Sri Meenakshi Temple
Sri Meenakshi Temple is one of the most iconic and ancient temples in India, located in the heart of Madurai city, Tamil Nadu. The temple dedicated to Goddess Meenakshi, an incarnation of Parvati, and her consort, Lord Sundareswarar, an avatar of Lord Shiva.
Sri Meenakshi Temple said to have been built over 2,500 years ago by the Pandya kings and has been expanded and renovated over time by various rulers. The temple’s architectural marvels include intricate carvings, towering gopurams (towers), and stunning artwork depicting various Hindu mythologies.
Sri Meenakshi Temple is a popular destination for pilgrims and tourists from all over the world, and its annual festival, Meenakshi Tirukalyanam, is a grand celebration that attracts millions of visitors.
History
The Madurai Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple dates back to Pandayan Emperor Sadayavarman Kulasekaran I (1190 CE-1205 CE). The main portions of the three-storeyed Gopuram at the entrance of Sundareswarar Shrine and the central part of the Goddess Meenakshi Shrine built by him.
Sri Meenakshi Temple looted and destroyed by the armies of Delhi Sultanate led by Muslim Commander Malik Kafur in the early 14th century. The Vijayanagara Empire rulers rebuilt the temple, and further renovated and expanded in the 17th century by Tirumala Nayaka. The complex now has 14 gopurams and various sculpted pillared halls, and its shrines dedicated to Hindu deities and Shaivism scholars. The vimanas above the garbhagrihas of Meenakshi and Sundaresvara are gilded with gold.
Dedicated to Meenakshi Devi and Shiva, the temple is a prominent pilgrimage destination within the Shaivism tradition. Despite being a Shaivism temple, Vishnu included in many narratives, sculptures and rituals as Meenakshi’s brother, making it a part of Vaishnava texts. The complex also includes other deities such as Lakshmi, Krishna, Brahma, Saraswati, and features artwork depicting Hindu texts.
The temple attracts tens of thousands of visitors daily and over a million pilgrims during the annual 10-day Meenakshi Tirukalyanam festival. The temple declared India’s best ‘Swachh Iconic Place’ under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2017.
Sri Meenakshi Temple Workship
The Meenakshi Amman temple is an active center of Hindu worship where priests perform daily puja ceremonies and volunteers and temple staff participate in rituals such as symbolically moving an icon of Sundaresvara to Meenakshi’s chamber each night.
The temple also hosts periodic ratha processions and a Golu dolls festival. The temple has a six-time pooja calendar with four rituals each for Meenakshi and Sundareswarar. Temple is accompanied by music and recitation of the Vedas. The Fridays during the Tamil months of Aadi and Thai are celebrated by thousands of devotees. The temple attracts many visitors and considered the primary deity of the complex.
Sri Meenakshi Temple Festival
The Meenakshi temple holds festivals every month according to the Tamil calendar. The most popular festival is the Meenakshi Thirukalyanam, celebrated in the Chithirai month (around April), which commemorates the divine marriage of Meenakshi and attended by over a million people. It features a procession where the divine couple travels in a chariot, and includes events such as the Ther Thiruvizhah (chariot festival) and Theppa Thiruvizhah (float festival). The festival is a classic example of a south Indian matrilineal marriage, in contrast to the patrilineal Chidambaram marriage.
The Meenakshi temple holds monthly festivals such as Vasantham in Vaikasi, Unjal in Aani, Mulai-Kottu in Aadi, Aavani Moolam in Aavani, and Kolattam in Ayppasi and Karthikai. Additionally, the Navarathri festival celebrated in the Tamil month of Purattasi, with the temple decorated with lights and colorful displays depicting mythological scenes from Hindu texts using golu dolls. These displays are particularly popular with families and children.
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