sixteenth century, southern India was
ruled by the Nayak dynasty, with the
capital at Madurai. Much of the
Minakshi temple was built by Tirumalai
Nayak (r. 1623-1659); his palace is
another of the city’s attractions. The
streets around the temple form four
concentric processional circuits, with
the temple directly in the middle. The
town was planned as a lotus with layers
of petals, with the image of Minakshi at
the center, around which all things
revolved. Symbolically, the Minakshi
temple was not only the center of the
city, but the center of the earth. See also
Vijayanagar dynasty.
Madya
(“wine”) In the secret ritually-based reli-
gious practice known as tantra, wine is
the first of the Five Forbidden Things
(panchamakara). Since “respectable”
Hindu society strongly condemns the
consumption of alcoholic beverages, its
ritual use in tantra must be understood
in the larger tantric context. One of the
most basic tantric assumptions is the
ultimate unity of everything that exists.
From a tantric perspective, to affirm that
the entire universe is one principle
means that the adept must reject all
concepts based on dualistic thinking.
One way to do this is to partake of the
“Five Forbidden Things,” consciously
breaking the societal norms forbidding
the consumption of intoxicants, non-
vegetarian food, and illicit sexuality—
making sacred that which is normally
forbidden. Tantric adepts cite such ritual
use of forbidden things as proof that
their practice involves a more exclusive
qualification (adhikara), and is thus
superior to common practice. In its ritual
use—which is usually in very small
quantities—the intoxication produced
by wine is an approximation of the bliss
of realization. For further information see
Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe), Shakti
and Shakta, 1978; Swami Agehananda
Bharati, The Tantric Tradition, 1977; and
Douglas Renfrew Brooks, The Secret of the
Three Cities, 1990.
Magh
According to the lunar calendar, by
which most Hindu religious festivals are
determined, Magh is the eleventh
month in the lunar year, usually falling
within January and February. During
Magh there is a month-long bathing
(snana) festival, the Magh Mela, at the
confluence of the Gangesand Yamuna
rivers in Allahabad. The other major fes-
tivals in Magh are Sakata Chauth,
Shattila Ekadashi, Mauni Amavasya,
Vasant Panchami, Bhishma Ashtami,
Jaya Ekadashi, Ravidas Jayanti, Makara
Sankranti. In southern India, Pongal
and the Float Festival are celebrated
during Magh.Magha
(7th c.) Sanskritwriter whose best-
known work, the drama Shishupala-
vadha, describes the death of
Shishupalaat the hands of the god
Krishna. In Hindu mythology,
Shishupala is a form of Jaya,Vishnu’s
gatekeeper, who has been cursed to be
born as a demonthree times and killed
each time by Vishnu. Shishupala is the
last of these births, after which the curse
is broken. Aside from its mythic theme,
the play is noted for a number of unusu-
al verses, designed to show the poet’s
skill. These include verses that are per-
fect palindromes and ones that use only
one or two consonants.Magh Mela
Religious festival celebrated every year
during the entire lunar monthof Magh
( January–February) in the city of
Allahabad. According to the Hindu fes-
tival calendar, Magh is one of the
months in which bathing (snana) in
sacred rivers is highly praised. This is
particularly significant because
Allahabad lies at the confluence of two
sacred rivers, the Ganges and the
Yamuna River. During this month, pil-
grims set up an encampment at the con-
fluence, which becomes a bustling
religious center. During their stay, pilgrimsMadya