Meenakshi Temple- Madurai
Deity Worshipped: Lord Somasundara (Lord Shiva) And Goddess Meenakshi
Built By: The Pandyan King, Kulasekhara
Important Festivals Celebrated: Meenakshi Kalyanam In April-May And The Teppam Festival
Madurai or "the city of nectar" is the oldest and
second largest city of Tamil Nadu. This city is located
on Vaigai River and was the capital of Pandyan rulers. The Pandyan king,
Kulasekhara had built a gorgeous temple around which he created a lotus
shaped city. It has been a center of learning and pilgrimage, for
centuries. Legend has it, that the divine nectar falling from Lord Shiva's
locks, gave the city its name - 'Madhurapuri', now known as "Madurai".
The
Origin Of The Meenakshi Temple
The Sri Meenakshi Sundareswara temple and Madurai city originated
together. According to tradition, Indra once committed sin when he killed
a demon, who was then performing penance. He could find no relief from
remorse in his own kingdom. 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. Certain that it was the Linga that had helped him; he
worshipped it and built a small 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".
Once Dhananjaya, a merchant of Manavur, where the Pandyas had arrived
after the second deluge in Kumari Kandam, having been overtaken by
nightfall in Kadamba forest, spent the night in the Indra Vimana. When
next morning he woke up, he was surprised to see signs of worship.
Thinking that it must be the work of the Devas, he told the Pandya,
Kulasekhara, in Manavur, of this. Meanwhile Lord Shiva had instructed
Pandya in a dream to build a temple and a city at the spot Dhananjaya
would indicate. Kulasekhara did so. Thus originated the temple and city.
When the next Pandya, Malayadhvaja, and his queen, Kanchanamala,
performed a sacrifice for a child, Lord Shiva caused Goddess Parvati
Herself to step out of the fire as a little girl. She had three breasts.
Lord Shiva told the couple that the third breast would disappear when she
set eyes on he who was to be her husband. They were to name her "Thadathagai"
and bring her up as if she were a boy.
She succeeded her father to the throne at his death. She gained many
military victories. Finally she marched on Kailasa itself. When she saw
Lord Shiva, her third breast disappeared. The Lord told her to return to
Madurai and said that He would marry her there. The divine marriage was
celebrated. This is the theme much beloved of Madurai artists. There is a
superb sculpture of this in the temple. The crowning of Meenakshi, for She
was the same as Thadathagai, is celebrated as a festival in the temple.
The Lord performed many miracles at the wedding. These are described in a
celebrated poem, the "Tiruviayadal Puranam". Under the name of "Sundara
Pandya", the Lord ruled the land as a mortal. After sometime,
crowning Lord Muruga, their son, who was named "Ugra Pandya",
Sundara Pandya and Thadathagai went into the temple and assumed divine
forms as "Lord Somasundara" and "Goddess Meenakshi"
respectively.
Earliest References Of The Temple
Paranjothi Munivar wrote the Tiruviayadal Puranam in the sixteenth
century. It is regarded as the temple's Sthalapurana. An earlier work adds
a few celestial sports not included in the latter. These are, or rather
were painted on the walls around the Golden Lily Tank. Some of the painted
wooden panels are in the Temple Museum.
The earliest references available to any structure in this temple is a
hymn of Sambhandar's, in the seventh century, which refers to the "Kapali
Madil". The present inner walls of the Lords shrine bear this name
today. In the early times the entire temple must have been confined to the
area between these walls, and the structures must have been of brick and
mortar.
In the 14th century an invasion by Malik Kafur damaged the temple. In the
same century Madurai was under Muslim rule for nearly fifty years. The
temple authorities closed the sanctum, covered up the Linga, and set up
another in the Ardhamandapa. When the city was liberated, the sanctum was
opened, and, tradition says the flower garlands and the sandalwood paste
placed on the Linga were as fresh as on the first day, and two oil lamps
were still burning.
About The Temple
While the temple originated in times to which no date can be assigned,
the structures that are standing today date mostly from the twelfth to the
eighteenth century. They occupy a vast space, 258 m by 241m. There are the
two main shrines, no less than twelve Gopuras, a tank and innumerable
Mandapas. At every turn there is superb sculpture, magnificent
architecture.
Ashta
Sakthi Mandapa
It is a convention in this temple, different from that followed in
others, that the devotee offers worship first to Goddess Meenakshi.
Therefore, while there are four other entrances into the temple, under
huge Gopuras in the four cardinal directions, it is customary to enter not
through any of them but through a Mandapa, with no tower above it. This
entrance leads directly to the shrine of the Goddess.
This Mandapa is an impressive structure, with a hemispherical ceiling. It
is 14m long and 5.5m wide. There are bas-reliefs all over the place. Over
the entrance one of them depicts the marriage of Goddess Meenakshi with
Lord Somasundara. The Mandapa derives its name, the "Ashta Sakthi",
from the fact it contains sculptures of the eight Sakthis (also spelt as
Shakti). Those of the four principal Nyanmars were added during renovation
of the temple in 1960-63.
An interesting story is told of what an artist did in 1923 when adding
some paintings there. In one of these depicting the coronation of Goddess
Meenakshi, he included a figure of Mahatma Gandhi. The British authorities
ordered that it be removed. What the artist did was to add to the lasting
oil painting long locks of hair in watercolour so that a sage resulted.
But shortly after, the locks disappeared and Gandhiji re-merged.
Queen Rudrapathi Ammal and Queen Tholiammal, consorts of Tirumalai Nayak
(1623-1659) erected the Mandapam. Tirumalai, the greatest of the Nayaks of
Madurai, who were originally viceroys of the Vijayanagar Rayas, but who
later made themselves virtually independent, was the grandest builder in
the history of the temple and the city. Formerly, pilgrims used to be fed
in this Mandapa.
Samagam Meenakshi Naicker Mandapa
A smaller Mandapa connects the large one with another large one with
another large hall, called the "Samagam Meenakshi Naicker Mandapa",
after its builder, a minister of Vijayaranga Chokkanatha (1706-32), who
erected in 1707. In former times the temple's elephants camels and bulls
used to be stabled here. A brass "Tiruvatchi" holding a thousand
and eight lamps stands here, 7.6m high. Marudu Pandya, one of the early
opponents of the growing British power, installed it.
The Meenakshi Naicker Mandapa is a huge hall, 42.9m long and 33.5m wide.
It contains 110 stone columns, each 6.7m high. There are yalis in the
capital and delicate reliefs below. Some of the carvings are unfinished.
The "Chitra Gopura", its name amply justified by its exquisite
sculptures, 740 in number, stands over the entrance from this Mandapa into
the shrine complex of the Goddess. It could have been the original
entrance into the sanctum. Over seven tiers, and 35.6m high, it is the
tallest of those over the shrine of the Goddess. It was built about 1570
by Kalatthi Mudaliar, a son of Aryanatha Mudaliar, who helped Vishwanatha
Nayak, the founder of the Madurai Nayak dynasty, to consolidate his power.
He rose from poverty and obscurity to the highest post after the Nayak.
There are equestrian statues of him in two places in the temple, in the
Pudumandapa and in the thousand-pillared hall. The Gopura was extensively
renovated in 1960-63.
Mudali Pillai Mandapa
The Mudali Pillai Mandapa follows the Chitra Gopura. Added in 1613, it is
183m long and 7.6m wide. On its wall are many puranic scenes. It used to
be without any natural light, but windows were added in the last
renovation.
The Golden Lily Tank
The lovely and historic Golden Lily tank then comes into view. It is from
its banks that most popular photographic views of the temple are taken,
showing the gigantic south outer Gopura. The northern corridor leads
directly to the shrine of the Goddess. On its pillars are the images of
some of the Sangam poets, of Kulasekhara Pandya, the first builder of the
temple, and of Dhananjaya, who figures in the traditional story of its
origin. There is no fish in the tank.
The corridors around the tank are rightly called the "Chitra Mandapa",
for the walls carry paintings of the divine sports of the Lord, as
narrated in the "Tiruvilayadal Puranam". They have been renewed
from time to time. A short while ago there were paintings on wooden panels
affixed over an older series. They have since been removed to the Temple
Museum in the thousand-pillared Mandapa, leaving some dilapidated murals
to view. It is impossible to ascertain the date of these.
It was in the sixteenth century that the corridors and the steps leading
down to the tank were constructed; the northern corridor and steps in
1562, those on the east in 1573, and those on the south five years later.
The Unjal And Kilikatti Mandapas
Two Mandapas, the Unjal and the Kilikatti, stand on the farther way to
the shrine of the Goddess. On their ceilings are more paintings. A
celebrated mural, opposite to the entrance of the shrine, depicts the
marriage of Goddess Meenakshi. The Kilikatti Mandapa derives its name from
the fact that there are parrots in a cage here. On its walls are carvings
of the divine sports. The most ornamental of the temple's Mandapas, it was
built in 1623.
A Gopura of three tiers stands over the entrance from this Mandapa into
the shrine of the Goddess. Built in 1227 by Vambathura Ananda Tandava
Nambi, it is named the Vambuthurar Gopura after him. The shrine consists
of a square sanctum, an Ardhamandapa and a Mukhamandapa. In the niches on
the walls of the shrine are images of Iccasakthi in the south, Kriyasakthi
in the west, and Jnanasakthi in the north. There are shrines of Vinayaka
and Subramanya in the outer Prakara. They probably belong to the fifteenth
century.
Near the flagstaff is a six-pillared structure, which is of historic
interest. A famous poet, Kumaragurubarar, composed verses in praise of the
Goddess at the request of Tirumalai Nayak. He recited the work in this
part of the temple with Tirumalai present. As he was doing so, a little
girl walked upto the Nayak, took a pearl necklace from his neck, gave it
to the poet and disappeared. She was the Goddess Meenakshi Herself. There
is a stone bell on the ceiling of the Mukhamandapa. The entire shrine
measures 68.5m by 45.7m.
On the way to the Lord's shrine from here there are two Gopuras, the Nadu
Kattu over the doorway leading from the Kilikatti Mandapa, and the
Gopuranayaka, which rises above the actual entrance into the shrine. Each
is of five storeys and perhaps belongs to the mid-sixteenth century.
Beyond the former, facing south, is a huge image of Lord Vinayaka,
engagingly the "Mukkuruni Vinayaka" from the fact that a single
enormous edible, the "Kozhukattai", made from 34 kg of rice, is
offered to Him on Vinayaka Chaturthi Day. There is a tradition that the
image was discovered when Tirumalai Nayak was digging the beautiful tank
on the outskirts of the city, called the "Vandiyur Teppakulam" .
The Kambathadi Mandapa
The Kambathadi Mandapa, which contains the flagstaffs of the Lord's
shrine, has, besides some of the most striking baroque sculpture in the
country. It was originally built by Krishna Veerappa Nayak (1572-95) and
renovated in 1877 by the Nagarattars, a class of Chettiars, who have built
and renovated many a fane in Tamil Nadu.
This Mandapa encloses the Nandi shrine, two flagstaffs and the balipitha,
has eight monolithic columns, which carry huge sculptures of the Lord in
various forms. These includes Somasundara, the Protector of Markandeya,
Nataraja, Chandrasekhara, Ardhanariswara, Dakshinamurti, Bikshatana,
Somaskanda,Rudra, Ekapadamurti and Rshbaruda. There are also the ten
incarnations of Lord Vishnu. It is here that the celebrated sculpture of
Goddess Meenakshi's marriage is to be found. On either side of the
entrance there are imposing monoliths of Bhadrakali, Agora Virabhadra,
Agni Virabhadra and Urdhatandava. A carved ceiling made of a single stone
covers the Nandi shrine.
Over
the entrance into the shrine stands a Gopura of three storeys. It was
originally built by a Pandya in 1168 and, therefore, is one of the oldest
surviving structures in the temple. Flanking the entrance are huge
dwarapalkas, each 3.6m high, made of a single stone each, and standing on
a pedestal about 1.5m high.
The shrine is a square of 10.4m. Eight elephants, thirty-two lions and
sixty-four sportive dwarfs support its base. On its outer walls there are
prominent niches on the three sides, each projecting 1.8m. In the south
there is Dakshinamurti in the west Lingodbhava, and in the north Durga.
These niches are so big as to be small shrines. Stone elephants about 3m
high flank each of them. There is always a concourse of worshippers in
front of the Durga image. The Vimana above the sanctum is of three
storeys. The Sikhara is plated with gold.
In front of the shrine there are successively an Antarala, an
Ardhamandapa, a Mukhamandapa and a Mahamandapa so that this is virtually a
temple by itself. The whole measures 128m by 94.5m. There are two Prakaras
and five Gopuras. The outer walls are called the "Sundara Pandya
Madil" and the inner ones, which measure 76.2m by 47.5m, the "Kapali
Madil". The latter is referred to by Sambandar in the 7th century.
The Historic Shrines In The Prakaras
There are a number of historic shrines in the Prakaras. Opposite to an
entrance into the first from the Mahamandapa there is one of Lord
Sabhapathi. This is the famous Velliambalam where one of the Lord's divine
sports took place when, at the request of the sages, Patanjali and
Vyagrapadha, He danced as Lord Nataraja.
In the second Prakara a shrine, now called that of the Sangam poets,
contains images of many of them. In the same Prakara there is a shrine
apparently dedicated to Kariyamanikka Perumal, but now empty. Also in the
same Prakara there is a row of fourteen small shrines, called the "isvarams".
Many of them contain Lingas.
Thousand Pillared Mandapa
Among the other Mandapas in the temple is the celebrated thousand
pillared one. Aryanatha Mudaliar, who bestrides a horse at the entrance,
erected it in 1569. Measuring 76.2m by 73m, it contains 985 pillars. The
central nave leads to a shrine of Lord Sabapati. On every pillar there are
sculptures. These are varied iconographic interest. Among themselves they
make a veritable pantheon. On the ceiling near the entrance there is a
wheel, which gives the cycle of sixty years of Tamil calendar. Fergusson
calls the Mandapa "The wonder of the place".
West of it is a small Mandapa added during the renovation of 1960-63. It
commemorates Sambandar's reclamation of the Pandya to Hinduism. It
contains a Linga and images of 'Sambandar', 'Mangayarkarasi',
'Kulachirayar' and 'Kun Pandya'. The second was the queen, the third the
minister of the Pandya.
The Kalyanamandapa
The Kalyanamandapa, built by Vijayaranga Chokkanatha (who stands here in
effigy) in the first decade on the eighteenth century, contains much
excellent woodwork. It was originally open on all sides. In the center is
a large platform, where annually the marriage of the Lord and the Goddess
is celebrated. On two of the walls are two huge paintings of the "two
worlds" of Hindu cosmogony, each about 1.8m in diameter.
The Pudumandapa
Near the east outer Gopura stands the celebrated Pudumandapa. Built by
Tirumalai Nayak between 1626 and 1633, it is a large hall, 100m by 32m,
and contains a hundred and twenty four pillars. These magnificent columns
carry bold reliefs. There are equestrians and yalis on the outer pillars,
while at the centre there are portraits of ten Nayaks from Viswanatha, the
first of them to Tirumalai.
There are, besides, some of the Tiruvilayadal scenes, the wedding of
Goddess Meenakshi, Goddess Meenakshi as Thadathagai, and Ekapadamurti,
among other themes. At the western end there is a canopied Mandapa, the
Vasanta, where the images of the Lord and the Goddess are brought on
certain festival occasions.
The Great Personal Interest Of Tirumalai Nayak In The Erection Of The
Pudumandapa
Loving tradition tells of the great personal interest Tirumalai Nayak
took in the erection of the Pudumandapa. On one occasion, Sumandramurti
Achari, the principal architect, was so deeply engrossed in sculpting a
relief of the stone elephant eating sugarcane, an incident in the temple's
puranic history, that he did not notice the Nayak standing by him.
The Nayak rolled some betel leaves and arecanuts and handed them to him.
Thinking that it was an assistant who had done so, he took them and began
to chew them without looking around. When he realised that it was the
Nayak himself, he was so much affected that he damaged the two fingers of
his that had taken the betel leaves. Moved by his devotion to duty, the
Nayak gave him many gifts.
On another occasion a son of an artist pestered him for a mango when that
fruit was not in season. He would not take no for an answer. The Nayak
ordered that gold mangoes be brought from the palace. The boy was content
and allowed his father to continue the work undisturbed. From this
incident the family came to be called the "Mampazham" family.
When, on yet another occasion, the artist was making a sculpture of a
consort of the Nayak's a chip broke off from the thigh. He started work on
another image, but again the chip came off from the same place. A minister
of the Nayak advised the artist to leave the image as it was. When the
Nayak came to know of this from the artist, he was angry, wondering how
the minister could know that his queen had a scar on her thigh. He sent
for him. The minister knew that the Nayak was angry and might punish him.
So he put out his eyes. At this the Nayak was filled with grief. Thereupon
the minister composed a poem in the praise of the Goddess, beseeching her
to give him back his eyesight if he was innocent. She restored it. The
minister was a famous Sanskrit poet. Among his works are the "Shivalilamava",
on the traditions of Lord Shiva in Madurai, and the "Gangavatarana",
on the descent of the Ganga to the earth.
When the "Vasantha" festival was celebrated the year the
Mandapa was completed, the Nayak was himself received the customary
honours in person. In subsequent years they were offered to his sculpture.
The practice continues.
Near the Mandapa is the base of an unfinished Gopura. Work began in 1654,
but was not completed. Had it been, The Gopura would have been the tallest
in the country then. It measures 53m by 35.6m at the base.
The
Gopuras Of The Temple
The four outer Gopuras in the four directions are marvellous works of
art. They are of perfect proportions, though they were built at different
time and though, moreover, they have been repaired and renovated from time
to time. The Gopuras of Tamil Nadu, by themselves, form a chapter in the
history of Indian Art. Some of the brightest pages are due to the towers
of Madurai.
The Eastern Gopura
The eastern Gopura is the oldest of the four. While it is generally
attributed to Jatavarman Sundara Pandya I, who ruled in the first half of
the thirteenth century, it is possible, judging from some of its
inscriptions, that an earlier Pandya or Pandyas had commenced it. One of
these epigraphs, dated in the year in the last decade of the twelfth
century, is the oldest in the temple.
As with the other Gopuras, the base of this one is a stone structure
built in two storeys. It measures 34m by 20m. Over it the super structure
towers to a height of 47m in nine storeys. A leaf of the doorway,
measuring about 9m by about 2m, is a remarkable specimen of the wood
carver's art. It was removed during the renovation in the 1960's. Because
a temple servant committed suicide by falling down from this Gopura in the
reign of Vijayaranga Chokkanatha, devotees did not use the entrance. They
do so now after the last renovation.
The West Gopura
The west Gopura was built in the fourteenth century, a troubled period in
the history of the temple and the city following the Muslim invasions. It
is difficult to believe that a venture of this magnitude could have been
possible in that time of travail. But the sources of information are
clear. They attribute the Gopura to a Parakrama Pandya. There were many
kings of that name in the century. Since the famous Pandya crest of two
carps appears on this Gopura, it may be accepted that the Pandyas did
build it. This was their swan song in the temple, which will always be
associated with their piety, munificence and glory. It is 48m high, rising
on a base that is 31m by 14m. Like the three other Gopuras, it is of nine
tiers.
The Southern Gopura
The most beautiful and the most artistic of the four, the southern,
frequently photographed for its lovely eminence over the Golden Lily Tank,
is also the tallest, 49m. Its stone base measures 32.9m by 20.4m. The
tower sweeps in a graceful curve. It was built about the middle of the
sixteenth century by Siramalai Sevvanthi Murti Chettiar, a scion of a
family of Tiruchi, which has contributed much to the temple.
The Northern Gopura
The latest in date is the northern Gopura, which was built by Krishna
Veerappa Nayak (1564-72). For some reason, it was without a Sikhara and
was not plastered. Therefore, it was called the "Mottai" Gopura.
The deficiencies were supplied in renovation about the end of the last
century.
Such an ancient and renowned fane has attracted considerable literature
and many beautiful traditions, apart from those narrated above. It is said
for example Rous Peter, a Collector in the early decades of the last
century, was so beloved of the people that they called him "Peter
Pandya". Every day he would go round the temple on horseback. One
night when he was asleep, there was heavy rain. A little girl woke him up
and beckoned him outside his house. The girl then vanished. Peter,
convinced that She was Goddess Meenakshi, presented valuable jewels to the
temple.
Mariamman Teppakulam
Connected with the temple is the lovely tank called the "Mariamman
Teppakulam", about 3 km to the east. It measures 345m by 290m, and
has steps leading down to the water. In the center is a towered Mandapa,
with four smaller Mandapas around it. The tank was excavated and the
Mandapas built by Tirumalai Nayak. On his birthday a float festival of the
images of the Lord and the Goddess is celebrated. On the other side of the
road there is a famous Mariamman temple.
Other Temples In Madurai
Azhagar
Koil
Located 21 km. northwest of Madurai is a Vishnu temple located on a
picturesque wooded hill. Here Lord Vishnu presides as Meenakshi's brother
'Azhagar'. It is one of the few temples in the country built in tiers. The
tower consists of 3 tiers depicting Lord Vishnu in 3 postures, sitting,
standing and reclining. The shadow of the Vimanam never falls on the
ground.
On entering the temple, one can see the life-size sculptures carved in
the stone Mandapam built by Tirumalai Naicken. These are similar to those
found in Madurai temple. The deity is known as "Kalazhagar" as
he is the household deity of the Kallas, a low caste people.
The Subramanya Temple in Tirupparankundram
The Subramanya Temple in Tirupparankundram, 8 km from Madurai, is a great
center of pilgrimage. Its nucleus is an excavated "cave". To
this in successive ages the parts of a big temple were added, including a
big Gopura of seven tiers. Behind the temple rises a hill. There are in
this village another excavated temple and a third one, but of the Jains.
The Subramanya Temple has been sung by a number of saints and sages down
the centuries. The earliest is Nakkirar, a poet of the Sangam age. The
temple is one of the "arupadai veedus" fanes of Lord Subramanya
held particularly sacred.
MAJOR FESTIVAL CELEBRATED IN MADURAI
Teppam Festival At Madurai
The famous festivals held at Madurai, include Teppam festival, the annual
Float Festival, wherein the images of Sri Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswara
(also spelt as Sundreshwara) are mounted on floats, and taken to Mariamman
Teppakkulam Tank, where for several days they are pulled back and forth
across the water in the middle of the tank, on an illuminated raft
embellished with flowers, before being taken back to the main temple.
Meenakshi
Kalyanam At Madurai
The annual solemnization of the marriage of Meenakshi with Lord
Sundareshwar (Shiva) is one of the most spectacular temple festivals at
Madurai's famous Meenakshi temple in Tamil Nadu. Car processions of the
goddess and the god are some of the colourful features of this festival.
Meenaskhi Kalyanam,
the wedding festival of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareshwar is
celebrated for twelve days from the second day of the lunar month (i.e.
two days after the new moon). This is a spectacular festival celebrated in
the month of Chaitra (April-May).
The festival is characterized with royal decorated umbrellas, fans and
traditional instrumental music. Scenes from mythology are enacted and the
deities of Lord Shiva, Goddess Shakti and Goddess Meenakshi are taken out
in a colourful procession. Thousands of devotees from all over the country
gather in the city of Madurai on this occasion.
HOW TO GET THERE
Air: Madurai is 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 excellent roads connecting Madurai to all parts of
South India. Madurai city has 5 Major Bus Stands- Periyar Bus Stand, Anna
Bus Stand, Palanganatham Bus Stand, Arapalayam Bus Stand, Mattuthavani Bus
Stand. From Madurai town buses, suburban buses, taxis, auto rickshaws and
cycle rickshaws are available to reach the temple.
WHERE TO STAY
Accommodation is available at the luxurious, moderate class and small budgeted hotels, devasthanam cottages, lodges, and dharmashalas in Madurai.
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