Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, Madurai
Goddess Meenakshi & Lord Sundareswarar
Madurai, Madurai district, Tamil Nadu
Vast temple city with 14 colourful gopurams at the heart of Madurai.
History
The temple celebrates the marriage of Meenakshi, a Pandya princess and form of Parvati, with Sundareswarar (Shiva). Madurai was the capital of the Pandyas and the temple is mentioned in Tamil Sangam literature. It was badly damaged by Malik Kafur's raid in 1310 and rebuilt largely by the Nayaks of Madurai, especially Thirumalai Nayak in the 16th–17th centuries, who gave it its present form. The Hall of Thousand Pillars has 985 carved pillars.
Architecture
14 gopurams (tallest southern tower about 52 m), Golden Lotus Tank, musical pillars and the Ashta Shakti Mandapam.
Festivals
- Chithirai Thiruvizha (Meenakshi Thirukalyanam
- April–May)
- Navaratri
- Float Festival
Videos
Photos
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Plan your visit
Weather at the temple
Directions to Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple
How to reach
- By air
- Madurai Airport, about 12 km
- By train
- Madurai Junction, about 1.5 km
- By road
- In the city centre.
Near the temple
Rooms, food, bus stands, railway stations, ATMs, hospitals, parkingPlaces come from OpenStreetMap and may be incomplete. Each list has a Google Maps link for more.