The first 15 days mark the celebrations of the coronation of Meenakshi as the divine ruler of Madurai[3] and her marriage to Sundareshvara.

As per the legend, Meenakshi was the daughter of the Pandya king Malayadhvaja Pandyan and queen Kanchana Malai.

The royal couple did not have a child for a long time, so Malayadhvaja Pandyan performed special pujas and offered his prayers seek a son.

Meenakshi was trained in warfare, and she was crowned as the queen of the Pandya kingdom after her father died.

Once, the sage Manduka was taking a bath in the holy waters of the Agaya Gangai in Aḻagar hills.

On Manduka's beeseaching, Durvasa told him to go to Vaigai and pray to the Aḻagar form of Vishnu to be released from the curse.

This delay was purposely caused by Sundareshvara, and vishnu himself took the form of Aḻagar and performed the kanyadana (handing over a girl for marriage) of Meenakshi.

[5] Both festivals were merged into a single event to unite the people of the two Hindu sects (Shaiva and Vaishnava) as well as to boost Madurai's economy.

Meenakshi is crowned as the queen of Madurai on this day, and she is regarded to rule the Pandya Kingdom for the next four months.

At the completion of the event, images of Meenakshi and Sundareshvara are taken out in huge processions on the streets in the Pushpa Pallakku and Yanai Vahanam.

[7] Part of the Chithirai Tiruviḻa of Kallazhagar temple at Aḻagar Koyil, the Ethir Seva[6] began on the fourth day of the festival.

A reenactment of the scene of Vishnu refusing to enter Madurai and returning to Alagar Koil occurs in a mandapam in Madhichiyam in the middle of river Vaigai.

[8] The Devendra Puja is held at the fourteenth and final day of the Chithirai festival in honour of Indra at the Meenakshi Temple at Madurai.