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Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple
- Introduction
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 It
would be no exaggeration to
state that Madurai is a true
representation of the cultural
ethos of India, and of the grandeur
of Indian art. Central to this
standing is the sprawling Meenakshi
Sundareswarar Temple.
The plurality of faiths centered
around the Meenakshi Sundareswarar
temple, the splendour of its
festival traditions, the invocation
of events from the 1st millennium
CE in its festival traditions
(as in the enactment of the
Tiruvilayadal Puranam), the
association with the Golden
age of Tamil literature - the
Sangam period, the abundance
of literature associated with
the temple, the wealth of sculpture
seen in the temple, the popularity
of the temple in terms of the
number of visitors etc. contribute
to this standing.
The literature of the pre Christian
Sangam period speaks of Madurai.
The devotional hymns of the
Nayanmars venerate Somasundarar
- or Aalavaayan of Madurai.
The Haalaasya Mahatmyam or the
Tiruvilayadal Puranam speak
of the various legends associated
with Shiva, which still form
a part of the festival traditions
of this temple.
The most amazing feature of
this temple is the fact that
it is a living legend, absorbing
traditions for over two millennia.
In its finished form, it represents
the marvelous resilience of
the Indian cultural ethos -
(the fact that it was reconstructed
during the Nayak period, after
the destruction of the temple
by Malik Kafur, one of the generals
of Allaudin Khilji). Legends
such as Meenakshi Kalyanam,
the coronation of Meenakshi
and Sundareswarar as the Queen
and King of Madurai, still form
part of the grand festival traditions.
In fact, Meenakshi and Sundareswarar
are regarded as the Royal Pandya
rulers of Madurai; Meenakshi's
father, is said to be Malayadwaja
Pandyan, who was preceded by
Kulasekhara Pandyan - the legendary
builder of the city of Madurai.
The living legend the temple
is - is complimented with architectural
and sculptural splendour thanks
to the vision and patronage
of the Madurai Nayak rulers
- successors to the Vijayanagar
empire. Towering Rajagopurams
dominate the skyline of Madurai;
each of these gopurams is filled
with myriad stucco images reflecting
legends from the puranas; the
temple complex in itself is
a lavish art gallery, what with
the grandeur of sculptures in
the 1000 pillared hall, the
millions of stucco images adorning
the towring gopurams of the
temple the murals, the depiction
of the Tiruvilayadal puranam
- only to name a few.
The
festival traditions here represent
a congruence of the Saiva, Shakta,
Skanda and Vaishnava streams
of the Hindu religion - thanks
to the adept repositioning of
the Maasi Tiruvizha in the month
of Chittirai, to coincide with
the annual festival at the Kallazhagar
temple, when all of Madurai
is transformed into one huge
space of celebration faith.
Temple
Regular Opening Hours:
06:00 to 12:30 and 16:00
to 21:00
Temple
Art Museum-1000 Pillar
Hall Opening Hours:
07:00 to 12:30 and 16:00
to 20:00
Temple
Office Phone No:
0452 - 2344360 |
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Surya
Tours & Travels
No. 96/56, West Perumal
Maistry Street,
Madurai - 625 001,
Tamil Nadu, India
Mobile: +91 98943
76717 (Surya)
Internet Banking -
ICICI Bank
A/C - 601 305013685
Payable at Madurai
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