Temples in Madurai
Meenakshi Temple
This 17th century temple has two sanctuaries, one dedicated to Lord Siva as Sundareswara ("Lord of Beauty") and the other to Meenakshi, his wife. Meenakshi holds a parrot and a bouquet. It is a huge temple, in which you can get lost. The present temple was built in the early 17th century by Tirumala Nayak, but its history goes back to the Pandya kings, 2000 years ago.
The temple has a hall with a thousand pillars (actually 985). There is an interesting art gallery and museum in this hall with some fascinating deities. The museum can be visited while the temple is closed in the afternoon.
The temple is open daily. Outside the Meenakshi Amman Shrine there is temple music. Every night there is a dramatic ceremony during which Lord Siva is carried into the bedroom of Parvati. He is taken back to his temple each morning.
The inner sanctums are restricted to Hindus only, but anyone can go anywhere else on the temple grounds. It is interesting to visit the temple both in the day and at night, as the dark corridors, with lamps burning here and there, are very impressive.
You can climb up to the top of the southern gopuram and great view of Madurai.
Temple Story
The story of the deities is that Meenakshi was born, with three breasts, out of the yajna fire that the Pandyan kind, Malayadhwaja, was performing to get a son. The king was told that one of the breasts would disappear when she met the man she would marry. This happened when she met Lord Siva on Mt Kailash. Lord Siva told her to return to Madurai, and eight days later her arrived in the form of Lord sundareswara to marry her. Meenaksi means "one who has eyes like a fish." Just as a mother fish has to just glance on her spawn to develop life in them, so in the same way her worshiper’s spiritual life comes alive when goddess Meenakshi glances at them.
Temple Information
There is a good detailed explanation of the temple called History and Description of Sri Meenakshi Temple, which you can purchase at stalls inside the temple.
There is a camera fee payable at the temple office inside the southern gate, to the left as you enter. After taking a few pictures.
The main section of the temple is closed even for taking pictures. But the halls in the eastern part of the temple, including the 1000 Pillar Hall and the Ashta Shakti Mandapa, are open during this time.
Non-Hindus are not allowed in the inner sanctum. There is a jewel house next to where the vehicles of Meenakshi and Sundareswar are kept. The jewels can be seen for a donation.
Temple Complex
The outer wall of the complex is 259m by 221m (847 by 792 ft.) It is estimated that there are 33 million carvings in the temple. This temple has some of the most interesting architecture in India.
The temple has 12 large gopurams, or gates. There are four huge gopurams with colored statues on the outer wall. The southern tower, built in the 16th century, is the largest one and is 48.8 metres (170ft) high with a 108 by 67 foot base. It has over 1500 sculptures on it. There are two huge yalis, which are like a combined lion and elephant, on both sides of the tower. The diameter of their eyes are two and a half feet, which gives an indication of the size of their bodies. The west tower, which is the first tower to be seen if you are coming from the railway station, is 154 feet high and has 1124 sculptures on it. The north tower is 152 feet high and has 404 sculptures on it.
The eastern gopuram, built in the 13th century by Maravarman Sundara Pandyan, is the oldest tower. The eastern gate, which in most temples is the main gate, is never used. The reason for this is that one of the priests of the temple jumped off this gopuram when the Palace officials levied taxes on the temple servants. After this incident the tax was immediately stopped. The gate is supposed to be haunted by his ghost.
People instead enter to the left of the eastern tower directly in line with the entrance to the Meenakshi Temple. There are beautiful scupltures of Ganesh and Subrahmanya on the sides of this entrance. There is also a scene of Sri Meenakshi’s wedding. This entrance leads to the Ashta Shakti Mandapa (Eight Goddess Hall), where there is an interesting market. There are sculptured pillars decorated with carvings of the eight Shaktis (goddesses) and Siva’s 64 miracles at Madurai. There are also paintings in this hall that depict the birth of Sri Meenaksi.
A small hall connects the Ashta Shakti Mandapa to a large hall (43 m by 33.5m, or 160 ft by 110 ft) called the Meenakshi Naicker Mandapa. In the small hall there are eight-foot-tall statues of a hunter and Parvati.
The Meenakshi Naicker Mandapa has 110 pillars, each of which is 6.7 m (22 ft) high. On each pillar is a figure of a yali, which is like a combined lion and elephant. There is a 25 foot high Thiruvatchi (frame of lamps) that contains 1008 lamps.
Going straight from the Ashta Shakti Mandapa, you enter the seven-story Chitrai (artistic) gopuram, which has 730 sculptures on it. This leads to the Mudali Pillai Mandapa. This hall has scenes from the Puranas on its walls.
The Portramaraikulam tank (golden lotus tank), also called Swarnapushpakarini, is where Tamil literature was presented and then put in the tank. The manuscripts that floated were considered great works of literature, and if they sank, they were dismissed. Pilgrims either bathe in the tank or wash their feet and hands there before entering their inner sanctum. The tank is 165 ft by 120 ft.
On the west side of the golden tank by the Meenakshi shrine is the Oonjal Mandapa, or Swing Mandapa, which has a swing where the t3wo presiding deities are worshiped every Friday. The six shrines of Subrahmanya are painted on the walls of this Mandapa. Next to this is the Kilikootu Mandapa, the hall of parrots. There used to be parrots here that chanted the name of Meenakshi, but there are no parrots in this hall now. It has some beautiful sculptures of the Pandavas, Vali, and Sugreeva, the king of the monkeys. There is a Yali here that has a stone ball that revolves in its mouth.
Next to the Kilikootu Mandapa is the main entrance to the Meenakshi shrine, also known as Amman Koyil, or "mother temple." The roof of the main shrine is covered with gold.
Across the corridor and next to the tank is the small Rani Mangammal Mandapa, which has an 18th century painting showing the marriage of Meenakshi and Sundara. In the hallway there are also sculptures from the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Walking north from the Meenakshi shrine brings you to the Sundareswara shrine. By the doorway between these two shrines is a huge eight-foot tall monolithic Ganesh, said to have been found when the Mariamman Teppakkulam tank was excavated.
In front of the Sundareswara shrine are carvings of the Navagrahas (nine planets). Next to this is the Kambathadi Mandapa, where there are carvings of the ten incarnations of Vishnu and the wedding of Meenakshi.
At the entrance of the Sundareswara Temple are 12 feet tall dwarapalakas (guards). In the southern part of this temple are shrines dedicated to Saraswati (goddess of learning) and the 63 Nayanmars (important devotees of Siva). In the southwest corner is the utsava-murti (the deity taken out of the temple for processions). In the north section on can see Durga, Siddhi and Laksmi (goddess of wealth), as well as an ancient Kadamba tree and a well. In the northwest corner is Kasi Visvanatha. There is a tunnel in this enclosure which is said to have once been connected to the Thirumalai Nayak Place. In the next enclosure is a Lord Nataraja shrine, called Velliambam or Rajatha Sabha, where Lord Siva is dancing with his right foot raised. You then enter the inner sanctum.
If after leaving the Sundareswar Temple you go straight (east) you come to the Vira Vasantharayar Mandapa, which has 46 pillars and a large Nandi, the bull carrier of Lord Siva. There is a large arch of lights in this mandapa.
The Thousand Pillar Mandapa was built in the 16th century. Each pillar is intricately carved. It is a huge hall, 250 by 240 feet, which is open all day. There is a large deity of Nataraja (dancing Lord Siva) at the far end of the hall. There is an interesting museum and some musical pillars in this hall. The musical pillars are just inside the entrance to the right.
When you exit out of this hall you come to the Thirukkalyana Mandapa. This is where the marriage ceremony of Sri Meenakshi is performed each year in April/May.
Between the north gopuram and the Thousand Pillar Hall on North Adi Street there are five musical pillars, each made of 22 rods carved out of a single block of granite. Each of the rods of the pillars produces a different note when struck. Near the pillars is a mandapa with 16 pillars called Tattu Chutur Mandapa, built in 1172.
Koodal Alagar Temple
This is a Vishnu temple located 2 km west of the city. There are three altars, one on top of the other, in which Lord Vishnu is in three different poses: sitting, standing, and reclining. The main Deity of the temple is Koodal Alagar, who is in a sitting posture. Above the shrine of this Deity are the altars of Sri Ranganatha, in a reclining pose, and Sri Suryanarayan Perumal, in a standing pose. There are intricate woodcarvings here, including one of Lord Rama’s coronation. This is one of the 108 Divya Desam temples. There is a Navagraha (nine planets) enclosure in this temple.
Mariamman Teppakkulam Tank
This huge tank, 1000 feet by 950 feet, is located 5 km east of the Meenakshi Temple. This is where the Float Festival takes place, during which the deities are taken out on decorated boats. The tank is fed water from the Vaigai River through underground channels and therefore never dries up. While digging up the earth here a huge Ganesh was found, which is now installed at the entrance of the Sundareswara sanctum. From the PRC bus stand, you catch bus No 4 to get here.
Thirumalai Nayak Mahal Palace.
This interesting palace is about 2 km southeast of the Meenakshi Temple. It was built in 1523 by the Nayak rulers. It has excellent stucco work on its domes and arches. The audience hall is known as Swarga Vilasam (Celestial Pavilion). It has a 20m-high dome without a single girder or rafter support. Architecturally, it is one of the best palaces in India.
There is a sound and light show on the life of Thirumalai Nayak in the evening. There is a museum in the palace dealing with the history of Madurai. It has a beautiful sculpture of Narasimha and a Deity of Lord Vishnu, both dating from around the 9th century.
By Madurai
ALAGAR KOIL TEMPLE
Alagar Koil is an important Vishnu temple, 18 km northeast of Madurai at Alagar Hill. Around the temple are ruins of an ancient fortified town. The presiding Deity is Alagar (the beautiful), who is also known as Sundararaja Penumal. The Deity is also known as Kallalagar, as He is the Deity of the Kallas people. The gopurams of this temple have recently been repainted, giving them an outstanding effect.
Alagar, who is Meenakshi’s brother, was supposed to give her away in marriage to Sundareswara, but He arrived late for the wedding. This pastime is replayed at the Chitrai Festival. The panels in the Meenakshi Temple show carvings of Vishnu giving Meenakshi away in marriage, telling a different story.
Alagar Koil is one of the most ancient temples in India. All the twelve Alwars visited this place. It is stated in the Mahabharata that both Yudhisthira and Arjuna came here. It is said that Koorattalwar, the chief disciple of Ramanuja, got back his eyesight by worshipping the Deity here.
The processional Deity, Sundararaja, is a made of very valuable gold called Aparanji gold. There is a shrine dedicated to Lord Narasimha, known as Jwala Narasimha, located behind the inner sanctum. Every day He is bathed with milk, curd, and other items to cool down His anger. There is a big opening the ceiling, just above His head, through which His anger and fury can pass out. There is a Deity of Sudarsana-cakra said to be 2,000 years old in this temple.
There are also deities of Parthasarathi, Ashtabhuja Krishna, Nartana Krishna, Saraswati, and Ramanujacarya. The temple is said to be perpetually guarded by Karuppanna Swami, a local Tamil deity. He has no image, but two large wooden doors of the entrance to the gopuram, at the 18th step, are dedicated to him. The keys to the treasury of the temple are entrusted to Karuppanna Swami every night.
There are temples of the hill dedicated to Siva, Bhairava, Subrahmanya, and Vinayaka (Ganesh). This place is one of the places dear to Subrahmanya. Water for the daily abhisheka is taken from a spring three km uphill called Noopura Ganga, because any other water is said to blacken the Deity. The source of the Noopura Ganga is unknown.
On the fourth day of the nine-day Chitrai Festival Lord Alagar goes to Madurai to attend his sister Meenakshi’s wedding. This is a grand event and hundreds of thousands of people attend this festival.
Non-Hindus are not allowed in the temple, but ISKCON devotees and converted Hindus can enter the temple. You take the No 44 but from the state bus stand on West Veli St to get here.
Thirupparankunram
At this place is a temple dedicated to Lord Subrahmanya (Kartikeya), which celebrates his marriage to Indra’s daughter, Devayani. The temple was carved out of the mountain. This temple is one of Subrahmanya’s six sacred abodes. Thirupparankunram is eight km southeast of Madurai, on the main railway line. From Madurai the No 5 bus from the PRC bus stand comes here.
Kalamegha Perumal and
Uramellaneyan Temples
Kalamegha Perumal Temple, one of the Divya Desam temples, is located 12 km southeast of Madurai, at Tirumogur, on the bus route to Melur.
The Uramellaneyan Temple is in Tirukkottiyur, 10 km south of Tirupattur, which is 50 km east of Madurai. There are two Deities of Lord Narasimha here. One shows Him chasing Hiranyakasipu, who is trying to elude His grip, and the other shows Him tearing the body of Hiranyakasipu to shreds. This place is the birthplace of Tirukkoiyttiyur Nambi (Goshtipurna), one of Ramanuja’s five gurus. He initiated Ramanuja into the important of the sacred mantra. It is said that Ramanuja got the sacred mantra from Tirukkottiyur Nambi after 18 visits. Sri Ramanuja then publicly explained the inner meaning of the mantra from the temple tower to all the Vaishnavas who had assembled there.
|
