Meenakshi Thirukalyanam
The festival of Meenakshi Thirukalyanam
celebrates the divine wedding of Meenakshi Amman with Lord Shiva. This grand
celebration is held in Madurai, the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and is one
of the biggest events here. According to the legends it is believed that once
Lord Shiva visited Madurai to tie the nuptial knots with Meenakshi and this
tradition has been continued since then. This annual event takes place in the
famous ‘Meenakshi Amman Temple’ at Madurai and devotees from all corners of the
world come to witness this magnificent event. A part of the renowned Chithirai
festival, Meenakshi Thirukalyanam is held on the 10th day. On this auspicious
day thousands of devotees from Madurai and adjoining areas come to the ‘Sri
Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple’ to observe the celestial wedding of Lord
Sundareswarar (Lord Shiva) and Meenakshi (Goddess Parvati). Devotees throng the
temples in large numbers to seek the divine blessings from their lords.
Significance of
Meenakshi Thirukalyanam:
Meenakshi Thirukalyanam is a part of the renowned ‘Chithirai
Thiruvizha’ celebrations. This festival is observed during the month of
‘Chitirai’ in the Tamil calendar. Chithirai Thiruvizha is an annual event
celebrated with great pomp and show in Madurai in the month of April, as per
the Gregorian calendar. It is known to be the world’s longest celebrations that
last for a period of one month (30 days). Of this, the first 15 days are
dedicated to Goddess Meenakshi (an incarnation of Goddess Parvati) and the
remaining 15 days is celebrated for Alagar, who is known to be a form of
Mahavishnu. Alagar is the elder brother of Meenakshi and he visited Madurai to
attend the marriage ceremony of Lord Shiva and Meenakshi.
Rituals during
Meenakshi Thirukalyanam:
On the day of Meenakshi Thirukalyanam, devotees get up at sunrise
and reach the Meenakshi Madurai temple. After taking a holy dip in the Golden
Lotus pond, they wear clean clothes. Goddess Meenakshi is first worshipped by
the traditional methods, following which prayers are offered to ‘Viboothi
Vinayakar’. On this day devotees sing devotional songs and bhajans. It is also
considered auspicious to wear the holy ash, known as ‘Uthiraksham’ while
entering the temple premises. Devotees also carry fruits, coconuts and incense
sticks to offer to their lords. Inside the temple the idols of the Gods and
Goddesses are decorated with beautiful silk clothes and floral garlands. Not
only is this, on the day of Meenakshi Thirukalyanam the entire temple decorated
as a bride. There are nearly 50 priests in the Meenakshi Madurai temple who
perform the puja rituals and special prayers. The main priests in the temple
perform the ritualistic wedding ceremonies. At the completion of the event,
magnificent idols of Lord Sundareswarar and Goddess Meenakshi Amman are taken
out in huge processions on the streets in the ‘Pushpa Pallakku’ and ‘Yaanai
Vahanam’.
2016 Date : 19th April.
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