Here is your short paragraph on Meenakshi Kalyanam :

The 17th century Meenakshi temple is situated in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. The monumental gateways are among the most elaborately carved in South India. Approximately there are about 30 million sculptures in the temple.

Meenakshi is the name of an ancient South Indian cult goddess, whose epithet may mean having eyes of surpassing beauty, or ‘love filled eyes’, the fish being an emblem of Kama, the god of love.

Originally Meenakshi is regarded as a daughter of Kubera and hence as a Yaksini. It is said that Lord Siva himself created Madurai for his pleasure, from a piece of the crescent moon that decorates his matted-hair. It was then known as Maduram (sweetness) and later got corrupted to Madurai.

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According to legend, a Pandya King, Malayadhwaja Pandya, being issueless performed a yagna to beget a son and his prayers were answered, for Goddess Meenakshi walked out of the sacrificial fire as a three-year old and got onto the king’s lap.

This girl became the ruler of Madurai with the name Thadathakai and in the later year. In front of the Meenakshi sanctuary is the rectangular pool of the Golden Lilies. To bathe in it removes guilt and leads even unbelievers to heaven.

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It is said that Tamil author’s works were judged here by placing the manuscript on the water, ‘If it stank, it sank!’. Assumed the name of Meenakshi she married Sundaresvara (Lord Siva) and took abode in the temple of Madurai, where she continues to live.

Meenakshi of Madurai is considered one of the three powerful goddesses in India. The others being Kamatchi at Kanchi and Visalatchi at Kasi.

The Goddess Parvati is blissfully present in full glory here and it is considered meritorious to worship at Madurai at least once in one’s life time. The important festivals connected with the temple fall on the month of Chithirai (April), Avani (July) and Thai (January).

The wedding of Meenakshi to Sundaresvara on the Chithra Pournami day and the arrival of Azhagar in a procession to attend his sister’s wedding are the attractions of the seasons. This mythical wedding of Meenakshi with Lord Shiva is the cul­mination of a ten day-long celebration. The deities are taken out in a resplendent chariot to the accompaniment of traditional devotional music.

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