Chithirai Thiruvizha of Madurai

This is THE festival of Madurai that attracts huge crowds every year.Chithirai is the first month of the Tamil solar year (April-May) and Thiruvizha in Tamil means festival.What takes place in this 10 day festival is indeed a spectacular exhibition of religious fervour.

The celebrations begin with the ceremonial hoisting of the flag (Kodi Yetram). Most festivals atleast in Tamilnadu and Kerala have this as the beginning.This is followed by the Pattaabhisekam, or the coronation of Mother Meenakshi as the queen of Madurai.Then, She starts on Her DigVijayam, or conquest of the world.After this happpens the much awaited celestial wedding of the divine couple-Meenakshi and Sundareswarar.Following the wedding is the Ther Thiruvizha where the devout take the richly adorned chariots in procession through the city of Madurai.

With all the spotlight on the divine couple, here comes another VIP to the scene-Azhagar. Lord Vishnu, who is present as Azhagar in the Azhagarmalai hills, some 30 km from the city starts His journey to Madurai, for attending His sister Meenakshi's wedding. He is carried by devotees on a golden horse, and this welcoming is called EdhirSevai.
Finally, as He tries to cross the Vaigai river en route to the city, He gets to know that His sister's wedding is already over. Furious that He is not able to attend the wedding, He gets into the river, and then proceeds back home. This event, called "Azhagar Aatril Eranguthal", is the climax of the festival, and brings the city to a standstill, as Bhaktaas pour in to see this event. In fact, people gather near the place the previous night itself, in the thousands!

This ends the Chithirai festival, on Chithira Pournami day, whcih is very auspicious. One may also get the Darshan of Azhagar the next day, in Vandiyur, a place on the way to Azhagarmalai.
The true festive spirit of such an event cannot be described by words, one must take part in this to actually realize the excitement coupled with devotion. Also, this is a unique festival that's special for Shaivas as well as Vaishnavas!