Thousands of devout Hindus and tourists thronged Madurai’s famous Meenakshi Temple on Saturday to witness the traditional and annual wedding ceremony of presiding deities Lord Sundareshwar and Goddess Meenakshi.
The ceremony was a part of the twelve-day long ‘Chitirai Peruvizha’ Festival, which is performed in the Tamil month of Chithirai.
Temple priests sang hymns in praise of Lord Sundareshwar and Goddess Meenakshi with the help of traditional instruments. Gold ornaments were kept in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, and both deities were showered with marigold flowers.
A temple priest said: “People from across the state and from several countries attended this celestial marriage, and believe that they have been blessed by the presiding deities.”
Karumuthu Kannan, Chairman, Meenakshi Ammman Temple Managing Committee, said: “The celestial wedding of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareshwar is a very important occasion for this city. Goddess Meenakshi who is said to be the daughter of a Pandya Dynasty king marries none other than Lord Shiva himself, and that is the event we celebrate today.”
Devotees, a majority of them women, adorn themselves with a vermillion thread, to signal their hope for a healthy and long life for their husbands.