Madurai’s festival flowers: Champak, marigold and jasmine for the Meenakshi temple Kumbabishekam

In Madurai, festivals are incomplete without flowers. They appear in temple corridors, are carried home for worship and are woven into garlands. On festival days, the city takes on the fragrance of flowers that arrive from its surrounding villages and farther away.

The quantity and variety of flowers used during a major celebration can be enormous. About five tonnes of colourful flowers are being used for decorating the temple for the Kumbabishekam of Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple. Champak ( sampangi ), red, white and pink oleander ( arali ), star jasmine ( iruvatchi ), marigolds in yellow, white and orange, and colourful anthuriums are among the flowers used for the occasion. They will decorate the gopurams, corridors, sanctum areas and flagpoles with garlands.

Marigold flowers on display for sale at Mattuthavani Flower Market in Madurai. | Photo Credit: R. ASHOK