Meenakshi Weds Sundareswarar A Divine Wedding at Meenakshi Temple!

By Nalini Sadagopan

PEARLAND: The grand finale of the eleven day Mahotsavam at the Pearland Meenakshi Temple culminated in the divine wedding ceremony of Goddess Meenakshi with Lord Sundareswarar on May 11.  The Kalyana Mandapam with nearly 1300 devotees, eagerly witnessing the auspicious ceremonies was an eye catching splendor. As in a traditional wedding the “seer varisai” with home-made delicious sweets, savories, fruits and decors were brought in procession with live nadhaswaram and thavil (clarinet and double-headed drum) by women dressed in beautiful silk sarees from the newly consecrated Ganesha temple premises. The MTS chairman, Dr. Vadugantahan with his wife Nach, led seer varisai after the invocatory puja.

The procession of Goddess Meenakshi and Shiva as bride and groom on the way to the wedding hall included maalai maatral (garland exchange) and oonjal (swing). During this ritual the divine couple is celebrated with exchanges of fragrant and fresh flower garlands between each other followed by pleasant moments on a swing with customary songs rendered live by devotees; this is a component in every South Indian wedding. Main wedding event followed with the divine couple seated on the stage and accompanied by Lord Vishnu the brother of Goddess Meenakshi to her right. This age old tradition followed in the Madurai temple and the nearby Azhagar Malai, where God Vishnu known as Kal Azhagar steps into the Vaigai river before heading over to the wedding of his sister Meenakshi during the tamil month Chithirai. The vibrational aura from the divine chants of the priests reverberated throughout the hall. Devotees took vows through rakshabandhanam ritual by wearing a yellow thread on their wrists called kankanam. This was followed by kanyadhanam (giving away of the bride) homam. Several devotees including young girls dressed in traditional silk skirts/paavadais sang devotional hymns in praise of Goddess Meenakshi. The mangalya dharanam (tying of the sacred knot) followed with the vedic chants and live getti melam (auspicious musical notes) from the Nadhaswaram and Thavil. Devotees were moved to tears at the graceful and blissful ceremony which was celebrated in grandiose. Following the wedding, the divine couple and their family including Ganesha and Muruga (karthikeya) were carried on procession around the main sanctum. Meenakshi and Sundareswarar were seated majestically on the silver chariot, beautifully decorated with bells and colorful flags. Women did the traditional dance “Kummi” during the procession, followed by a dance of the tiny tots. The newly wed divine couple was brought to the main sanctum where worshippers lined up throughout the day for blessings. A grand sit down lunch of traditional South Indian wedding menu on banana leaf was served to all the 1300 devotees attended by MTS staff led by Jeyam Thiagarajan. Feast for the stomach followed by feast for ears and eyes. Chennai sister duo Anahitha and Apoorva Ravindran – disciples of Chitravina Ravikiran rendered a crisp and sonorous concert including master pieces such as Mamava Meenakshi in ragam Varali by Dikshithar. The vocal concert followed by a brilliant dance drama “Pradosham” performed by Houston’s very own talented team of dancers. Mala Gopal coordinated the cultural events. C. Vijayarajan and S. Balakrishnan were the event coordinators with support from RAC chair S. Narayanan, with M. Sriram, V. Srikanth, Padma Golla and Sasidaran Pillai.  Thanks to all our priests, silpis and administrative staff and the countless number of volunteers. We were all truly blessed to be part of this beautiful event which will be etched in our memories for years to come. Photos:  Srini Sundararajan.