Tuesday 30 July 2013

Meenakshi temple- Sundereswar Wedding ... Lord Vishnu hands over his sister (parvati) to Sundereswar ...( Lord Shiva)

Photo: Meenakshi temple- Sundereswar Wedding ... Lord Vishnu hands over his sister (parvati) to Sundereswar ...( Lord Shiva) Minakshi (IAST mīnākṣi, often written Meenakshi in English, Tamil மீனாட்சி) is an Avatar of the Hindu Goddess Parvati - and consort of Shiva - who is worshipped mainly by South Indians. She is also one of the few Hindu female deities to have a major temple devoted to her - the far famed Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. She is considered as a form of Goddess Mathangi, one of the Dasa Maha Vidhyas. The word Meenakshi (meaning big beautiful eyes) is derived from Sanskrit words meen and akshi, meen means fish and akshi means eyes.Since the Ancient Tamil Kingdom of Pandyas had the symbol of fish as their emblem, city of Madurai as their capital, the goddess of Madurai was hence called Meenakshi. The legend Once Indra killed a demon, even though the demon did not harm anyone. This act brought a curse upon Indra that forced him to continue wandering until he was walking around looking for a way where no one would tell him which way to go will redeem him from his sin. After much wandering Indra was freed from his suffering through the power of a Shivalingam in a forest, and so he built a small temple at that site. It so happened that at that time in South India there was a Pandyan king called Malayadhwaja Pandiyan ruling a small city by the name Manavur, which was quite near to this Shivalinga. He was the son of Kulashekara Pandyan. He came to know about the Shivalinga and decided to build a huge temple for Shiva in the forest Kadambavanam (vanam means forest). He also developed the region into a fine princely state called Madurai. The king was childless and sought an heir for the kingdom. Shiva granted him his prayers through an Ayonija child (one born not from the womb). This child was three years old and actually the incarnation of goddess Parvati the consort of Shiva. She was born with fish-shaped eyes. She was named Mīnachchi, (meaning fish eyed) from the words mīna (meaning fish) and akṣi (meaning eyes). Mīnakshi also means "the one who has eyes like that of a fish". Fishes are said to feed their younger ones with their eyes, similarly goddess looks after her devotees. Just by her sight our miseries disappear. She grew up to be a Shiva-Shakti personification. After the death of the king, she ruled the kingdom with skillful administration. In one of her expeditions she went to the Himalayas and there, and saw Shiva there. And then the marriage followed. Many of the gods and goddesses came to witness their marriage. At the wedding celebrations the gods refused to have the served food unless Shiva performed a majestic dance for everybody gathered at the place. At this there was the dance of Chidambaram, the cosmic dance in front of his wife Minakshi. It epitomised and merged all life force and beauty into one whole. In the end Minakshi was merged with the shivalingam and became the representation of life and beauty.

Meenakshi temple- Sundereswar Wedding ...
Lord Vishnu hands over his sister (parvati) to Sundereswar ...(Lord Shiva)

Minakshi (IAST mīnākṣi, often written Meenakshi in English, Tamil மீனாட்சி) is an Avatar of the Hindu Goddess Parvati - and consort of Shiva - who is worshipped mainly by South Indians. She is also one of the few Hindu female deities to have a major temple devoted to her - the far famed Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. She is considered as a form of Goddess Mathangi, one of the Dasa Maha Vidhyas.

The word Meenakshi (meaning big beautiful eyes) is derived from Sanskrit words meen and akshi, meen means fish and akshi means eyes.Since the Ancient Tamil Kingdom of Pandyas had the symbol of fish as their emblem, city of Madurai as their capital, the goddess of Madurai was hence called Meenakshi.

The legend

Once Indra killed a demon, even though the demon did not harm anyone. This act brought a curse upon Indra that forced him to continue wandering until he was walking around looking for a way where no one would tell him which way to go will redeem him from his sin. After much wandering Indra was freed from his suffering through the power of a Shivalingam in a forest, and so he built a small temple at that site.

It so happened that at that time in South India there was a Pandyan king called Malayadhwaja Pandiyan ruling a small city by the name Manavur, which was quite near to this Shivalinga. He was the son of Kulashekara Pandyan. He came to know about the Shivalinga and decided to build a huge temple for Shiva in the forest Kadambavanam (vanam means forest). He also developed the region into a fine princely state called Madurai.

The king was childless and sought an heir for the kingdom. Shiva granted him his prayers through an Ayonija child (one born not from the womb). This child was three years old and actually the incarnation of goddess Parvati the consort of Shiva. She was born with fish-shaped eyes. She was named Mīnachchi, (meaning fish eyed) from the words mīna (meaning fish) and akṣi (meaning eyes). Mīnakshi also means "the one who has eyes like that of a fish". Fishes are said to feed their younger ones with their eyes, similarly goddess looks after her devotees. Just by her sight our miseries disappear.


She grew up to be a Shiva-Shakti personification. After the death of the king, she ruled the kingdom with skillful administration.

In one of her expeditions she went to the Himalayas and there, and saw Shiva there. And then the marriage followed. Many of the gods and goddesses came to witness their marriage.


At the wedding celebrations the gods refused to have the served food unless Shiva performed a majestic dance for everybody gathered at the place. At this there was the dance of Chidambaram, the cosmic dance in front of his wife Minakshi. It epitomised and merged all life force and beauty into one whole. In the end Minakshi was merged with the shivalingam and became the representation of life and beauty.
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