ART-0514 Madurai: The Magnificent Meenakshi Temple

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Madurai is intimately connected to the Shivaite and Shakta traditions (See Teachers’ Pack pages 72, 135, 136).

Madurai is the second largest city in the state of Tamil Nadu, and is situated on the banks of the Vaigai River.

The Seventeenth Century Meenakshi Temple is in the centre of the town. An average of ten thousand people go to this temple every day. The foundations of the town and temple were built by the famous Pandyan king, Kulashekara, who is celebrated as one of the twelve Alvars (poet-saints). It is a place of pilgrimage specifically meant for the devotees of Lord Shiva and thus it is called “Shaivakshetra”, the place where Lord Shiva is worshipped.

The temple complex covers a large area. The outer wall is 847 feet by 792 feet. The temple has approximately 33 million carvings and twelve large gates (gopurams). There is also a hall with 985 pillars, and an art gallery and museum. The temple has two sanctuaries, one dedicated to Lord Shiva as “Sundareshwara” (The Lord of Beauty) and the other to “Meenakshi”, his consort, Parvati. Meenakshi holds a parrot and a bouquet of flowers.

Madurai is located 290 miles south-east of Madras (Chennai).