Those who have visited the temple in Madurai would have seen Meenakshi with a parrot in Her right hand. A visit to the Andaal temple in Srivilliputhur made me realize that Andaal, the lady Alwar (One among the 12 Tamil Vaishnava saints) also has the same in Her right hand!
So, what does the parrot signify?
The parrot is pure love personified. It is the love Meenakshi shows to Her beloved Sundareswarar. In the case of Andaal, She sends Suka Rishi in the form of a parrot as the messenger of Her love for Lord Vishnu. The parrot is Kaamadeva’s Vaahana (vehicle).
Near the Meenakshi Amman Sannidhi, there is a hall called the Kilikkoodu Mandapam (Parrot cage), where until recently, there were a lot of parrots raised by the temple authorities, which used to chant the holy name of the Goddess!
This may remind one of the village in modern day Bihar, Mithila, the birthplace of Sita, where even parrots spoke in Sanskrit.:)
Offer Ashotra Archana to Meenakshi Amman at the famous Madurai MeenakshiAmman Temple
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment