Meenakshi Temple

No text can do justice to the Meenakshi temple. The gigantic temple complicated, the statues exploring the entire array of human emotions, almost everything here is bigger than existence. The Meenakshi temple complex is actually a city temple - one from the biggest and surely one of the most historic. According to legend Madurai may be the actual web site exactly where the wedding ceremony in between Shiva and Meenakshi took location. The soaring and exquisitely carved towers enclose the temple devoted to Meenakashi. The south gateway is made up of the twin temples of Shiva and Meenakshi and it is about nine storeys high.

The Origin In the Meenakshi Temple
The Sri Meenakshi Sundareswara temple and Madurai metropolis originated together. According to custom, Indra when dedicated sin when he killed a demon, who was then performing penance. He could find no relief from remorse in his very own kingdom. He came down to earth. While passing by means of a forest of Kadamba trees in Pandya land, he felt relieved of his burden. His servitors instructed him that there was a Shivalinga below a Kadamba tree and beside a lake. Certain that it had been the Linga that had helped him; he worshipped it and built a small temple about it. It really is thought that it is this Linga, which is till below worship inside the Madurai temple. The shrine is known as the "Indra Vimana".

Once Dhananjaya, a merchant of Manavur, exactly where the Pandyas had arrived following the next deluge in Kumari Kandam, getting been overtaken by nightfall in Kadamba forest, put in the evening inside the Indra Vimana. When next morning he woke up, he was stunned to find out signs of worship. Pondering that it need to be the work with the Devas, he advised the Pandya, Kulasekhara, in Manavur, of this. Meanwhile Lord Shiva had instructed Pandya inside a dream to build a temple and a town in the spot Dhananjaya would indicate. Kulasekhara did so. Therefore originated the temple and town.

Earliest References In the Temple
Paranjothi Munivar wrote the Tiruviayadal Puranam within the sixteenth century. It is regarded because the temple's Sthalapurana. An before function provides a few celestial sports not included within the latter. They are, or relatively were painted on the partitions around the Golden Lily Tank. A number of the painted wood panels are in the Temple Museum.

The earliest references accessible to any structure in this temple is actually a hymn of Sambhandar's, inside the seventh century, which refers for the "Kapali Madil". The current internal partitions of the Lords shrine bear this title right now. Inside the early times the entire temple must happen to be confined to the region between these walls, along with the structures ought to happen to be of brick and mortar.

In the 14th century an invasion by Malik Kafur ruined the temple. Within the same century Madurai was below Muslim rule for almost fifty a long time. The temple authorities closed the sanctum, coated up the Linga, and set up an additional in the Ardhamandapa. When the town was liberated, the sanctum was opened, and, tradition states the flower garlands along with the sandalwood paste placed on the Linga were as fresh as on the very first day, and two oil lamps had been still burning.

Ashta Sakthi Mandapa
It's a convention within this temple, different from that adopted in others, that the devotee provides worship 1st to Goddess Meenakshi. Consequently, whilst you can find 4 other entrances into the temple, under massive Gopuras inside the four cardinal directions, it really is customary to enter not by means of any of them but via a Mandapa, with no tower previously mentioned it. This entrance qualified prospects straight to the shrine in the Goddess.

This Mandapa is an impressive construction, using a hemispherical ceiling. It truly is 14m lengthy and five.5m wide. You'll find bas-reliefs all more than the location. More than the entrance 1 of them depicts the marriage of Goddess Meenakshi with Lord Somasundara. The Mandapa derives its identify, the "Ashta Sakthi", in the truth it includes sculptures from the 8 Sakthis (also spelt as Shakti). These in the 4 principal Nyanmars were extra in the course of renovation from the temple in 1960-63.

Samagam Meenakshi Naicker Mandapa
A scaled-down Mandapa connects the huge one with an additional big one with one more big hall, called the "Samagam Meenakshi Naicker Mandapa", soon after its builder, a minister of Vijayaranga Chokkanatha (1706-32), who erected in 1707. In previous occasions the temple's elephants camels and bulls employed to become stabled right here. A brass "Tiruvatchi" holding a thousand and 8 lamps stands here, 7.6m large. Marudu Pandya, 1 from the early opponents of the growing British power, set up it.

The Meenakshi Naicker Mandapa is actually a massive hall, 42.9m long and 33.5m extensive. It includes 110 stone columns, every 6.7m high. You'll find yalis inside the money and delicate reliefs beneath. A few of the carvings are unfinished.

Mudali Pillai Mandapa
The Mudali Pillai Mandapa follows the Chitra Gopura. Additional in 1613, it really is 183m long and seven.6m extensive. On its wall are a lot of puranic scenes. It utilized to be without having any normal light, but windows were extra inside the last renovation.

The Golden Lily Tank
The beautiful and historic Golden Lily tank then comes into look at. It really is from its banks that most well-liked photographic views with the temple are taken, showing the gigantic south outer Gopura. The northern corridor prospects straight for the shrine of the Goddess. On its pillars would be the pictures of some of the Sangam poets, of Kulasekhara Pandya, the very first builder in the temple, and of Dhananjaya, who figures within the classic story of its origin. There is no fish in the tank.

The corridors around the tank are rightly referred to as the "Chitra Mandapa", for the partitions carry paintings in the divine sports in the Lord, as narrated inside the "Tiruvilayadal Puranam". They've been renewed from time to time. A short while back there were paintings on wooden panels affixed over an older series. They've considering that been removed to the Temple Museum in the thousand-pillared Mandapa, leaving some dilapidated murals to watch. It really is unattainable to establish the date of those.

It was within the sixteenth century the corridors along with the steps top down for the tank had been constructed; the northern corridor and steps in 1562, those around the east in 1573, and those around the south five decades later on.

The Unjal And Kilikatti Mandapas
Two Mandapas, the Unjal and the Kilikatti, stand on the farther approach to the shrine of the Goddess. On their ceilings are much more paintings. A celebrated mural, opposite towards the entrance of the shrine, depicts the marriage of Goddess Meenakshi. The Kilikatti Mandapa derives its name from the truth that there are parrots in a cage right here. On its walls are carvings of the divine sports activities. Essentially the most ornamental with the temple's Mandapas, it was built in 1623.

A Gopura of three tiers stands more than the entrance from this Mandapa in to the shrine of the Goddess. Built in 1227 by Vambathura Ananda Tandava Nambi, it's named the Vambuthurar Gopura following him. The shrine includes a square sanctum, an Ardhamandapa as well as a Mukhamandapa. Within the niches around the walls from the shrine are pictures of Iccasakthi in the south, Kriyasakthi in the west, and Jnanasakthi within the north. You'll find shrines of Vinayaka and Subramanya in the outer Prakara. They most likely belong for the fifteenth century.

The Historic Shrines In the Prakaras
You can find quite a few historic shrines inside the Prakaras. Opposite to an entrance into the first through the Mahamandapa there's 1 of Lord Sabhapathi. This really is the famous Velliambalam exactly where 1 in the Lord's divine sports took location when, in the ask for from the sages, Patanjali and Vyagrapadha, He danced as Lord Nataraja.

In the second Prakara a shrine, now named that in the Sangam poets, consists of images of a lot of of them. Inside the very same Prakara there's a shrine apparently devoted to Kariyamanikka Perumal, but now empty. Also in the identical Prakara there is a row of fourteen modest shrines, known as the "isvarams". Several of them contain Lingas.

Main Festivels Celebrated at Madurai

Teppam Festival At Madurai
The well-known festivals held at Madurai, include Teppam festival, the yearly Float Festival, whereby the pictures of Sri Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswara (also spelt as Sundreshwara) are mounted on floats, and taken to Mariamman Teppakkulam Tank, where for a number of days they're pulled forwards and backwards across the water within the center in the tank, on an illuminated raft embellished with flowers, ahead of getting taken back to the main temple.

Meenakshi Kalyanam At Madurai
The annual solemnization in the marriage of Meenakshi with Lord Sundareshwar (Shiva) is one of the most spectacular temple festivals at Madurai's renowned Meenakshi temple in Tamil Nadu. Automobile processions from the goddess as well as the god are many of the colourful capabilities of this festival.

Meenaskhi Kalyanam, the marriage ceremony festival of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareshwar is celebrated for twelve days through the second day in the lunar month (i.e. two days right after the brand new moon). This is a magnificent festival celebrated within the month of Chaitra (April-May).

The festival is characterised with royal decorated umbrellas, followers and classic instrumental songs. Scenes from mythology are enacted and the deities of Lord Shiva, Goddess Shakti and Goddess Meenakshi are taken out in a colourful procession. Thousands of devotees from all over the country collect inside the town of Madurai on this occasion.

The way to Get there

Air
Madurai is linked by air with Mumbai and Chennai. Madurai airport is 10-km absent through the metropolis.

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

Street
You'll find exceptional roads connecting Madurai to all elements of South India. Madurai metropolis has five Key Bus Stands- Periyar Bus Stand, Anna Bus Stand, Palanganatham Bus Stand, Arapalayam Bus Stand, Mattuthavani Bus Stand. From Madurai city buses, suburban buses, taxis, auto rickshaws and cycle rickshaws are accessible to reach the temple.