Meenakshi Amman Temple - Madurai

Recently I visited Madurai – one of the oldest cities of Tamil Nadu, in southern part of India.

The main attraction in Madurai is of course Meenakshi Amman Temple.

Meenakshi amman temple has been given a big face lift by the Tamil Nadu government. Looks like they have spent a lot of money and time to clean the temple and paint it. Painting the Gopurams (Tamil word for Temple towers) however is a matter of opinion. I am not in favor of painting the gopuram. In my opinion it loses the original look. In the recent past they have started painting all the gopurams in Tamil Nadu. I guess they should be left without painting. It looks better that way.

Meenakshi amman temple is a historic Hindu temple, which is dedicated to Lord Sundareswarar.  Ironically later on it became more famous as Meenakshi amman temple! The main deity in this temple is the Lingam and Meenakshi. The temple is full of wonderful architecture. Although many statues have been mutilated over time, even what remains today is testimony to the splendid architectural capability of Tamilians! The temple is a significant symbol for the Tamil people and has been quoted often in ancient Tamil literature. Although the exact year in which this magnificent temple was built is not known, references to this temple in many ancient Tamil literatures are found. Thirugnanasambandar, the famous Hindu saint has, mentioned this temple as early as the 7th century in his works!

The temple Gopurams are very elaborately sculptured and there are 12 such towers in this temple. Two towers which are just above the main deities are made of Gold with splendid sculptures. The tallest temple tower is nearly 52 meters high! The temple is the geographic and ritual center of the ancient city of Madurai. The temple walls, streets and finally the city walls (ancient) were built around the temple in concentric squares. Ancient Tamil classics mention that the temple was the center of the city and the streets happened to be radiating out like the lotus and its petals. It is one of the few temples in Tamil Nadu to have four entrances facing four directions. The temple is surrounded by 12 towers, the tallest of which, the famous Southern tower, rises to over 52 meters high.

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