Meenakshi Temple, Madurai

Meenakshi Temple is located in Madurai, the second largest city in the state of Tamil Nadu, South India. It is one of the seven wonders of India appealing tourists from all over the world with its exquisite architecture. It is a historical Hindu temple and also known as the Meenakshi Amman Temple or the Meenakshi Sundareshwar Temple. It is dedicated to Goddess Meenakshi (incarnation of Goddess Parvati) and her consort Sundareshwar (manifestation of Lord Shiva).

The beautiful Meenakshi Temple complex houses 14 splendid Gopurams including two golden Gopurams for the main deities - Meenakshi and Sundareshwar. The temple complex is richly sculptured and painted.

The outer Gopurams or towers are major landmarks of Madurai City, the cultural capitals of South India. They are East Gopuram, West Gopuram, North Gopuram and Sough Gopuram. Each outer Gopuram has nine storeys and are elaborately sculptured and colored. Thousand Pillar Hall is one of the major attractions of the Madurai Meenakshi Temple Complex. It was built by Ariyanatha Mudaliar in 1569.

Major Attractions in the Meenakshi Amman Temple Complex :-

• The Temple Towers called Gopurams
• Ashta Shakthi Mandapam
• Meenakshi Nayakkar Mandapam
• Potramaraikulam (Golden Lotus Tank)
• Oonjal Mandapam
• Thousand Pillar Hall
• Swami Sundareshwar Shrine
• Vasantha Mandapam
• Unjal and Kilikatti Mandapam
• Mudali Pillai Mandapa
• Samagam Meenakshi Naicker Mandapam

How to Reach Madurai

By Air : Madurai is well-connected by domestic flights with Mumbai and Chennai. The Airport is 10 km away from the main city.
By Rail : Madurai is well-connected by direct trains with cities like Coimbatore, Kollam, Chennai, Bangalore, Rameshwaram, Tanjore, etc.
By Road : Madurai is well-connected with all the major cities of Sough India. the city has 5 major bus stands - Anna Bus Stand, Palanganatham Bus Stand, Periyar Bus Stand, Mattuthavani Bus Stand and Arapalayam Bas Stand.