MADURAI MEENAKSHI TEMPLE
FULL VIEW
RAJAGOPURAM
MEENAKSHI AMMAN
POTRAMARAIKULAM
HALL OF THOUSAND PILLAR
MUSICAL PILLAR
ABOUT THE TEMPLE:
Arulmigu Meenakshi
Sundareshwarar Temple (often called Meenakshi Amman Temple) is situated in the
heart of the Madurai City, covering an area of 17 acres, the entire city being
built around it.
Lord Shiva as
Sundareswara or the Lord of beauty. The other sanctuaries is dedicated to
Meenakshi, the wife of Shiva. Meenakshi is seen holding a parrot and a bouquet
in her hand. The original temple created by Kulasekara Pandyan in the early
years was in ruins. The present temple was reconstructed in the early 17th
century by Tirumala Nayak. The temple is surrounded by Aadi, Chittiraj and the
Massi streets.
Meenakshi (Meena
meaning fish and akshi meaning eye) is the principal deity of the temple, and
not Sundareswarar - this is unlike most Shiva temples in India where usually
Shiva is the principal deity. And legend has it that Madurai is the actual
place where the wedding of Shiva and Meenakshi took place. The Meenakshi temple
complex is one of the largest and certainly one of the most ancient in the
world. In fact it was in the list of top 30 nominees of the “New Seven Wonders
of the world”. The temple is situated in the heart of the city covering an area
of 17 acres, the entire city was built around it.
Contrary to the custom followed in all the major temples of Tamil Nadu Goddess
Meenakshi (meaning fish eyed) is worshipped first by the devotees in this
temple. In other temples the male deity will be worshiped first. Here
Arti/Deeparadhana is done to Meenakshi first.
Meenakshi was born with three breasts. The Pandya king and the queen, who were
her parents, were told that the third breast will disappear when she sees the
right man. This happened when she met Lord Sundareswarar (Shiva). Even today a
statue with three breasts can be seen in Pudumandapam opposite temple.
The lady goddess
Meenakshi is the principal deity of the temple and not Sundareswarar - this is
unlike most Shiva temples in South India where Shiva is the principal deity.
Meenakshi:-
Devi Meenakshi, the
fish-eyed Goddess, who stands with a parrot and a bouquet, radiating love and
compassion. The sublime grace of the divine Mother and her infinite mercy are
beyond words.
The Meenakshi’s
idol is beautifully carved and her diamond nose ring dazzles in the glow of the
oil lamps. She is always dressed in bright silk and looks gorgeous.
Sundareswarar:-
Lord Sundareswarar's
shrine is situated in the Northern side of the Kilikoontu Mandapam. There is
the idol of Lord Sri Ganesh called as the Mukkurini Pillaiyar. It is believed
that the idol was found when the king Thirumalai Nayakar planned to built a
tank about 3 kms from the temple. He found the idol and brought the same to the
temple and erected it there.
The kadamba tree is
present in the outer pragaram of the Lord Shiva's shrine. There is a dancing
posture of the Lord present in the Shrine called as the Velli Ambalam which is
covered with Silver all over. This is the one of the idol of Nataraja which is
called as the Velli Sabhai. There is many Sabhai's present in the temples of
Lord Shiva all over the state.
In the next sanctum
is the shrine of Lord Nataraja where the Lord is worshiped in the dancing pose
with his right foot raised. Adjacent to it is the sanctum of Sundareswarar,
which is supported by 64 boothaganas (ghostly hosts), 8 elephants and 32 lions.
The Sivalinga, which bears the names of deities such as Chokkanathar and
Karpurachockar, inspires deep devotion.
The Musical Pillars:
The Musical Pillars are
near the northern tower, and there are five musical pillars each consisting of
22 smaller pillars - carved out of a single stone - that produce musical notes
when tapped.
Thousand Pillar Mandapam:-
There is a massive hall in
the Meenakshi Amman Temple, which comprises of 985 magnificently sculptured
Dravidan columns. Known as the Thousand Pillar Mandapam, this hall also houses
an art museum, with a rich collection of icons, photographs, drawings, etc.
