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Meenakshi Amman Temple (Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple)

Madurai, Madurai district, Tamil Nadu

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Meenakshi Amman Temple (Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple)
Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0

About

The Meenakshi Amman temple stands on the south bank of the Vaigai river, and old Madurai grew up around it. Here Mata Meenakshi, a form of Parvati, is worshipped with her husband Sundareswarar, that is, Shiv. Meenakshi means 'the one with beautiful fish-shaped eyes'. The Devi is the main deity here, and devotees visit her first. Her murti is of green stone, and a parrot sits on the lotus in her hand. Fourteen gopurams covered with colourful figures, the thousand-pillared hall, musical stone pillars and the Golden Lotus tank (Potramarai Kulam) are the temple's famous sights.

The story

By the Tamil text Thiruvilaiyadal Puranam, King Malayadhwaja Pandya of Madurai and Queen Kanchanamalai performed a yajna for a child. A girl of three appeared from the sacred fire, and a voice from Shiv ji told the king to raise her with love. She grew into a brave and wise princess, and the king made her his heir and handed her the kingdom. When Shiv ji met her in the form of Sundareswarar, she remembered her true self: she was Parvati. Then the two were married in a grand wedding in Madurai at which, it is believed, Lord Vishnu gave away his sister Meenakshi. Then they ruled Madurai together. Another story says that at a Pandya king's request Shiv ji changed his dancing foot here, so the Nataraja of this temple raises his right leg instead of the left. In history, the temple is mentioned in Tamil texts of the 6th century and praised in the Tevaram hymns. In the 16th and 17th centuries the Nayak kings of Madurai gave it its present grand form.

Visiting

October to March is pleasant; Madurai is very crowded during the Chithirai festival. Wear traditional, modest clothes in the temple. The complex is large, so allow time to walk around. The Thirumalai Nayak Palace, Alagar Koil and the Thiruparankundram Murugan temple are nearby.

Festivals

  • Chithirai Thiruvizha (April to May): Meenakshi Thirukalyanam, the chariot festival and Alagar entering the Vaigai
  • Navratri (Purattasi, September to October): golu displays and lights
  • Avani Moolam festival (August to September): Sundareswarar's divine plays
  • Float festival (Teppam) in the Tamil month of Thai (January to February)

Famous temples

Sources