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322:(handing over a girl for marriage) of Meenakshi. This was enacted by Sundareshvara to prove that Vishnu and Shiva are one and the same. Later, when Aḻagar was crossing the Vaigai river, he learned that his sister's wedding was over. This made him furious. To pacify him, Meenakshi and Sundareshvara came to the Vaigai river. Aḻagar chose to give all the gifts that he carried to Meenakshi and Sundareshvara in a
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269:(the abode of Shiva) to conquer it. When Meenakshi confronted Shiva in the battlefield, she fell in love with him and realized that she was a form of Parvati. Her third breast fell upon meeting him. Shiva assured Meenakshi that he would come to Madurai to marry her. As promised, Shiva, along with all
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The wedding of
Meenakshi with Sundareshvara was to happen in Madurai. Aḻagar, the brother of Meenakshi, was invited. He started on a 20 km journey from his abode at Aḻagar Hills towards Madurai. Aḻagar decided to travel disguised as a robber to protect himself and his belongings. At times, he
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After
Meenakshi is crowned as the queen of the Pandya kingdom, she goes into war with all the countries in the world and conquers the whole world and she goes to Kailasha (the home of Shiva in Himalayas) to conquer it. However, after seeing Shiva on the battlefield, she falls in love with him and
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while entering the temple premises. Devotees also carry fruits, coconuts and incense sticks to offer to the deities. Inside the temple, the images of the deities are decorated with silk clothes and floral garlands. There are nearly 50 priests in the
Meenakshi Madurai temple who perform the puja
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Meenakshi
Kalyanam is the wedding celebration of Meenakshi and Shiva (Sundareshvara) in Madurai. On the day of Meenakshi Kalyanam, devotees get up at sunrise and reach the Meenakshi temple in Madurai. After taking a holy dip in the golden lotus pond, they wear clean clothes. Meenakshi is first
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Pattabhishekam is a coronation ceremony. Meenakshi is crowned as the queen of
Madurai on this day, and she is regarded to rule the Pandya Kingdom for the next four months. After this ceremony, her husband Sundareshvara is crowned as the king of Madurai for the next eight months.
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The festival lasts for one month. The first 15 days mark the celebrations of the coronation of
Meenakshi as the divine ruler of Madurai and her marriage to Sundareshvara. The next 15 days mark the celebrations of the journey of Kallaḻagar or Aḻagar (a form of the god
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446:, is performed the day after Meenakshi Kalyanam. The king and queen of the Pandya Kingdom, Meenakshi and Sundareshvara come to see their subjects in a well-decorated chariot. It attracts many people in the Masi streets of Madurai as viewers.
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and offered his prayers seek a son. During the puja, a 3-year-old girl emerged from the fire and sat on the lap of the king, bearing three breasts. At that time, a divine voice from the sky told them that this child was an incarnation of
303:, came by that way. Manduka missed his arrival, which Durvasa took as an insult and cursed Manduka to become a frog and live in the river Vaigai. On Manduka's beeseaching, Durvasa told him to go to Vaigai and pray to the Aḻagar form of
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had to hide to avoid getting arrested by soldiers. This, and the dense forest of Aḻagar Hills, delayed his journey further. This delay was purposely caused by
Sundareshvara, and vishnu himself took the form of Aḻagar and performed the
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rituals and special prayers. The main priests in the temple perform the ritualistic wedding ceremonies. At the completion of the event, images of
Meenakshi and Sundareshvara are taken out in huge processions on the streets in the
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began on the fourth day of the festival. On this day, Aḻagar changed his appearance as Kallar (Kallar vedam) when he traveled via Kallar Nadu and entered
Madurai city and the people of the city welcomed him.
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A reenactment of the scene of Vishnu refusing to enter
Madurai and returning to Alagar Koil occurs in a mandapam in Madhichiyam in the middle of river Vaigai.
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sect were separate events celebrated in Chithirai Month . Both festivals were merged into a single event to unite the people of the two Hindu sects (
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king Malayadhvaja Pandyan and queen Kanchana Malai. The royal couple did not have a child for a long time, so Malayadhvaja Pandyan performed special
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Aḻagar was pleased by the prayers of Manduka, and went to the Vaigai river to lift the curse of Manduka. As per Manduka's wish, he showed him
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The location of culminating event of Aḻagar festival - the entering of the river by Aḻagar - was also moved from Thenur village to Madurai.
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384:(flag pole) of the temple. This marks the beginning of the festival. The flag stays on the flag pole until the end of the festival.
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415:. On this day, devotees sing devotional songs and bhajans. It is also considered auspicious to wear the holy ash known as
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Vishnu (left) gives away his sister and bride Meenakshi's hand into the waiting hand of groom Shiva.
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The Devendra Puja is held at the fourteenth and final day of the Chithirai festival in honour of
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in the middle of the Vaigai river, and returned to Aḻagar Hill without entering Madurai.
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Commemoration of the wedding of Shiva and Meenakshi, coronation of Meenakshi as queen of
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During this event, the chief priest of the Meenakshi temple hoists the holy flag on the
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during the month of April. The festival, celebrated during the Tamil month of
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The following are the list of events in the Tirukalyanam festival.
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As per the legend, Meenakshi was the daughter of the
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car festivals, wedding festival, coronation ceremony
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743:"Devendra Pooja at Chithirai Festival"
341:gave shape to the Chithirai festival.
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171:Frequency
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271:the gods
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