While the major festivals of Tamil Nadu are celebrated here with gaiety that equals the rest of the state, the most important moment in Madurai is the Chitrai festival that is held in April/May, when the celestial marriage of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar is celebrated, drawing a huge crowd of people from all over the state.
Meenakshi-Sundareswarar Thirukkalyanam (wedding) is celebrated every year in the month of Chithirai (March/April). The Meenakshi temple is always filled with worshippers, but its grandest moments are in Chithirai, when a veritable human sea floods the temple on all ten days of the festival.
The legend in paint takes the viewer back to the days of Malayadwaja Pandya.The king was childless for long. To win the favour of the gods in order to ensure an heir to the throne, he performed an elaborate yagna (sacrificial rites before a scared fire). To the wonder of all, a three-year-old girl emerged from the fire, ran to Queen Kanchanamala and sat on her lap. The king and queen were happy, although the girl’s abnormality – she had three breasts – puzzled them. The princess was Parvathi, Shiva’s heavenly consort. Kanachanamala, as Vidyavathi in a previous birth, had received for her penance a boon from the Goddess whereby Parvathi would one day be brought up as Her daughter. The Goddess thus fulfilled Vidyavathi’s wish.
A divine voice assured the king that deformity would disappear as soon as she met her consort. disappear as soon as she met her consort. The princess who was named Meenakshi, grew to be a beautiful young woman of great valour who conquered several lands and challenged the mightiest kings including Indra, the King of the Devas. Indira appealed to Lord Shiva for protection and Meenakshi, chasing the fleeing king, confronted Lord Shiva whereby Her third breast disappeared.
After their marriage, Lord Shiva and Parvathi rules over Madurai for a while and later settled in the Madurai temple as Meenakshi and Sundareswarar. The marriage was taken place and attended by Ganapathi, All Devas, Indran, varunan, agni, vayu, Muruga, Vishnu. Lord Vishnu gave Parvathi as He was the elder brother.
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