉu (girl), the tradition uses thirukumāri — a title of nobility and sacred dignity.
Āṇḍāḷ as the Supreme Thirukumāri
The highest expression of thirukumāri is Āṇḍāḷ — the only female Āzhvār, daughter of Periyāzhvār, who is both a human thirukumāri and the Lord's own consort. Her complete devotion, beginning from childhood in her father's garden, exemplifies what the thirukumāri identity aspires to: a woman wholly dedicated to Bhagavān, not to any mortal bridegroom.
Spiritual Equality
Using the elevated thirukumāri for daughters expresses the tradition's insistence that spiritual dignity is not gender-bound. The same śeṣatva that characterizes every male devotee characterizes every female devotee equally — and the honorific language reflects this equality of sacred identity.