Kumari Palany & Co

Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple: Traditional Chithirai festival cancelled this year!

Posted on: 17/Apr/2020 3:09:58 PM
With the lockdown imposition, the Hindu Religious Endowment Board was seriously reviewing on how to organise the famous and grand and traditional Chithrai festival at the Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple.

Today (Friday, 17th April), the decision has been announced that the Chithirai festival is cancelled. Indeed, this has come as a great shock to the devotees!

As most of us are aware, the Madurai Meenakshi Amman Chithirai Festival is very famous the world over and celebrated with great devotion and enthusiasm with lakhs of devotees as a tradition over the last several decades!

This year, the Chithirai Festival was scheduled to start on 25th April with the divine Flag Hoisting Ceremony. At this juncture, the Hindu Religious Endowment Board has announced the decision cancelling the festival.

As such, Meenakshi Amman Pattabhishkham (coronation) scheduled on 2nd May, Digvijayam scheduled on 3rd May, the Divine marriage occasion of Goddess Meenakshi Amman and Lord Sokkanathar scheduled on 4th May, and the celebrated chariot procession scheduled on 5th May all stand cancelled!

As all these festival events stand cancelled, the event of Lord Kallazhagar entering the river also gets cancelled! Despite this, the temple administration has appealed to the Hindu Religious Endowment Board to perform at least the divine marriage occasion in a simple manner.

The news of various Chithirai festivals getting cancelled in several famous temples has sent shock waves among the eager devotees who have become extremely anxious!