Madurai: The Thirukalyanam, the celestial wedding of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar, the highlight of the annual Chithirai festival, was held amid the chanting of Vedic hymns in front of a sea of devotees enraptured by religious fervour at the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple here on Tuesday.
Amid the chanting of hymns, the sacred wedding ceremony took place between 8.35am and 8.59am on Tuesday, with the divine knot tied at 8.55am. Flowers were showered on the deities, followed by deeparadhanai.
On the 10th day of the Chithirai festival, thousands of devotees began gathering as early as 4am at the temple to catch a glimpse of the grand Thirukalyanam ceremony. A stage, decorated with tonnes of fresh flowers, was set up within the temple premises.
The deities - Lord Sundareswarar, Goddess Piriyavidai and Goddess Meenakshi - were taken in a ceremonial procession around the Chithirai streets before being brought to the stage. Idols of Lord Subramaniaswamy from the Subramaniaswamy Temple at Thiruparankundram, Goddess Deivanai and Lord Pavalakkanivai Perumal were also on stage to witness the Thirukalyanam.
Married women change their thali (sacred thread) as a part of tradition after the Thirukalyanam. After the wedding, thousands of devotees offered moi (wedding gift) and received gift bags outside the temple. Later, the devotees headed for the Thirukalyana Virundhu organised at the Sethupathi Higher Secondary School campus.
A large number of devotees also gathered outside the temple and witnessed the Thirukalyanam on the LED screens installed in several places. Elaborate security arrangements were made to regulate the crowd.
Ministers P K Sekarbabu, P Moorthy and Palanivel Thiaga Rajan were present at the event.
