Meenakshi Amman Temple

The temple is unusual in that the goddess Meenakshi, not the god, is the principal deity, reflecting the strong Shakta devotion of Tamil Nadu. Its central legend celebrates the divine marriage of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar, re-enacted each year in the grand Meenakshi Thirukalyanam festival that draws over a million devotees. As a masterpiece of temple architecture and a continuous centre of worship for over a thousand years, it embodies the cultural soul of the Tamil land.

The Meenakshi Amman temple is one of the largest and most spectacular temple complexes in India, its history stretching back many centuries though the present structure largely dates to the Nayak rule of the 16th–17th centuries. Every one of its soaring gopurams is encrusted with thousands of vividly painted stucco figures of gods, demons and celestial beings. Inside lie marvels such as the Hall of a Thousand Pillars (now a museum), the golden-hued Potramarai (Golden Lotus) tank, and the musical pillars that ring with notes when struck. The city of Madurai itself grew in concentric streets around this temple, which remains its living heart.