Location : Madurai,
Tamil Nadu
Dedicated to : Lord Shiva and Parvati
Also Known as : Meenakshi-Sundareshwara Temple
Temple Timings : 5 AM - 12:30 PM & 4 PM - 9:30 PM
Best time to Visit : October to March
Meenakshi Sundareshwara Temple
The holy land of south India is blessed with hundreds of temples and
religious shrines, but perhaps none that can outclass the brilliance and
grandeur of the Meenakshi temple. Situated at Madurai in the state of Tamil
Nadu, this 17th century architectural marvel is one of the largest and most
visited centres of worship in the country, ornate with intricately carved
stone walls, life like statues and beautiful murals. Madurai has an
important place in Hindu mythology being considered as the place where the
wedding between Shiva and Parvati took place, better known in this part of
the country as Sundareshwar and Meenakshi respectively. The twin temples of
Shiva and Meenakshi lie enclosed within the towering 6 mts high wall of the
temple resembling much like a fortress.
Legends Galore
According to mythical lores, the presiding deity of the temple goddess
Meenakshi was born of the holy yagna flames, organised by King Malaydvaja to
please the supreme being and bless him with a son. The king was surprised to
see a girl emerge out of the holy flames who despite being utterly beautiful
in every other respect had three breasts, the unwanted one supposed to
disappear when Meenakshi were to meet her future husband. Years later when
Meenakshi set about on a campaign to conquer the world she was defeated by
Lord Shiva's army near mount kailash. The age old prophecy was fulfilled
when Meenakshi lost her unwanted breast on coming across Lord Shiva. Shiva
and Meenakshi then travelled to Madurai and got married.
History and Architecture
Not much is known of the ancient history of the temple, though references
to the holy structure are found in literature as old as the seventh century.
The old temple was destroyed by Muslim rulers in the 13th century and was
restored in an even better way by the Nayak rulers during the 17th and 18th
century.
The huge temple complex consists of 12 gopuras rising to a height of 46
mts, adorned with carved figures of mythical characters. The top of these
structures affords a panoramic view of the city. A collection of shrines and
over 33000 sculptures greet the visitors along with other ancient
structures.
Other Attractions in Madurai
Thirumalai Nayak Palace
The beautiful palace was a gigantic structure built in an Italian style of
architecture by king Thirumalai Nayak in 1636. The enormity of the original
structure can be well imagined by the fact that the structure we see today
is just a part of the original structure which was almost four times in
size.
Thirupparankundram
A little away from Madurai city, the small town of Thirupparankundram is
regarded as the abode of Lord Subramaniya. The temple houses a number of
shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva, Ganapathy, Durga and Vishnu.
Azhagar Kovil
21 Km north-west of Madurai, Azhagar Kovil is a beautiful temple dedicated
to Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu is worshipped here in the form of Azhagar, the
brother of Meenakshi.
Stay At
Some of the best hotels around the city include Taj Garden Retreat (15 min
from the Meenakshi temple), Madura Park Inn (close to the railway station,
2.5 Km from Meenakshi temple), Pandiyan Hotel (Race Course, Madurai) and
Hotel Sangam (Alagarkoil Road, Madurai).
Getting There
By Air : A domestic airport is situated at a distance of
just 10 km from the city centre. Daily Indian Airlines flights connect the
city with Chennai, Bangalore, Trichi and Coimbatore while flights are also
available to and from Mumbai.
By Rail : Madurai is an important railway junction with
nearly all the trains on the southern railway route halting here. Regular
trains are available to and from nearby cities such as Bangalore,
Coimbatore, Kollam, Madras, Rameshwaram, Thanjavur, Tiruchirappalli,
Tirunelveli, Tirupathi and Tuticorin. The best option between Chennai and
Madurai is the super fast Vagai express which takes around 7 hours for the
journey.
By Road : Two national highways, NH 7 and NH 45 pass
through the city connecting it to the rest of south India. State transport
buses plying from 5 bus stations spread across the city connect it to all
the major neighbouring cities.
Distance from Major Cities
- Bangalore : 446 Km
- Chennai : 444 Km
- Coimbatore : 217 Km
- Mysore : 382 Km
- Kochi : 270 Km
- Kanyakumari : 235 Km
- Pondicherry : 324 Km
- Rameshwaram : 172 Km
- Thiruvananthapuram : 264 Km
