Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple Indian Panorama

Meenakshi Amman Temple - Madurai - Tamil Nadu

Pandya rulers lavished vast resources and the skills of countless craftsmen on the architecture of Meenakshi. All up there are 11 gopurams, the most attractive of them being the one at the southern entrance rising to a height of 45 metres with a parabolic curve.

The Golden Lotus Tank inside Meenakshi temple is surrounded by spacious corridors, the walls of which are covered with paintings depicting the lord's miracles. Adjacent to the tank are the Unjal Mandapam and the Kilikoottu Mandapam. The long rows of pillars here contain delicately-carved figures. There is a special Peetam in a six-pillared mandapam, where the coronation of all Nayak kings took place.

History Of Meenakshi Amman Temple

Madurai is mentioned by name on an ancient map dated to the 2nd century CE, and the temple is believed to have been started around this time. The temple as it appears today was started during the Nayak period and the city planned on a grid-pattern around the perimeter. Over the centuries Madurai was ruled by Nayak and Vijayanagara kings, the Kalambra and Pandiyan dynasties as well as by the Chola kings.

The idol of Meenakshi Amman is carved out of Emerald. During the time of war, invaders damaged the Shiva idol which is also present as the mark of remembrance of the history.