Did Lord Shiva marry Meenakshi ? What name is given to Shiva in Meenakshi temple ?
· Amar Granth
According to legend, more than 3,500 years ago, Indra installed a small tower over a naturally formed stone lingam as a sign of devotion to Shiva. Other gods followed his lead, and when a human devotee witnessed gods worshipping there, he alerted the local king, Kulashekhara Pandya, who built a temple at the site.
The Story of Meenakshi: A Pandya king named Malayadhvaja performed a fire ceremony hoping for a son, but was instead granted a daughter, Meenakshi, born with three breasts. The gods told him to raise her as a warrior, and that her third breast would disappear when she met her true love. Meenakshi grew into a formidable conqueror, but when she advanced north and encountered Lord Shiva himself on Mount Kailasha, one of her breasts vanished, fulfilling the prophecy.
Lord Shiva, known here as Sundareshwar, married Meenakshi with Lord Vishnu presiding over the ceremony and performing the kanyadaan - a moment depicted in temple sculpture showing Vishnu, Shiva, and Meenakshi together. The divine couple made their home in Madurai, ruling as queen and king.
