Thousands witness Madurai celestial wedding

MADURAI: The Tirukkalyanam of Goddess Meenakshi with Lord Sundareswarar in a grand manner in Madurai on Tuesday.

The Tirukalyanam (celestial wedding) is one of the two key events of the annual Chithirai festival, which began with the holy flag hoisting on April 23, of Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple.

The silk attires of bride Meenakshi and groom Sundareswarar, who were also wearing eye-catching garlands, turned out to be the cynosure of the Tirukkalyanam, which is performed on the 10th day of the annual festival.

The Tirukkalyanam was solemnised by the purohits of the temple amid chanting of mantras by Vedic scholars. The entire stage, on which the celestial wedding was performed, and the environs were beautifully decked up with ten tonnes of different flowers.

The grand event of the Temple City was performed at the junction of North and West Aadi streets.

Thousands of devotees made a beeline from the early hours on Tuesday to the temple to catch a glimpse of the once-a-year grand spectacle of the Temple City.

Seconds after the divine wedding was performed at 8.40 am, women present at the temple and many at their homes in the city also changed their thalis (mangalsutra).

For the convenience of devotees, pandals were erected through North and West Aadi streets. Moreover, air cooling facilities were also made and LED television screens were installed at 20 locations.

Later a sumptuous feast was served to devotees by the temple administration to mark the occasion.