Meenakshi Temple In Madurai

Madurai is one of the most important Hindu pilgrimage sites in India. Large numbers of tourists visit this place, as it is a popular tourist place in the country. Madurai is build around the Meenakshi temple or the Sundareswarar temple. The concentric rectangular streets around the temple are symbol of cosmos. The city is laid in the shape of a lotus flower. The streets in the city are having interesting names. They are named after the Tamil months.

Meenakshi temple in Madurai is an architectural marvel. It was built by Pandya King Kulasekara and rebuilt by Thirumalai Nayak. The most striking feature of this temple is the Ayiramkaal Mandapam or the hall of thousand pillars. Each pillar has beautiful life size sculptures. The pillars appear to be in a straight line from any angle and there are some musical pillars in the outermost corridors. These pillars are carved out of stones and produce different musical note when tapped.

Gopura is a pyramidal gate that rises to the height of more than 50 meters. These towering gateways are the entrance to the temple complex in Madurai. These are located at the four cardinal points while lesser gopuras lead you to the sanctums of the main deity. There is stucco work on the towers. This is repaired, repainted and reconstructed every 12 years.

There is a Potramarailkulam or the golden lotus tank. The devotees take their holy dip in this tank and there is a meeting place around the tank. The Tamil poets met here and discussed their literature here. The academy judged the work by throwing it in the tank. The ones which floated were considered as worthy of attention.

Oonjal Mandapam and Killikoontu Mandapam are near the tank. The golden idols of the deities are brought here every Friday. The priests sing hymns and the deities swing gaily. The parrots in the temple are trained to repeat the names of the gods. The most extraordinary are the pillars in the Mandapam. There are 28 pillars and all of them exhibit some excellent sculptures or figures from Hindu mythology.

Vasant Mandapam, as the name suggests spring celebrations take place here. The place was build by Thirumalai Nayakkar. The pillars of this Mandapam have elaborate sculptures of Lord Shiva, Meenakshi and scenes of their wedding.

Many festivals are celebrated in the Meenakshi temple all round the year. Hence, this temple is also called as the temple of feasts. This temple has patronized literature, art, music and dance since early days. Madurai Meenakshi temple attracts around six thousand visitors a day and the annual revenues of the temple are around sixty millions. It has scored the 26th place in the top nominees for the Seven Wonders of the World.