Meenakshi Amman Temple(Madurai)

Location: Madurai, Tamil Nadu.                        Deity: Meenakshi ( Parvati ) Sundareswar     ( Shiva ) .                                                                 Built by: Pandyan King in 6th century 
Temple's height: 52m.                                        Specialities: Ayirakkal ( 1,000 pillar hall ) ,kilikoondu- Mandapam, Golu- Mandapam and pudu- Mandapam .
Architectural Style: Dravidian



 The famous temple is Located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River in Madurai. The temple has a great mythological and historical significance. It is believed that Lord Shiva assumed the form of Sundareswar and married parvati ( Meenakshi ) at this site. During the ' Tirukalyanam festival ' which takes place over a period of 10 days , the temple attracts a millon devotees.
                           
History: The temple was built sometime between the year 1623 and  1655 by Nayak king king of Madurai Vishwanatha Nayaka It is said that the temple was plundered in the 14th century by the Muslim raider Malik kafur who looted the temple of its valuables.

Architecture: The temple followed the design of Dravidian architecture is extending over an area of 65000 sqm. A striking feature of the temple is the astonishing structure known as ' Ayirakkal Mandapa' or the Hall of Thousand pillars and each pillar features high , ornate bold sculptures that look life like . View from any angle these pillars appear to be in a straight line and an architectural masterpiece in the outermost corridors are carved out of stones when it is tapped, each pillar produces different note.

                    ( Peak of the temple )
             ( Interior view of the temple )
              ( Idol of Goddess Meenakshi )
    (Lord Sundareswar & Goddess Meenakshi)
    ( Carvings on the wall of the temple )
               ( Carving of Lord Ganesha )
                    ( Beautiful scluptures )
                ( Inside the temple )

How to reach: By air : Madurai airport is just 10km away from the main city and it is well connected to the major cities of India Nearest International Airport is Chennai.
By train: The nearest railway station is Madurai junction Railway Station. It is 1.70km to reach the temple you can hire taxi to reach the temple.
Timings: Opening time: 5AM to 12.30PM again opens for darshan- 4PM to 9.30PM

              ( Night view of the temple )

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lingaraj Temple ( Odisha)

Image
Lingaraj Temple: LOCATION:  Odisha, Bhubaneshwar MAIN DEITY:  Lord Shiva ESTABLISHED BY:  Jajati Keshari in 11th Century KNOWN FOR:  Having self-originated temple All over in Bhubaneshwara, Lingaraj temple is considered to be the most ancient and the largest of all the temples. The followers of the Hindu religion have great regard for this temple and are revered by the Hindu group of people with utmost faith. The temple has been named so, as to denote the king of the Lingam which is in the phallic form of Shiva. It’s known that when the King of Jaipur in 11th century shifted his capital to the Bubaneshawra city, he embarked on the journey of constructing the Lingaraj temple. HISTORY OF THE TEMPLE Though, it is believed that some parts of the temple was built originally in the 6th century but was renovated and was build in a fully fledged way only in the 11th century. There is also a mention of this temple in the Brahma Purana which is a revered scripture of the Hindu...
Read more

Kalpeswar Temple

Image
Location: Urgam valley, Uttarakhand Deity: Shiva Creator:  Pandavas Type: North Indian architecture. History:  Kalpeswar is a breath taking place with amazing views of the Himalayan peaks. The place is full of legends surrounding its origin. The ancient legend linked to the pandavas, whiles seek his fardom for the sin of kurukshetra war Shiva took a form of bull.But when Bhima tried to hold on to the bull's tail it was vanished at guptakashi his hump appeared in kedarnath bahu appeared at Tunganath and jata appeared at Kalpeswar. About the temple: The temple priests at this temple are the Dasnamis and Gossanis. The temple is located in the urgam valley. Alaknanda and kalpganga rivers is seen at this place. The valley is a dense forest area. How to reach:  By air: The nearest airport is jolly Grant airport located at distance of 268kms from Kalpeswar. By train:  Risikesh railway station is the nearest railhead locate 251kms from joshimath.
Read more

Ramanathaswamy Temple

Image
Location: Rameswaram  District: Ramanathapuram Deity:  Lord Shiva  Creator: Pandya and Jaffna king. Ramanatha swamy temple stands at the heart of Rameswaram. This temple it self is a delight for every tourist with its magnificent strcture, long corridors. The temple is dedicated to Lord shiva. It also boasts of being one of the 12 jyotirlinga temples of India. History: According to a popular legend lord Rama installed this linga here. When he was on his way to attack Ravana, he reached this place where he made a linga of sand and worshipped it. Lord Shiva blessed him. He requested Shiva to reside here eternally for the the benefit of mankind. Shiva then manifested himself as the linga and was installed there.  Architecture:  The temple has been built using the Dravidian architecture, which stand within a complex surrounded by a high compound wall  The temple boasts of striking long corridors inside that are 5ft high. The sanctum of the temple consists of tw...
Read more