Meenakshi Temple

India boasts of a prolific array of wondrous and spectacular temples, Meenakshi temple is one of them.

Location - Madurai
Best Time To Visit – October to March

The Meenaxi temple is the 17th century Hindu temple which is considered to be one of the largest and certainly one of the most ancient. It has two sanctuaries, one is dedicated to Lord Shiva and the other to his wife, Meenaxi. The temple is very huge and was built by Tirumala Nayak. However its history goes back to the Pandya kings, 2000 years ago. Every statue of the temple exhibits a wide range of human emotions and everything here seems to be larger than life. The temple has a hall with thousand pillars. There is also an interesting art gallery and museum in this hall with some fascinating deities.
The Temple Story
According to the legends, Indra once committed a sin when he killed a demon, who was then performing penance. He could find no relief from remorse in his own kingdom so in order to find peace he came down to earth. While passing through a forest of Kadamba trees in Pandya land, he felt relieved of his burden. His servitors told him that there was a Shivalinga under a Kadamba tree and beside a lake. He got certain that it was linga that had helped him. He soon worshipped the linga and built a temple around it. It is believed that it is this Linga, which is till under worship in the Madurai temple. The shrine is called the "Indra Vimana".

The Temple In View
The inner sanctums of the temple are restricted to Hindus only. The outer wall of the temple complex is 259 m by 221 m. It is estimated that there are around 33 million carvings in the temple. The temple has some of the most interesting architecture in India. The temple holds around 12 large Gopurams. The southern tower of the temple is the largest one and carries over 1500 sculptures on it. The main section of the temple is closed between 1 and 4 pm. 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.

Accessibility
Air - Madurai is well connected by air with Mumbai and Chennai. Madurai airport is 10-km away from the city.
Rail - Madurai has direct rail connections to Bangalore, Coimbatore, Kollam, Chennai, Rameshwaram, Thanjavur, Tiruchirappalli, Tirunelveli, Tirupathi and Tuticorin.
Road - There are well maintained roads connecting Madurai to all parts of South India. Madurai city has 5 Major Bus Stands.