MEENAKSHI AMMAN TEMPLE

                                               my madurai 

is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and administrative headquarters of Madurai District. It is the third largest municipal corporation in Tamil Nadu.

Madurai is ruled by the beautiful king named MEENAKSHI AMMAN she is daugther of PANDIA MANNAR 

MEENAKSHI AMMan

meenakshi amman temple history 

Meenakshi Amman Temple (Other names : Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple or Tiru-aalavaai  or Meenakshi Amman Kovil) is a historic Hindu temple located in the southern bank of river Vaigai in the temple cityof Madurai, Tamil Nadu,India. It is dedicated to Parvati who is known as Meenakshi and her consort, Shiva, named here as Sundareswarar. The temple forms the heart and lifeline of the 2500 year old city of Madurai. The complex houses 14 gateway towers called gopurams, ranging from 45-50m in height, the tallest being the southern tower, 51.9 metres (170 ft) high, and two golden sculptured vimana, the shrine over sanctum of the main deities. The temple is a significant symbol for the Tamil people, and has been mentioned since antiquity in Tamil literature, though the present structure is built during 1623 to 1655  The temple attracts 15,000 visitors a day, around 25,000 during Fridays and gets an annual revenue of sixty million. There is an estimated 33,000 sculptures in the temple and it was in the list of top 30 nominees of the "New Seven Wonders of the World". The annual 10 day Meenakshi Tirukalyanam festival celebrated during April–May attracts 1 million visitors.

 morning view of meenakshi amman temple 

nigth view of meenakshi amman temple ,

architecture 

The temple is the geographic and ritual center of the ancient city of Madurai and one of the largest temple complexes in Tamil Nadu. The temple complex is divided into a number of concentric quadrangular enclosures contained by high masonary walls. It is one of the few temples in Tamil Nadu to have four entrances facing four directions. Vishwantha Nayaka allegedly redesigned the city of Madurai in accordance with the principles laid down by Shilpa Shastras(Sanskrit: śilpa śāstra, also anglicized as silpa sastra meaning rules of architecture) relevant to urban planning. The city was laid out in the shape of square with a series of concentric streets culminating from the temple. These squares continue to retain their traditional names, Aadi, Chittirai, Avani-moola and Masi streets, corresponding to Tamil month names. Ancient Tamil classics mention that the temple was the center of the city and the streets happened to be radiating out like lotus and its petals. The temple prakarams(outer precincts of a temple) and streets accommodate an elobrate festival calendar in which dramatic processions circumabulate the shrines at varying distances from the centre. The vehicles used in processions are progressively more massive the further they travel from the centre.The complex is in around 45 acres (180,000 m²)^] and the temple is a massive structure measuring 254 by .

The temple is surrounded by gopurams (gateway tower), - There are ten gopuram the tallest of which, the famous southern tower, rises to over 170 ft (52 m) and was built in 1559. The oldest gopuram is the eastern one, built byMaravarman Sundara Pandyan during 1216-1238 Each gopuram is a multi-storeyed structure, covered with thousands of stone figures of animals, gods and demons painted in bright hues.The outer gopuram presents steeply pyramidal tower encrusted with plastic figures, while the inner gopuram serves as the entrance to the inner enclosure of Sundareswarar shrine.

north tower                                                south tower 

East west 

Once we entered the temple we could find 

Once you enter the 'Madhurai Meenakshi temple' one will get lost, in the vastness of the Temple architecture, and the beauty of the entire ambience, present over the vast temple territory. 'The Vinayagar temple' is one of the very important places,  which attracts us,  in the entrance of the.main temple. 

and we could find the tank  over their 

The sacred temple tank Porthamarai Kulam ("Pond with the golden lotus"), is 165 ft (50 m) by 120 ft (37 m) in size. According to legend, Shiva promised a stork that no fish or other marine life would grow here and thus no marine animals are found in the lake. In the Tamil legends, the lake is supposed to judge the worth of a new piece of literature. Authors place their works here and the poorly written works are supposed to sink and the scholastic ones are supposed to float,Tirukkural by Tiruvalluvar was one such work.

Only a fraction of 17th and 18th century paintings of Nayak period survives and one such portion is found in the small portico on the western side of the tank. It depicts the marriage of Sundareswarar and Meenkashi attended by Vijayaranga Chokkanatha and Rani Mangammal. The painting is executed on a vivid red background, with delicate black linework and large areas of white, green and ochre. The celestial couple is seated inside an architectural frame with a flowering tree in the background.

the main god inside the temple is :

1. mukuruni vinayagar 

he tall sculpture of Ganesh carved of single stone located outside the Sundareswarar shrine in the path from Meenashi shrine is called theMukuruny Vinayakar. A large measure of rice measuring 3 kurini (a measure) is shaped into a big ball of sacrifice and hence the Ganesh is called Mukkurni Vinayagar (three kurinis). This deity is believed to be found during a 17th century excavation process to dig the Mariamman temple tank.

 

In Madurai, this Ganesha is found on the path that lay between Meenakshi Sannidhi and Chokkanãthar Sannidhi. In Chidambaram, he is found at the head of ‘Therkku veedhi’ (South Street). In Nagapattinam, Kanchi Mahaswami Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswati Swamiji had a single, huge ‘modaka’ made out of the entire flour and offered it to Lord Ganesha. A sack full of rice was ground into flour and one huge ‘kozhukattai’ was prepared out of it!

and we enter straigth the temple we could find kodi maram of meenakshi amman tower 

and then worship amman we should go to vinayagar 

and then to siva temples 

 and we should worship the lord siva 

and inside the lord siva temple 

vallav siddthar is the main god who architect this temple , vallav siddthar is none other than lord siva , 

once a time vallav siddthar was giving vipudi to devoties in the temples , padian mannar asked who is this person give vipudi to everyone , he scoulded and vallav siddthar said i am lord siva and he gave sugar cane to stone elephant , and this arose from the stone and eat that sugar cane and lord siva sat their near that ..

and we came out from siva temple we could find the two big statue of the lady god 

and we leave that place enter outside we could see the big wall a

meenakshi amman temple has elephant and camel , cow 

and then 1000 pillars 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-s9e5pmROE‎

ayiram Kaal Mandapan (1000 pillar hall) is a big hall constructed with 1000 pillars inside Madurai Meenakshi amman temple. Now most areas of the hall are now used as Temple Museum which holds collections of rare scriptures, statues and antique products. The pillars are arranged in beautiful ranks which would remind you to precession and perfection that was followed in the olden days. A must watch attraction inside Meenakshi amman temple. The Temple museum can be made better by maintaining it properly and adding new attractions.