Madurai Meenakshiamman temple

Madurai Meenakshiamman temple

The Meenaxi temple is the 17th century Hindu temple which is considered to be one of the largest and certainly one of the most ancient. It has two sanctuaries, one is dedicated to Lord Shiva and the other to his wife, Meenaxi. The temple is very huge and was built by Tirumala Nayak. However its history goes back to the Pandya kings, 2000 years ago. Every statue of the temple exhibits a wide range of human emotions and everything here seems to be larger than life. The temple has a hall with thousand pillars. There is also an interesting art gallery and museum in this hall with some fascinating deities.

The Meenakshi Temple Story :

According to the legends, Indra once committed a sin when he killed a demon, who was then performing penance. He could find no relief from remorse in his own kingdom so in order to find peace he came down to earth. While passing through a forest of Kadamba trees in Pandya land, he felt relieved of his burden. His servitors told him that there was a Shivalinga under a Kadamba tree and beside a lake. He got certain that it was linga that had helped him. He soon worshipped the linga and built a temple around it. It is believed that it is this Linga, which is till under worship in the Madurai temple. The shrine is called the “Indra Vimana”.

The Meenakshi Temple In View :

The inner sanctums of the temple are restricted to Hindus only. The outer wall of the temple complex is 259 m by 221 m. It is estimated that there are around 33 million carvings in the temple. The temple has some of the most interesting architecture in India. The temple holds around 12 large Gopurams. The southern tower of the temple is the largest one and carries over 1500 sculptures on it. The main section of the temple is closed between 1 and 4 pm. But the halls in the eastern part of the temple, including the 1000 Pillar Hall and the Ashta Shakti Mandapa, are open during this time.

General Information about Meenakshi Temple :

Location: Madurai

State: Tamil Nadu

Capital: Chennai

Language: Tamil, Hindi, English

Temperature: Max 40˚C, Min 27˚C (summer), Max 29˚C, Min 20˚C (winter)

Best Season: November to March

How to reach Meenakshi Temple :

By Air :

Madurai is well connected by air with Mumbai and Chennai. Madurai airport is 10-km away from the city.

By Rail :

Madurai has direct rail connections to Bangalore, Coimbatore, Kollam, Chennai, Rameshwaram, Thanjavur, Tiruchirappalli, Tirunelveli, Tirupathi and Tuticorin.

By Road :

There are well maintained roads connecting Madurai to all parts of South India. Madurai city has 5 Major Bus Stands.

Madurai 

Madurai — the seventh largest city in Tamil Nadu situated on the banks of Vaigai river — is known for heritage temples, particularly the renowned Meenakshi Temple, and its historical Tamil Academy

The beauty of Madurai is described by Ibn Batuta, the Arab travelogue writer of 14th century, as having a layout and scheme that was centred round the Vaigai in the midst of destruction. It is the seventh largest city of Tamil Nadu in southern India, an animated city, packed with pilgrims and businesspeople and bullock carts. It has attained the 26th place in the list of top nominees for the New Seven Wonders of the World and is well known for its jasmine flowers, sugandhi sarees and for folk dances, dramas and ballads.

Madurai is also called the Athens of the East where Meenakshi Sundareswarar and Azhagar Koil temples, every day, attract around tens of thousands of pilgrims. The magnetic pull of city gets further enhanced during the days of Teppam and Chittrai festivals, the most splendid religious pageants. Madurai has been a centre of learning and pilgrimage for centuries. Legend has it that the divine nectar falling from Lord Shiva’s locks gave the city its name Madhurapuri, now known as Madurai.

Madurai, over 2000 years ago, was been the capital of the Pandyan kings. In the 10th century, it was captured by the Chola emperors. It was also ruled by Vijayanagar kings (Hampi) and the Nayaks. During the rule of the Nayaks, the bulk of the Meenakshi temple was built and Madurai became the cultural centre of the Tamil people. The city came under the sway of the East India Company in 1781.

The Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, named after the daughter of a Pandyan king and her husband Lord Sundereswara (Lord Shiva), is excellent example of Dravidian architecture. The museum, called the Temple Art Gallery, is located within the temple and contains beautiful stone and brass images, examples of South Indian scripts on friezes that explain Hindu pantheism and legends associated with it.

Located at 21-km northwest from Madurai is Azhagar Koil Temple, a Vishnu temple, on a picturesque wooded hill where Lord Vishnu presides as Meenakshi’s brother Azhagar. The tower consists of three tiers depicting Lord Vishnu in three postures — sitting, standing and reclining. At entrance of temple, there is a life-size sculpture of the deity Kalazhagar.

Other attractions in Madurai include the Tirumalai Nayak Palace, Gandhi Museum and Mariamman Teppakkulam Tank. The famous festivals held at Madurai include the Teppam festival, the annual Float Festival wherein the images of Shree Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswara are mounted on floats and taken to Mariamman Teppakkulam Tank.

The Chittrai festival held during March-April, celebrates the marriage of Shree Meenakshi to Lord Sundereswara. On the occasion, an elaborately decorated chariot bearing the images of the divine couple is taken around the city. The resounding notes of the nadaswaram and the drums create a vibrant ambience. The Avnimoola festival is held in late August-early September, when temple cars are drawn around the streets of Madurai.

One can reach Madurai via daily flights from Tiruchirapalli, Chennai and Bangalore and train connections from Madras and Rameshwaram. There is also good service from Madurai to the major cities of Tamil Nadu.

Madurai is closely associated with the growth of Tamil literature. According to ancient Tamil poet Nakeerar there were three Tamil Sangams (Academies) — Mutharchangam, Idaichangam and Kadaichangam — the last belonging to Madurai.

Highlight: Madurai, the seventh largest city of Tamil Nadu in southern India, is an animated city, packed with pilgrims and businesspeople. It ranks 26th in the list of top nominees for the New Seven Wonders of the World and is well known for its jasmine flowers, sugandhi sarees and for folk dances, dramas and ballads.

 

 

madurai

This blog is about madurai and madurai landmarks.