Chithirai Festival celebrated in Madurai is a union of Lord Sunderswarar also known as lord Shiva and Goddess Meenakshi consider to be lord Vishnu's sister. It is a 15-day festival that takes place during the Tamil month of Chithirai, typically in April or May. The festival is celebrated at the Meenakshi Amman Temple and is a grand event that attracts large crowds. On the fourth day the deities of the Meenakshi Sundareswarar were adorned in traditional armour embedded with gems.
They were brought in a procession around the four Masi streets in a Golden Palanquin. The deities were kept at Villapuram's Pavakkai Mandagapadi during the day and were later taken on a procession in a gold Palanquin to the temple.