Meenakshi Temple – A Spectacular and Vibrant Hindu Temple

Meenakshi Temple of Madurai in Tamil Nadu is also known as Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareshwarar Temple. It is a Hindi temple situated on the banks of the Vaigai River. This temple is devoted to Goddess Meenakshi. Goddess Meenakshi is an incarnation of Parvati whereas her companion Sundareshwar is the embodiment of Lord Shiva.

Meenakshi Temple is one of the Paadal Petra shthalam. The west side gopuram is the inspiration for the state emblem of Tamil Nadu.

The Architecture Of Meenakshi Temple At Madurai

The temple complex comprises monuments inside a quadrilateral-shaped concentric enclosure. Each layer is secured with tall masonry walls. The external wall has four gateways in the four cardinal directions.

The outer precincts of the temple and the streets accommodate a festival calendar where the parade encompasses the temple complex.

The temрle оссuрies аn аreа оf 14 асres. The temрle соmрlex hоuses multiрle shrines аnd mаndараs. There аre numerоus рillаred hаlls, аlsо knоwn аs Mаndараs, in the temрle соmрlex. Оut оf these, the twо mоst essentiаl аnd humоngоus shrines thаt аre роsitiоned раrаllel tо eасh оther аre арроinted tо Meenаkshi аnd Sundаreshvаrа resрeсtively.

In addition, there is a golden lotus pool constructed for the pilgrims so that they can bathe in it. There is a caravansary or a thousand pillar halls, and a wedding hall also commonly known as Kalyana Mandapa situated inside the temple complex.

Golden Lotus

The Structural Features Of The Temple

The Meenakshi Temple complex had an open design. Later the walls were added to prevent invasion of the property.

The Meenakshi temple shrines are rooted inside three walled enclosures. Each enclosure has four entrance gateways. The outer tower is the largest and tallest in respect to the other corresponding towers. The temple bears fourteen gopurams in total. The Southern tower is the tallest and its height is 170 feet. However, the oldest one is the eastern gopuram. This eastern gopuram was built in 1216-1238 by Maravarman Sundara Pandyan.
All the gopurams are richly decorated with sculptures and painted with vibrant colors. The gopurams are multi-storied. The external gopurams are tall and the internal gopurams are smaller in size. The towers are filled with stucco images from Hindu mythology, saints, and scholars.

Written By Aishee Bachhar | Subscribe To Our Telegram Channel To Get Latest Updates And Don’t Forget To Follow Our Social Media Handles Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter. To Get the Latest Updates From Arco Unico