Digvijayam ceremony held at Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple
The Hindu
The Digvijayam ceremony is the key event that marks the ninth day of the 12-day festival. The event takes place, the day after Goddess Meenakshi is crowned as the Queen of Madurai.
The Digvijayam ceremony is the key event that marks the ninth day of the 12-day festival. The event takes place, the day after Goddess Meenakshi is crowned as the Queen of Madurai.
The Goddess, mounted on ‘Indira vimana,’ was taken out on procession on the four Masi streets where Her battles in eight directions were enacted by children dressed up in traditional costumes. Lord Sundareswarar along with Goddess Piriyavidai were also taken out on a procession.
The legend goes that the Goddess, incarnated as Thadathagai Piratiyaar with three bosoms, is born to King Malayadwaja Pandya and Queen Kanchanamala Devi as an answer for their prayers for a child. The third bosom is said to disappear once she meets her husband.
Raised equal to a man in terms of valour and conduct, she wages war in all eight directions and goes on a conquering spree. It comes to a halt, when she meets Lord Shiva in his holy abode, Mount Kailash in the Himalayas – the one last direction left to win over.
As the Goddess gets enchanted by Him, her third bosom disappears, making it clear that she has found Her husband. They decide to get married and return to Madurai. Their celestial wedding or ‘thirukalyanam’ is the highlight of the Chithirai festival.
While residents are worried over deaths due to diarrhoea in Vijayawada, officials still grapple to find the root cause. Contaminated drinking water supplied by VMC officials is the reason, insist people in the affected areas, but officials insist that efforts are on to identify the disease and that those with symptoms other than diarrhoea too are visiting the health camps.