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

This shows how closely flowers are linked to celebrations here. From the Chithirai festival and the Theppam festival to Navarathri Golu and the many other festivals held across the city, flowers add colour and fragrance to the celebrations.

But the flowers that fill the city during one festival may not be the same during another. Their availability follows the seasons, the weather and the places where they are grown. “Now it is the season for wild jasmine (mullai), but it is coming to an end. Around the Tamil months of Purattasi and Aippasi, Spanish jasmine (pichi) will start,” says M Sundar, a flower vendor who has been in the business for nearly 18 years.

For him, the changing seasons make it easy to know about the flowers that arrive at the market. When one variety begins to disappear, another starts making its way into the city.

Varieties of roses are kept for sale at Mattuthavani Flower Market in Madurai.
| Photo Credit:
R. ASHOK

Among them, jasmine has a special place. The city’s love for the fragrant flower is closely tied to the jasmine grown in Valayankulam on the city’s outskirts. From the lands around the city, jasmine travels to markets in different parts of India and is also sent abroad.

Sundar began working in the flower trade when he was young, following a business started by his father. When he entered the trade, pichi, mullai and jasmine were the main flowers sold. Several varieties that are now familiar to customers were not as popular then.

“Flowers such as manoranjitham and some varieties of roses have become common only in the last five or six years,” he says.

Red cloured small roses kept for sale at Mattuthavani Flower Market in Madurai.
| Photo Credit:
R. ASHOK

During temple festivals and other major celebrations, chrysanthemum (sevandhi) is among the varieties that see strong demand. It comes to Madurai from villages such as Vikramangalam and nearby villages. Depending on the season, flowers also arrive from Hosur and other areas.

Another flower seller, K Selva Vignesh, has been in the trade for about 15 years. His shop was started by his grandfather, and he has grown up watching the flower business change.

Jasmine flower kept for sale at Mattuthavani Flower Market in Madurai.
| Photo Credit:
R. ASHOK

The day begins early. Different varieties arrive at different hours. Jasmine generally starts arriving around 7am or 7.30am, while some varieties of roses can begin coming in as early as 3am. Festival days make this timing even more important. When demand is high and supplies are limited, vendors have to look beyond their usual sources. Flowers may have to be brought in from other markets to meet the demand.

Varieties of roses kept for sale at Mattuthavani Flower Market in Madurai.
| Photo Credit:
R. ASHOK

Vignesh remembers jasmine touching ₹5,000 per kilogram on one occasion. “That was when I realised how much demand there was for jasmine outside,” he recalls.

Different festivals also bring different flowers into focus. During Vinayaka Chaturthi, for instance, bermuda grass (arugampul) and crown flower (erukkalam) are in demand. Likewise, fragrant screw pine (thazhampoo) is famous and most used during the Varalakshmi viratham festival that comes in August. Wedding seasons also bring their own requirements, while temple festivals can create a sudden demand for flowers used in garlands and decorations.

Varieties of roses kept for sale at Mattuthavani Flower Market in Madurai.
| Photo Credit:
ASHOK R

pichi and mullai kept for sale at Mattuthavani Flower Market in Madurai.
| Photo Credit:
R. ASHOK

The vendors have also seen the flower trade change after the pandemic. One of them recalls a time when the market functioned almost around the clock, with flowers arriving even in the early hours. Today, the market is different, with more sellers.

Yet when you walk through the city during a festival, you will see that little has changed here — bundles of flowers being carried home, vendors call out prices and jasmine strings find their way into women’s hair.

Published – September 16, 2026 08:06 pm IST