The Meenakshi Tirukalyanam festival,^[1][2] also known as Chithirai Tiruviḻa or Meenakshi Kalyanam, is an annual Tamil Hindu celebration in the city of Madurai during the month of April. The festival, celebrated during the Tamil month of Chithirai, is associated with the Meenakshi Temple, dedicated to the goddess Meenakshi, a form of Parvati and her consort Sundareshvara, a form of Shiva.

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Meenakshi Tirukalyanam
Vishnu (left) gives away his sister and bride Meenakshi's hand into the waiting hand of groom Shiva.
Observed by	Hindu Tamils
Type	Hindu
Significance	Commemoration of the wedding of Shiva and Meenakshi, coronation of Meenakshi as queen of Madurai
Celebrations	car festivals, wedding festival, coronation ceremony
Observances	Puja in Meenakshi Temple, Prayers for Meenakshi
Date	During the Tamil month of Chithirai
2024 date	20 April (wedding date)
Frequency	Annual

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The festival lasts for one month. The first 15 days mark the celebrations of the coronation of Meenakshi as the divine ruler of Madurai^[3] and her marriage to Sundareshvara. The next 15 days mark the celebrations of the journey of Kallaḻagar or Aḻagar (a form of the god Vishnu) from his temple to Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai.

As per the legend, Meenakshi was the daughter of the Pandya king Malayadhvaja Pandyan and queen Kanchana Malai. The royal couple did not have a child for a long time, so Malayadhvaja Pandyan performed special pujas and offered his prayers seek a son. During the puja, a 3-year-old girl emerged from the fire and sat on the lap of the king, bearing three breasts. At that time, a divine voice from the sky told them that this child was an incarnation of Parvati (the wife of Shiva), and Shiva himself would come to marry her at the right age. Meenakshi was trained in warfare, and she was crowned as the queen of the Pandya kingdom after her father died. She conquered the whole world with her extraordinary war skills, and at last she went to Kailasha (the abode of Shiva) to conquer it. When Meenakshi confronted Shiva in the battlefield, she fell in love with him and realized that she was a form of Parvati. Her third breast fell upon meeting him. Shiva assured Meenakshi that he would come to Madurai to marry her. As promised, Shiva, along with all the gods and the sages, came to Madurai. Shiva as Sundareshvara married Meenakshi and ruled the Pandya kingdom under the name Sundara Pandyan.^[4] Their temple stands at the centre of Madurai.

The Aḻagar festival is associated with the Vaishnava Kallaḻagar temple. Once, the sage Manduka was taking a bath in the holy waters of the Agaya Gangai in Aḻagar hills. At that time, the short tempered sage, Durvasa, came by that way. Manduka missed his arrival, which Durvasa took as an insult and cursed Manduka to become a frog and live in the river Vaigai. On Manduka's beeseaching, Durvasa told him to go to Vaigai and pray to the Aḻagar form of Vishnu to be released from the curse.

Aḻagar was pleased by the prayers of Manduka, and went to the Vaigai river to lift the curse of Manduka. As per Manduka's wish, he showed him all his ten avatars and blessed him.

The wedding of Meenakshi with Sundareshvara was to happen in Madurai. Aḻagar, the brother of Meenakshi, was invited. He started on a 20 km journey from his abode at Aḻagar Hills towards Madurai. Aḻagar decided to travel disguised as a robber to protect himself and his belongings. At times, he had to hide to avoid getting arrested by soldiers. This, and the dense forest of Aḻagar Hills, delayed his journey further. This delay was purposely caused by Sundareshvara, and he himself took the form of Aḻagar and performed the kanyadana (handing over a girl for marriage) of Meenakshi. This was enacted by Sundareshvara to prove that Vishnu and Shiva are one and the same. Later, when Aḻagar was crossing the Vaigai river, he learned that his sister's wedding was over. This made him furious. To pacify him, Meenakshi and Sundareshvara came to the Vaigai river. Aḻagar chose to give all the gifts that he carried to Meenakshi and Sundareshvara in a mandapa in the middle of the Vaigai river, and returned to Aḻagar Hill without entering Madurai.

Historically, the Meenakshi festival related to Shaiva sect and Aḻagar festival of the Vaishnava sect were separate events celebrated in different months. The Meenakshi festival was moved from the Tamil month of Masi to month of Chithirai by the king Tirumala Nayaka (r. 1623-1659), giving the celebration its name, Chithirai Festival. Both festivals were merged into a single event to unite the people of the two Hindu sects (Shaiva and Vaishnava) as well as to boost Madurai's economy.^[5]

The location of culminating event of Aḻagar festival - the entering of the river by Aḻagar - was also moved from Thenur village to Madurai.^[5]

The following are the list of events in the Tirukalyanam festival.

Ethir Sevai

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Part of the Chithirai Tiruviḻa of Kallazhagar temple at Aḻagar Koyil, the Ethir Seva^[5] began on the fourth day of the festival. On this day, Aḻagar changed his appearance as Kallar (Kallar vedam) when he traveled via Kallar Nadu and entered Madurai city and the people of the city welcomed him.