Ordinary mortals celebrate their wedding again only when they turn 60 and 80. But the celestial wedding of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar takes place every year. This is how Suki. Sivam, the popular orator, began the proceedings of the annual event at the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple here on Saturday.
The grand ceremony, which takes place on the 10th day of the 12-day Chithirai brahmotsavam of the temple, attracts more and more people every year. Though the wedding was slated to take place between 10.30 a.m. and 10.59 a.m., people started to make a beeline for the Chithirai streets from around 5 a.m. The crowd was so huge that entry had to be barred hours before the event resulting in even those with valid passes not being able to enter the temple.
The North and West Adi streets got filled up before the deities could reach the Tiruppugazh Mandapam where the wedding was performed. This year, arrangements had been made in such a manner as not to create a stampede. Bays were created using casuarina poles to accommodate devotees and all participants were made to pass through a metal detector and frisked.
Even as the devotees were waiting for the devotees to arrive, Suki Sivam delivered a discourse on the ideal way to run a family. This followed the arrival of Lord Sundareswarar with Piriyavidai; Goddess Meenakshi; Lord Subramaniaswamy with Valli and Deivanai and Lord Pavalakkanivai Perumal. Legend has it that Lord Vishnu performed the ‘kannikadhanam' of his sister, Meenakshi with Sundareswarar. Every year, Lord Subramaniaswamy and Lord Pavalakkanivai Perumal travel from Tirupparankundram to Madurai to be present at the wedding.
After fertility rituals, Prakash Bhattar, acting as Lord Sundareswarar, and Ashok Bhattar, acting as Goddess Meenakshi, performed the other rituals. When the ‘mangalasutra' (sacred thread) was placed on the neck of Goddess Meenakshi many women replaced their sacred thread with a new one at the venue of the wedding. In some cases, husbands themselves tied the sacred thread around the neck of their spouses. The deities were taken to the Tirukkalyana Mandapam inside the temple after the wedding. Later, the Bhattars went around the Chithirai streets on elephant back.
Care had been taken not to expose the devotees to the hot sun and the footpath was covered with a roof around the temple. The wedding was relayed live on giant digital screens placed at vantage points around the temple, while cable television channels telecast the event live and the Madurai station of All India Radio relayed a running commentary. The celestial wedding was also podcast live. Food and water were provided by philanthropists at various places in the morning and afternoon. This was in addition to the wedding feast at the temple and Setupati Higher Secondary School.
Those who participated in the event included Health Secretary V. K. Subburaj; Additional Director General of Police T. Radhakrishnan; Collector U. Sagayam; Commissioner of Police P. Kannappan; Mayor G. Thenmozhi; chairman, Board of Trustees, Karumuttu T. Kannan; Executive Officer R. Padmanabhan and local leaders of various political parties.
