Soaring mercury level accentuated by election fever did not deter devotees from swarming the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple here like colonies of bees to be part of the celestial wedding, the highlight of the annual Chithirai festival, on Tuesday.
They trooped into the Chithirai streets in the dark and settled themselves on the North and West Adi streets much before twilight set in outside.
The police had to bar the crowd, which swells by the year, from entering the temple minutes before 7 a.m.
The legend
According to the legend, King Malayadwaja Pandian and his queen Kanchanamala were longing for a child for which they performed many rituals to propitiate the gods. In one such ritual, a three-year-old child emerged from the flames of the yagna and sat on the lap of Kanchanamala.
The king was not very happy as it happened to be a girl. At that moment, a divine voice told him to name the child Tadatakai and bring her up as his son, training her in all warrior skills.
The couple were also told that the child would have three breasts and one of them would disappear the moment she met her prospective husband.
On the death of her father, the warrior queen ascended the throne and started expanding her territory. When she invaded the North, going up to Kailash, Lord Siva himself took her on.
The first sight of Lord Siva made the prophecy come true. Tadatakai fell in love with him and the third breast disappeared.
She was told by Lord Siva to return to Madurai and that he would join her in eight days.
As promised, he reached Madurai and got her married in the presence of Lord Vishnu. She assumed the name Meenakshi. This legend is enacted during the Chithirai festival, which used to be held during the Tamil month of Masi till Tirumalai Nayak ascended the throne.
The coronation of Meenakshi takes place on the eighth day and ‘dik vijayam’ the next day, followed by the celestial wedding.
Pavalakkanivai Perumal and Lord Subramaniaswamy from Tirupparankundram were present at the wedding, which took place at 8.50 a.m.
For the people of Madurai, the celestial wedding is an event of renewal – of relationships, bonds, commitments and responsibilities.
As a mark of renewal, women replace the sacred yellow thread that holds the ‘mangalasutra’ with a new one. The wedding was conducted on an aesthetically decorated stage. The precise floral arrangements invoked instant admiration.
The event itself has evolved over the decades, albeit the rituals remaining unchanged. This year, air-conditioners kept the temperature low at the venue. Those who could not gain entry into the temple watched the event in giant LED screens placed at 20 places. In the last few years, a transparent registration system has been introduced for entry.
