Famous Festivals In Madurai
Chitrai FestivalOf all the festivals conducted in Madurai, the Chithra Festival is the greatest. It is celebrated in April – May on the occasion of the marriage of Sree Meenakshi with Lord Sundareswarar in Meenakshi Temple. According to legend, Meenakshi was the daughter of a Pandyan king. In due course, she crowned the Queen of Madurai.
The coronation of Meenakshi is celebrated during the festival and later her marriage to Sundareswarar. The procession of the deities in the temple car is an impressive sight. Special mention should be made of the festival pertaining to Kallalagar entering River Vaigai on the day following marriage of Meenakshi. The particular festival is the season’s highlight and to witness it, people from the adjoining village gather in lakhs on the sands of Vaigai. The whole show with lakhs of people congregated on the rover-bed, wearing brightly coloured costumes, makes a thrilling pageantry to any tourist with an eye for spectacle and colour.
Teppam (Float Festival)
Thirumalai Naick built the beautiful Teppakulam on the eastern end of Madurai. Then he organised a festival. This takes place in January – February. In the morning the idols of Sree Meenakshi Lord Sundareswarar are taken to the Teppakulam (Float Tank). There the deities are placed in a decorated float. Then this float is drawn by ropes by devotees standing on the four roads around the tank. After this the deities are placed in the Mayya (Central) Mandapam Devotees go by boats and workship them. In the night the same process of dragging the deities in the float is repeated. At about midnight, Sree Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar are carried back to the temple.
