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Meenakshi
Amman Temple is an ancient and
one amongst the most important
temples of India. Located in the
holy city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu,
Meenakshi Temple can be reached
easily by the means of local
transport from Madurai. The city
comprises its own domestic airport
that is connected with all the major
cities of India. Renowned for its
astonishing architecture, Meenakshi
Amman Temple has been nominated for
the new Seven Wonders of the World.
Hundreds and thousands of devotees
come every year to pay their
obeisance of the Lord.
Meenakshi Sundareswar Temple is
dedicated to Sundareswar (form of
Lord Shiva) and Meenakshi (form of
Goddess Parvati). The term "Sundareswar"
suggests "the beautiful lord" and "Meenakshi"
means "the fish-eyed goddess". As
per the Hindu folklore, Madurai is
the same city where Lord Sundareswar
(Shiva) appeared to marry Goddess
Meenakshi (Parvati). |
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Madurai - Temple City |
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Madurai is a place where
people ofen tend to
visit. There are many
places with national
importance. It is also
known as temple city.
Madurai is situated on
the banks of Vaigai
River in Tamil Nadu, a
southern Indian state.
It is the second largest
city of Tamil Nadu and
has a population in
excess of 1.1 million.
It is well known for the
Meenakshi temple
situated at the heart of
the town which attracts
tourists as well as
pilgrims. Madurai has a
rich cultural heritage
passed on from the great
Tamil era more than 2500
years old, and has been
an important commercial
centre even as early as
550 AD. |
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Specialities Of
Madurai |
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Madurai is known for
many special products.
The flower "Jasmine" is
very famous here. Every
woman has a desire for
this 'Madurai malligai'.
It has special
attraction towards the
people. The food habits
in madurai is in such a
way that the people are
able to prevent any
diseases due to the
intake of healthy food.
Various types and
variety of fruits are
all available here. In
season times the price
is also very low,
because of assembling
various types from
different places. Fruits
like Athippalam, fashion
fruit, strawberries etc
are also available. At
important places there
are fruit juice parlours
known as "palamuthir
cholai". |
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History of
Madurai |
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Madurai is Tamil Nadu's
oldest city and one of
India's oldest cities,
with a history dating
back to the Sangam
period of the
pre-Christian era. It
was home to the ancient
Tamil Sangam (The
Academy of Tamil
Learning), the literary
conclave that produced
the first Tamil epic
Silappathikaaram and
other masterpieces of
Tamil literature.
Megasthenes, the ancient
Greek diplomat and envoy
to India in 3rd century
BC, had written in
glowing terms about it
in Indica, his
celebrated account on
India. But Madurai was
to reach its heights of
glory in the hands of
the Cholas. |
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►
Other Places to See in
Madurai
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►
Thirumalai Nayakar Mahal
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 It
is a place about one
kilometre from the south
east of the Meenakshi
Temple. The show
building is constructed
in the Indo-Saracenic
style by Nayaks. The
main attraction here are
the musical pillars and
the pathway. There is
one small museum, and
the main audience hall
opens into a huge
outdoor courtyard. |
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►
The Mariamman
Theppakulam, Vandiyur |
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 5km
south east of Meenakshi
Temple is one of the the
huge Temple tank in
south India. It was
built in 1636 and was
commissioned by
Thirumalai nayakar in
1646. The Float Festival
is celebrated here on
the Full Moon Day of the
Tamil month of Thai -
mid-Jan, to mid-Feb
every year. The placid
waters of the tank turn
colorful when the
mandapam is lit up and
the temple deities are
brought to it in
decorated floats.
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Gandhi Museum |
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 Gandhi
museum was the official
residence of the
District collectors of
madurai for many years.
This museum is a great
historic tamukkam palace
of Rani Mangammal during
1670. The importance of
this museum is that in
1955, the palace and the
land of 12 acres were
dedicated to Gandhi
samak Nidhi by the
Government of TamilNadu
in remembrance of the
life and work of Father
of our Nation.
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►
Special Features of the
Temple
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■
Swami Sundareswarar
Shrine
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The
Shrine
of
Lord
Sundareswarar
(Shiva)
the
consort
of
Goddess
Meenakshi
is
to
the
north
of
Kilikoontu
Mandapam
.
There's
a
gigantic
idol
of
Sri
Ganesh
called
Mukkurini
Pillaiyar
on
the
way.
There's
a
stump
of a
Kadamba
tree,
in
the
outer
pragaram
(corridor
outside
the
main
shrine),
which
is
said
to
be a
part
of
the
same
tree
under
which
Indra
worshiped
Shiva
linga.
There's
also
Kadambathadi
Mandapam
in
the
outer
corridor
and
big
hall
called
'Velli
Ambalam'.
There's
also
an
idol
of
Nataraja
(Shiva
as
the
Lord
of
Dance),
covered
with
silver
leaves.
Thus
this
hall
is
named
as
Velli
Ambalam
(Silver
Hall).
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Ashta Sakthi
Mandapa |
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The Golden Lily
Tank |
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It
is a
convention
in
this
temple,
different
from
that
followed
in
others,
that
the
devotee
offers
worship
first
to
Goddess
Meenakshi.
Therefore,
while
there
are
four
other
entrances
into
the
temple,
under
huge
Gopuras
in
the
four
cardinal
directions,
it
is
customary
to
enter
not
through
any
of
them
but
through
a
Mandapa,
with
no
tower
above
it.
This
entrance
leads
directly
to
the
shrine
of
the
Goddess.
This
Mandapa
is
an
impressive
structure,
with
a
hemispherical
ceiling.
It
is
14m
long
and
5.5m
wide.
There
are
bas-reliefs
all
over
the
place.
Over
the
entrance
one
of
them
depicts
the
marriage
of
Goddess
Meenakshi
with
Lord
Somasundara.
The
Mandapa
derives
its
name,
the
"Ashta
Sakthi",
from
the
fact
it
contains
sculptures
of
the
eight
Sakthis
(also
spelt
as
Shakti).
Those
of
the
four
principal
Nyanmars
were
added
during
renovation
of
the
temple
in
1960-63.
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The
lovely
and
historic
Golden
Lily
tank
then
comes
into
view.
It
is
from
its
banks
that
most
popular
photographic
views
of
the
temple
are
taken,
showing
the
gigantic
south
outer
Gopura.
The
northern
corridor
leads
directly
to
the
shrine
of
the
Goddess.
On
its
pillars
are
the
images
of
some
of
the
Sangam
poets,
of
Kulasekhara
Pandya,
the
first
builder
of
the
temple,
and
of
Dhananjaya,
who
figures
in
the
traditional
story
of
its
origin.
There
is
no
fish
in
the
tank.
The
corridors
around
the
tank
are
rightly
called
the
"Chitra
Mandapa",
for
the
walls
carry
paintings
of
the
divine
sports
of
the
Lord,
as
narrated
in
the
"Tiruvilayadal
Puranam".
They
have
been
renewed
from
time
to
time.
A
short
while
ago
there
were
paintings
on
wooden
panels
affixed
over
an
older
series.
They
have
since
been
removed
to
the
Temple
Museum
in
the
thousand-pillared
Mandapa.
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