During the Tamil month of Chittirai (March–April), a ten-day celebration is held in the southern Indian city of Madurai.
Madurai is known for its massive temple devoted to the goddess Minakshi, and the Chittirai festival commemorates Minakshi's marriage to Sundareshvara, the deity Shiva in his human form.
Minakshi is a ferocious goddess who pledges to marry only a man who defeats her in combat, according to legend.
She defeats and conquers all of the earth's rulers, but when she approaches Shiva, she is overcome with humility.
The strong warrior is turned into a timid and shy girl, who marries him.
Although a goddess's marriage usually signifies her domestication and submission to her husband, Minakshi remains the more powerful deity in this instance.
She is Madurai's patron goddess, having a temple devoted to her, whereas Shiva is simply her consort.
The wedding is celebrated with tremendous fanfare throughout the city, with the public procession of the deities through the city on temple chariots being one of the highlights.
Dean David Shulman, Tamil Temple Myths, 1980; the event is also the subject of a film, The Wedding of the Goddess, produced by the University of Wisconsin at Madison's South Asia Center.
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