Goddess MEENAKSHI

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Meenaskhi Kalyanam, the wedding festival of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord

Sundareshwara is celebrated for twelve days from the second day of the lunar

month (i.e. two days after the new moon). This is a spectacular festival

celebrated at Madurai’s Meenakshi temple in the month of Chaitra (April-May).

The festival is characterized with royal decorated umbrellas, fans and

traditional instrumental music. Scenes from mythology are enacted and the

deities of Lord Siva, Goddess Shakti and Goddess Meenakshi are taken out in a

colorful procession. Know more about the festival/legend at

http://www.blessingsonthenet.com/temple/currfestival.asp?festivalid=F0439

 

"Devi Bhakta <devi_bhakta>" <devi_bhakta>

wrote: The cult of the Goddess Meenakshi undoubtedly predates Her temple;

She was probably the patron goddess of the ancient community located

where the city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu (Her pitha, or seat) eventually

grew. In this early conception, Meenakshi would have been worshiped --

as most South Indian village goddesses are to this day -- as an

independent, feminine deity -- as warmly nurturing and as dangerously

unpredictable as Nature itself.

 

As Her importance and influence grew, Meenakshi eventually came to be

understood (as all Goddess forms may be understood in Hinduism) as a

form of Parvati; and thus, as a consort of Shiva. The legend

recounted below can be read as a mythologizing of that development --

the fierce, independent, powerful, and strangely beautiful goddess

who becomes the demure "blushing bride" (as the below excerpt has it)

of the all-powerful Hindu God.

 

Even today, Meenakshi's Goddess-centric roots are apparent in the

fact that -- although the Meenakshi Temple is formally considered a

Shaivite temple (His form as consort of Meenakshi is Sundareswarar) --

it is Meenakshi who clearly rules the roost. It is Her whom many

people make pilgrimage to worship. But part of the beauty of Her

legend is the way in which it makes room for Hindus of just about

every persuation.

 

As the below account notes, the Meenakshi temple and the legends

surrounding it neatly bring together the Shakta, Shaiva, Vaishnava

and Skanda streams of popular Hinduism. While most approach Her as

consort of Sundareswarar, pure Shaktas also find Her to be a most

complete and receptive deity in and of Herself. Srividyas worship Her

as an essential aspect of Tripurasundari; Mahavidya Sadhaks worship

Her as Matangi; all Shaktas know Her to be Parvati, or Devi Herself:

 

THE LEGEND OF MEENAKSHI

Source: http://www.templenet.com/Tamilnadu/Madurai/legend3.html

 

Legend has it that the emperor Kulasekhara Pandyan was the founder of

the ancient city of Madurai. He was succeeded by Malayadwaja Pandyan.

Malayadwaja Pandyan and his consort Kanchanamala -- who did not have

any children of their own -- worshipped with the desire of obtaining

progeny. During the course of their ceremonial prayer, a baby girl

appeared in the sacrificial altar miraculously.

 

The royal couple brought up this child as their own and named her

Tataatakai. An odd feature about the baby was that it had three

breasts instead of two; a divine prophecy decreed that the third one

would miraculously disappear, at the princess's sight of her consort

to be.

 

Tataatakai grew up to be a valorous queen; she was also known as

Meenakshi, the one endowed with fish-like eyes. Tataatakai embarked

upon a DigVijaya. or "tour of victory," across the length and breadth

of the Indian subcontinent. In the course of her travels, she came to

Mount Kailash where she encountered Shiva. Upon standing in front of

Shiva, her third breast disappeared and a valorous warrior princess

transformed into a blushing bride.

 

Shiva directed Meenakshi to return to Madurai, and promised her that

he would join her in eight days as her groom. Accordingly Meenakshi

returned to Madurai, and at the appointed time, the divine wedding

was celebrated with pomp and splendour. Maha Vishnu, believed to be

the brother of Meenakshi, is said to have given the bride away.

 

Legend has it that Meenakshi and Sundareswarar ruled over the city of

Madurai for a long period of time. Sundareswarar also goes by the

name Sundara Pandyan. Ugra Pandyan the son of the divine couple is

believed to be none other than Subramanya.

 

The legend of Meenakshi Kalyanam brings together four of the six main

streams in popular Hinduism i.e. the Shaiva, Shakta, Vaishnava and

Skanda faiths – and this grand culmination of faiths is still

celebrated in great splendour today, in an enactment of Meenakshi

Kalyanam each year [the next celebration will be on May 12, 2003 -

DB], when images of Skanda and Vishnu are brought to the Madurai

Meenakshi temple from Tirupparamkunram nearby. Also of significance

is the grand procession of Kallazhagar towards Madurai from the

Alagar Koyil temple in the outskirts of the city.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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