Introduction

Synonymous with the rich cultural and architectural heritage of South India, Sree Meenakshi Temple beckons a traveler to delve deeper into the colorful Hindu mythology. This colossal temple complex forms the lifeline of Madurai city, and gives vent to every human emotion by way of sculptures that make it larger than life. Popular legend has it that Madurai is the actual site of Lord Shiva and Meenakshi’s wedding, and the labyrinthine temple celebrates the love of goddess Meenakshi and her groom Sundereshwar (meaning good looking god or Lord Shiva). With the temple in the center, the ancient city of Madurai fans out like a fully-bloomed lotus, with streets and main thoroughfares layered one after the other concentrically outward from the center.

The temple complex comprises 12 magnificent gopurams (meaning towers), with two golden gopurams – elaborately sculpted and painted - for the main deities. The detailing - stucco figures of deities, mythical creatures and monsters painted in vivid hues - on these soaring towers is very minute and holds you spellbound. The temple forms the heart and soul of Tamil Nadu, and has since antiquity found a mention in Tamil literature. But the architectural magnificence of the present structure is because of the Nayaks who ruled Madurai from the 16th to the 18th century, and left an imprint of their reign on the Meenakshi-Sundereshwar Temple. Built by the early Pandya king, Kulasekara, the temple stands testimony to the sculpting prowess of the Vishwakarma Brahmins. Interestingly, Meenakshi Temple is one of the few temples in South India to have four entrances in four directions. Spread across 45 acres, and surrounded by a dozen towers, the southern tower stands out for its sheer height of over 170 feet (52 meters). As high as nine storeys, it is the southern gateway that houses the twin temples of Shiva and Meenakshi.

Being the predominant deity the shrine of Lord Sundereshwar is at the heart of the complex, also suggesting that the ritual dominance of the goddess developed later. Just outside it is the massive sculpture of Lord Ganesha etched out of a single stone, and a sanctum for a giant Ganesha called the Mukuruny Vinayakar. If legend is to be believed, the idol was found during the excavation process to dig the temple lake. Velli Ambalam (meaning sliver abode) is the sanctum of Lord Shiva that has an unusual Nataraja sculpture enclosed in a huge silver altar. What makes the sculpture unique is the pose struck by the dancing form of Lord Nataraja, in that it has the right foot raised while normally the idol is depicted raising its left foot.

If the ornate pillars make Meenakshi Amman an architectural icon, it is ‘Porthamarai Kulam’ (meaning Pond with the Golden Lotus) that gives it a distinct character. Most devotees go around this pond before entering the main shrine. But what exalts your imagination is the golden tinge on the lotus that grows in the pond – quite true to its name. There is also a fascinating legend of Lord Shiva promising a stork that no fish or marine life would grow in here, and even today its waters are bereft of any aquatic life. Tamil literary legends are also believed to rely on the lake in judging the worth of a new literature. If the author’s work is shoddy it is supposed to sink, while the scholastic ones stay afloat.

It is, however, the Thousand Pillar Hall of Meenakshi Amman that takes your breath away. Modeled on the lines of the oldest Nellaiappar Temple in Tirunleveli, the Thousand Pillar Hall is speckled with 985 carved pillars (instead of 1000!) built by Ariyanatha Mudaliar, the first Nayak king of Madurai in 1569. Each pillar is a paradigm of Dravidian architecture! The hall houses a Temple Art Museum that has an impressive collection of icons, photographs, paintings and other exhibits of its 1200-year-old history. Another architectural specimen is the Musical Pillars, just outside the mandapam towards the west. Each of these pillars when struck creates a unique musical note. Meenakshi-Sundereshwar’s wedding is celebrated every year during the Chithirai Festival in mid-April in the Kalyana mandapam to the south of the pillared hall.

Special Attributes

Dress appropriately, wear fully covered clothes as it is a religious site.

Nuisance

Touts, beggars, street-hawkers

Dressing restrictions

Dress appropriately, wear fully covered clothes as it is a religious site.

Connectivity

From the bus stand and railway station, buses, taxis, auto rickshaws and cycle rickshaws are available to reach the temple. From airport too, which lies at the distance of 10 kilometres from the city, taxis and auto rickshaws are available for the site.

Enjoyed by

Families, Senior Citizens, Backpackers especially architecture buffs.

Exposure

Afternoons can get very warm, but you will mostly be indoors.

Avoidable Season

Open through the year

Facilities

The Puthu Mandapam market selling colorful silks, cottons and batiks, is on the eastern entrance of the Meenakshi Temple.

Things Not Allowed

No such restriction.

Tip

The temple is best visited at dusk when its soaring gopurams stand out dramatically against the golden sky.

Type of site

Shrine of Hindu deities Meenakshi and Sundereshwar