Meenakshi

Meenakshi (also spelt as Minakshi or Mīnāṭci, and also known as Aṅgayaṟkaṇṇi, and Taḍādakai) is a Hindu goddess. She is considered as a form of the goddess Parvati, and is the tutelary deity of Madurai. Along with Kamakshi (Kanchipuram), and Visalakshi (Varanasi), she is considered as one of the three avatars of Adi Shakti. She is represented as the divine consort of Sundaresvarar, a form of Shiva, and the sister of Alagar, a form of Vishnu. Meenakshi finds mention in Tamil literature as the warrior queen of the ancient Pandya kingdom, and was later deified. She is mainly worshipped in South India, and has a major temple devoted to her in Madurai. She is usually portrayed with a raised right hand holding a lotus, on which sits a green parrot, while her left hand hangs by her side. Meenakshi Tirukalyanam, the marriage of Meenakshi and Shiva is celebrated as a major festival. She was also extolled as Shri Vidya by Adi Shankara.