SSC
The Chithirai festival, which celebrates the celestial wedding of Goddess Meenakshi, is celebrated in which state?
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Answer: Option C — Tamil Nadu
Detailed Solution
The Chithirai festival (Chithirai Thiruvizha) is the most important festival of Madurai, Tamil Nadu. It is held every year in the Tamil month of Chithirai (April-May) and lasts for about a month. It centres on the famous Meenakshi Amman temple and attracts lakhs of devotees.
The festival celebrates the celestial wedding (Thirukalyanam) of Goddess Meenakshi, the presiding deity of Madurai, a form of Parvati, with Lord Sundareswarar, a form of Shiva. According to legend, Meenakshi was born as the daughter of the Pandya king of Madurai, Malayadhwaja Pandya, and she ruled the kingdom as a warrior queen. She conquered many lands and finally went to Mount Kailash, where she met Shiva and fell in love with him. Shiva came to Madurai as Sundareswarar and married her. The festival recreates the coronation (Pattabhishekam) of Meenakshi as the queen of Madurai, her victory over the gods (Dig Vijayam), her wedding and a grand chariot festival (Ther Thiruvizha) through the streets.
An important part of the festival is the journey of Lord Kallazhagar (a form of Vishnu), who is believed to be the brother of Meenakshi. He travels from his temple at Alagar Kovil, about 20 km away, to Madurai to give his sister away in marriage. However, he arrives late, after the wedding is over, and, disappointed, he enters the Vaigai river (Azhagar Aatril Irangudhal) and returns to his temple. Lakhs of people gather on the banks of the Vaigai to witness this event. The festival thus brings together the Shaiva and Vaishnava traditions.
Other important festivals of Madurai include the Float Festival (Teppam), held in the month of Thai at the Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam tank.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Kerala is known for temple festivals such as the Thrissur Pooram.
- ✗Karnataka is known for the Mysuru Dasara and the Karaga.
- ✗Andhra Pradesh is known for the Tirumala Brahmotsavam.
Quick tip
Remember: The Chithirai festival = Madurai, the wedding of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar, Kallazhagar's entry into the Vaigai river.
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Festivals & Fairs of India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Festivals & Fairs of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the religious, harvest, tribal and cultural festivals of India, the fairs (melas) held across the country, and the states, communities and seasons linked to them. It also includes festivals listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, such as Kumbh Mela and Durga Puja in Kolkata. Most questions ask which state celebrates a festival, which tribe it belongs to, or what event it marks. Harvest festivals are especially common: Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Onam (Kerala), Bihu (Assam), Lohri and Baisakhi (Punjab) and Nuakhai (Odisha). Fairs such as the Pushkar camel fair (Rajasthan) and the Sonepur cattle fair (Bihar) are also frequently tested. Revise festivals state by state. Practise the festivals and fairs questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.