| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Sundareshwara | Literally, "The Beautiful Lord". The local Madurai name for Lord Shiva. |
| Minakshi / Meenakshi | Literally, "she with the fish-shaped eye". The sister of Lord Vishnu/Alagar, wife of Lord Shiva/sundareshwara. Central focus of devotion in Madurai. |
| Lord Alagar | Local Madurai name for Lord Vishnu, brother of Minakshi. |
| Chitterai Festival | Annual 19-day festival held in the southern indian city of Madurai. |
| Nayaks | Dynasty of Telugu-speaking Hindu rulers in Madurai, 1559-1736. They took power after a period of Muslim invasions of South India, and ruled over a largely Tamil-speaking populace. |
| Tirumalai Nayak | Ruler of Madurai, 1623-1659. Possibly the most powerful and greatest of the Nayak rulers, he was a great patron of art and architecture, and was responsible for coordinating the timing of the festivals to the month of Chitterai. |
| Vastu Mandala | Sacred ritual diagram representing the kingdom of the gods. It fomred the basis of the Nayak re-organization of the layout of Madurai. |
| Vaishnavite | The worship of Lord Vishna. |
| Shaivite | The workshop of Lord Shiva. |
| Sanyati | Literally, "possessed by god". Those who are overcome by the god, who speaks through them at times of festival. |
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