Thousands of people thronged Thirukalyana Mandapam at the junction of West and North Aadi streets to witness Meenakshi Thirukalyanam, the celestial wedding of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar, on the 10th day of the annual Chithirai festival here on Thursday.
After a gap of two years, Meenakshi Thirukalyanam, the crescendo of the 12-day annual Chithirai festival, was held with the presence of devotees.
Thirukalyana Mandapam wore a festive look, with the dais bedecked with flowers. Amid chanting of Vedic hymns, Lord Sundareswarar and Piriyavidai were brought to the dais after a procession along the Chithirai streets by 10.06 a.m. They were followed by the bride, Goddess Meenakshi, draped in a silk robe and decked up in gold.
Lord Subramaniaswamy, the presiding deity of Subramaniaswamy Temple at Tirupparankundram, and his consort Goddess Deivanai, as well as Lord Pavalakkanivai Perumal, were also present on the dais as ‘guests.’
Halasiyanatha Bhattar and Sivesh Bhattar performed the holy rituals and exchanged garlands on behalf of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar.
The ‘thirumangalyam’ was placed on Goddess Meenakshi at 10.51 a.m. Rose water was sprinkled on the deities following which a ‘Mahadeepa aradhanai’, an offering of sacred fire, was performed. Temple officials said nearly 12,000 devotees witnessed the celestial wedding.
Eager devotees, who queued up much before sunrise, trickled inside the temple from 7 a.m. and witnessed the event that lasted till 11 a.m.
During the event, many women in the huge gathering on the temple premises and along the Chithirai streets, replaced their ‘thali’ with a new sacred thread as per custom.
The deities of Lord Sundareswarar and Goddess Meenakshi were kept at Thirukalyana Mandapam for the devotees to offer worship for some time.
Minister for Commercial Taxes and Registration Department P. Moorthy, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department Secretary B. Chandramohan, Temple Fit Person Karumuttu T. Kannan, Temple Joint Commissioner K. Chelladurai, Deputy Mayor T. Nagarajan, Collector S. Aneesh Sekhar and Corporation Commissioner K.P. Karthikeyan witnessed the celestial wedding.
The presiding deities of the temple were taken on a ‘Poo Pallakku’ along the Masi streets around 8.30 p.m. The car festival is scheduled to take place at 6. 30 a.m. on Friday.
