Meenakshi Amman Temple
Also known as: மீனாட்சி அம்மன் கோயில் · మీనాక్షి అమ్మవారి ఆలయం · मीनाक्षी अम्मन मंदिर
Tamil Nadu Devi
The heart of Madurai: the temple of Goddess Meenakshi and her consort Sundareswarar, with fourteen tall gopurams and a famous wedding festival.
- Deity
- Meenakshi (Angayarkanni), Sundareswarar (Chokkanathar)
- Tradition
- Devi
- Place
- Madurai
- State
- Tamil Nadu
- Sthala vriksham
- Kadamba
- Sacred tank / theertham
- Potramarai Kulam (Golden Lotus Pond)
- Era
- Tamil texts mention a temple here by about the 6th century. The oldest surviving stone is from the Pandya period (12th–13th century). The Nayaks expanded it in the 16th–17th centuries.
Sthala Puranam
King Malayadhwaja Pandya and Queen Kanchanamalai performed a yagna to get a child. A three-year-old girl rose from the fire. She had three breasts. A voice from the sky said the third would disappear when she met her husband.
She grew up and ruled Madurai as a queen. On her conquests she came to Mount Kailash and faced Shiva. The third breast vanished and she knew him as her husband.
Shiva came to Madurai as Sundareswarar and married her. Gods and sages attended the wedding. In tradition, Vishnu gave her away as her brother.
The area was once known as Kadambavanam, the forest of kadamba trees. The story of the divine wedding is told again every year in the Chithirai festival.
Speciality
- Fourteen gopurams. The tallest, on the south, is about 52 m (170 ft).
- Aayiram Kaal Mandapam, the hall of a thousand pillars, has 985 carved pillars and now holds a temple art museum.
- Potramarai Kulam, the Golden Lotus Pond, has a gold lotus at its centre.
- Pilgrims traditionally visit Meenakshi first and then Sundareswarar.
- Each night, Sundareswarar is carried in a silver palanquin to Meenakshi's shrine for the Palliyarai ceremony.
Sthala Vriksham (sacred tree)
Kadamba
Tamil temple tradition lists the kadamba tree for Madurai.
Festivals
- Chithirai festival and Meenakshi Thirukalyanam (April–May), about 15 days
- Navaratri (September–October)
- Float festival at Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam (Thai month)
How to reach
Location is approximate.
Before you go
- Dress modestly. Leave footwear outside the temple.
- Timings, ticket rules and dress codes change. Check the temple's own notice or website before you travel.
- Book darshan, rooms and special poojas only at the official counter or website, not through agents.
- Mobile phones and cameras are restricted inside. Use the cloakroom near the entrance.
- Chithirai festival and Navaratri bring very large crowds. Book stay early.
Prayers for this temple
Facts on this page were checked against the sources listed above. If you find a mistake, please tell us.