About Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple:
- Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, also called Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, is a historic Hindu temple located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River in the temple city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
- The temple is dedicated to the goddess Meenakshi, a form of Parvati; her consort Sundareswarar, a form of Shiva; and her brother Alagar, a form of Vishnu.
- The temple is theologically significant, as it represents a confluence of the Shaivism, Shaktism, and Vaishnavism denominations of Hinduism.
- History:
- It was built during the Pandya reign by Kulasekarer Pandya.
- According to historical findings, the creation of this temple can be traced back to early A.D.
- There are mentions of this temple in the songs of the great Hindu Saint Thirugnanasambandar, who lived during the 7th century.
- It is also said that during the 12th or 13th century, at the time of Islamic conquest, this temple was destroyed to an extent.
- However, later it was restored to its present structure. It was later expanded during the rule of Thirumalai Nayak (1623-55 AD). During this time, the present structure of the temple came into being.
- Architecture:
- It is a finest example of the Dravidian style of architecture.
- The oldest gopuram is the eastern one, built by Maravarman Sundara Pandyan during 1216-1238.
- The west tower (gopuram) of the temple is the model on which the Tamil Nadu State Emblem is based.
- The temple has four entrances, while the entrance on the Eastern side being the main temple entrance.
- There are several corridors, and halls such as Aayirankaal (1000-pillared hall), Kilikoondu-mandapam, Golu-mandapam, and Pudu-mandapam, and shrines inside the temple. The corridors and pillars are adorned with wonderful artwork.
- The Thousand Pillar Hall contains 985 (instead of 1000) carved pillars. It was built by Ariyanatha Mudaliar in 1569 and currently houses a museum with artifacts collected from Madurai from the 8th century onwards.
- There are the Musical Pillars outside this hall towards the west. Each pillar produces a different musical note when struck.
- The temple is an architectural wonder with an estimated 33,000 sculptures in the temple.
