Meenakshi Temple
Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple | |
---|---|
Religion | |
Affiliation | Hinduism |
District | Madurai |
Deity | |
Festivals | Chithirai Thiruvizha, Navaratri, Cradle festival, Aavanimoolam, Meenakshi Tirukalyanam, Alagar's river plunge |
Governing body | Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department |
Features |
|
Location | |
State | Tamil Nadu |
Country | India |
Geographic coordinates | 9°55′10.23″N 78°07′09.63″E / 9.9195083°N 78.1193417°E[1] |
Architecture | |
Type | Dravidian architecture[2] |
Inscriptions | over 40 |
Elevation | 144 m (472 ft) |
Website | |
https://maduraimeenakshi.hrce.tn.gov.in/ |
Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple a.k.a Arulmigu Meenakshi Amman Thirukkovil is a historic Hindu temple located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River[3] in the temple city[4] of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to the goddess Meenakshi, a form of Shakti, and her consort, Sundareshwarar, a form of Shiva.[5] The temple is at the centre of the ancient temple city of Madurai mentioned in the Tamil Sangam literature, with the goddess temple mentioned in 6th-century CE texts.[6] This temple is one of the Paadal Petra Sthalams, which are 275 temples of Shiva that are revered in the verses of Tamil Saiva Nayanars of the 6th-9th century CE.
The west tower (gopuram) of the temple is the model based on which the Tamil Nadu State Emblem is designed.[7][8]
Overview
Madurai Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple was built by
Though the temple has historic roots, most of the present campus structure was rebuilt after the 14th century CE, further repaired, renovated and expanded in the 17th century by
The temple is a major pilgrimage destination within the
Location
The Meenakshi temple is located in the heart of historic Madurai city, about a kilometre south of the Vaigai River. It is about 460 kilometres (290 mi) southwest of
Etymology
Legend
The goddess Meenakshi is the principal deity of the temple, unlike most Shiva temples in South India where Shiva is the principal deity.[4] According to the Tamil text Tiruvilaiyatarpuranam, King Malayadwaja Pandya and his wife Kanchanamalai performed a Yajna seeking a son for succession.[34] Instead, a daughter was born out of the fire who was already 3 years old and had three breasts. Shiva intervened and said that the parents should treat her like a son, and when she meets her husband, she will lose the third breast. They followed the advice. The girl grew up, the king crowned her as the successor and when she met Shiva, his words came true, she took her true form of Meenakshi.[35][36] According to Harman, this may reflect the matrilineal traditions in South India and the regional belief that "penultimate [spiritual] powers rest with the women", gods listen to their spouse, and that the fates of kingdoms rest with the women.[35] According to Susan Bayly, the reverence for Meenakshi is a part of the Hindu goddess tradition that integrates with the Hindu society where the "woman is the lynchpin of the system" of social relationships.[37]
The marriage of Meenakshi and Shiva was a grand event, with all gods, goddesses and living beings gathered. Vishnu is believed to be the brother of Meenakshi, giving her away to Shiva at the wedding.
History
The town of
Early Tamil texts mention the temple and its primary deity by various epithets and names.
Invasions and Destruction
In the north of India, the Indian subcontinent was conquered by the
The Islamic invasion in the 14th century brought an abrupt end to the patronage of Tamil Hindu temple towns.
Rebuilding
The temple was rebuilt by the Hindu
The work completed by Vishwanatha Nayaka in 1560 was substantially expanded to the current structure during the reign of
During the colonial era, the population around the Meenakshi temple attracted a hub of Christian missionary activity headed by competing missions from Portugal and other parts of Europe.[54] The British rulers first gave endowments to the temple and the British troops participated in temple festivities to gain socio-political acceptance. Lord Clive, for example, donated jewels looted by the East India Company from Sringapatam, but in 1820 they withdrew from their roles as temple patrons and participated in temple festivities.[52][55] The missionaries ridiculed the temple artwork and criticized the temple practices while introducing themselves as "Roman Brahmins" and "Northern Sanniasis" [sic]. The missionary efforts were largely unsuccessful with people continuing to patronize the temple after baptizing. The missionaries wrote back that the Tamils were "baptizing, but not converting", for they baptize if "someone wants a wife who is Christian" or medical aid when they have a disease, and material aid if they are poor.[56][57]
After the end of the Nayakas, the start of the Madras presidency and the withdrawal of the colonial British from support, the temple condition degraded. In 1959, Tamil Hindus began collecting donations and initiated restoration work in consultation with engineers, Hindu monasteries, historians and other scholars. The completed restoration was celebrated with a Kumbhabhishekam in 1995.[58] The temple is sometimes spelt as Minaksi and the city as Madura in 17th to early 20th-century texts.[39]
The temple has its traditional version of history that it calls Shiva-lilas (sports of Shiva), and sixty four of these episodes are painted as murals around the temple walls. These depict the many destructions of Madurai and the temple, then its rise from the ashes and ruins of the destruction every time.[59]
Temple entry agitations of Nadars
In November 1895, the
A group of 15 Nadars belonging to the family of Erulappa Nadar entered the temple in Kamudi in May 1897, performing puja to the chief deity themselves. The Maravars and the Ramnad Zamindar M. Baskara Sethupathi objected to it and lodged a complaint against fifteen members of the family of Erulappa Nadar arguing that they had polluted the temple and requested the payment of ₹ 2500 for purification rituals. The court decided on 20 July 1899 that neither the accused nor any member of their community had the right to enter any part of the temple. For the required ritual purification ceremonies at the temple, the defendants were ordered to pay the amount of five hundred rupees.[61][62]
The Nadars appealed to the High Court of Judicature in Madras, unhappy with the judgment of the subordinate judge of Madurai, with funds of ₹ 42,000 raised from members of the community. The judgment went against the Nadars, then they took their appeal to the London Privy Council. The Privy Council approved the decision of the Subordinate Judge of Madurai, citing the High Court's decision of 1908. The District Magistrate of Madurai suggested that the stay of the public force be extended to another term on the ground that the Privy Council 's decision on the Kamudi Temple Entry case could again cause trouble.[61][62]
Post-1923
The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.[63]
Description
The temple complex is the centre of the old city of Madurai. It consists of monuments inside several concentric enclosures, each layer fortified with high masonry walls. The outer walls have four towering gateways, allowing devotees and pilgrims to enter the complex from all four directions. After the city's destruction in the 14th century, the Tamil tradition states that the king Vishwantha Nayaka rebuilt the temple and the Madurai city around it under the principles laid down in the Shilpa Shastras (Sanskrit: śilpa śāstra. The city plan is based on concentric squares with streets radiating out from the temple.[11] Early Tamil texts mention that the temple was the centre of the city and the streets happened to be radiating out like a lotus and its petals. The temple prakarams (outer precincts of a temple) and streets accommodate an elaborate festival calendar in which processions circumambulate the temple complex. The vehicles used in the processions are progressively more massive the further they travel from the centre.[64]
The temple complex is spread over about 5.7 hectares (14 acres).[26][65] The courtyard is close to a square with each side of about 240 metres (800 ft), but more accurately a rectangle with one side about 15 metres (50 ft) longer. The complex has numerous shrines and mandapas, of which the most important and largest are the two parallel shrines in the innermost courtyard, one for Meenakshi (B on the plan) and the other for Sundareshvara (A). Additionally, the complex has a golden lotus sacred pool (L) for pilgrims to bathe in, a thousand-pillar hall choultry with extensive sculpture (Q), the kalyana mandapa or wedding hall, many small shrines for Hindu deities and for scholars from the Sangam (academy) history, buildings which are religious schools and administrative offices, elephant sheds, equipment sheds such as those for holding the chariots used for periodic processions and some gardens.[65] The temple is embedded inside a commercial hub and traditional markets.[26][65]
According to Holly Reynolds, a closer examination of the temple plan, as well as the old city, suggests that it is a mandala, a cosmic diagram laid out based on principles of symmetry and loci.[66]
The temple complex has had a living history, has been in use for almost all of its history except for about 60 years when it was closed and in ruins after its destruction in the 14th century. The temple has continued to evolve in the modern era. For example, before the colonial era, the temple complex itself was inside another layer of the old city's fortified walls. The British demolished this layer of fortification in the early 19th century. The surviving plan of the temple complex places it within the old city, one defined by a set of concentric squares around the temple.[67]
Walls
The ancient temple complex was open. The courtyard walls were added over time in response to the invasion and the plunder of the temple complex. According to the text Thirupanimalai, the Vijayanagara commander Kumara Kampana after completing his conquest of Madurai, rebuilt the pre-existing structure and built defensive walls around the temple in the 14th century. Lakana Nayakar added the defensive walls around the first prakara (courtyard), as well as expanded and renovated the Mahamandapa and Meenakshi shrine in the middle of the 15th century.[16][41]
After the destruction of the Hindu Vijayanagara Empire in the late 16th century by a coalition of Islamic Deccan sultanates north of Karnataka, the Madurai region declared its sovereignty. Visvanatha Nayak then poured resources to heavily fortify the temple complex, and set a new plan for the temple complex. The Nayaka ruler also gilded the vimana of the primary shrines with gold. Chettiappa Nayakkar rebuilt the Dvarapala mandapam in front of the Sannadhi gopuram, as well as the north colonnade of the Golden Lotus Tank, the second protective wall around the Meenakshi Devi's shrine.[16][41]
Gopurams
The shrines of Meenakshi temple are embedded inside three walled enclosures and each of these have four gateways, the outer tower growing larger and reaching higher to the corresponding inner one. The temple has 14 gopurams, the tallest of which is the southern tower, which rises to over 170 ft (52 m) and was rebuilt in the late 16th century. The oldest gopuram is the eastern one (I on plan), built by Maravarman Sundara Pandyan during 1216–1238.[68] Each gopuram is a multi-storeyed structure, covered with sculpture painted in bright hues. The outer gopurams are high pyramidal tower serving as a landmark sign for arriving pilgrims, while the inner gopuram are smaller and serve as the entrance gateways to various shrines.[36][69]
The temple complex has 4 nine-storey gopurams (outer, raja), 1 seven-storey gopuram (Chittirai), 5 five-storey gopurams, 2 three-storey, and 2 one-storey gold-gilded sanctum towers.[70] Of these, five are gateways to the Sundareshvara shrine and three to the Meenakshi shrine. The towers are covered with stucco images, some of whom are deity figures and others are figures from Hindu mythology, saints or scholars. Each group or sets of panels in each storey present an episode from regional or pan-Hindu legend. The four tallest gopurams on the outer walls alone depict nearly 4,000 mythological stories.[70][41]
Some of the major gopurams of the Meenakshi temple complex are:[16][41]
- Portions of the three-storeyed gopura at the entrance of Sundareswarar Shrine and the central portion of the Goddess Meenakshi Shrine are some of the earliest surviving parts of the temple. These were constructed by King Kulasekara Pandya (1190–1216 CE). The traditional texts call him a poet-saint king, additionally credit him with a poem called Ambikai Malai, as well as shrines (koil) each for Natarajar and Surya near the main temple, Ayyanar in the east, Vinayagar in the south, Kariamalperumal in the west and Kali in the north. He also built a Mahamandapam. Kulasekara Pandya was also a poet and he composed a poem on Meenakshi named Ambikai Malai.[9]
- Maravarman Sundara Pandyan I built a gopura in 1231, then called Avanivendaraman, later rebuilt, expanded and named as Sundara Pandya Thirukkopuram.[9]
- Chitra gopuram (W), also known as Muttalakkum Vayil, was built by Maravarman Sundara Pandyan II (1238–1251). This gopuram is named after the frescoes and reliefs that depict secular and religious themes of Hindu culture. Maravarman Sundara Pandyan II also added a pillared corridor to the Sundareswara shrine, and the Sundara Pandyan Mandapam.[9] It was rebuilt after the 14th-century damage, its granite structure was renovated by Kumara Krishnappar after 1595.[10]
- Vembaturara Ananda Nambi built the early version of the three-tiered gopuram in 1227. Like other gopurams, it too was destroyed in the 14th century and later rebuilt. This gopuram is found between Meenakshi shrine and the Kilikuttu (parrot) mandapam. Some inscriptions refer to it as Vembathurar gopuram.[9]
- The gopuram east to the Sundareshwara shrine is 5 storeyed. It was completed about 1372 by Vasuvappan after the Vijayanagara rulers reopened the temple complex after remaining in ruins and dormant for about five decades. The gopuram west to the Sundareshwara shrine is also 5 storeyed, and was completed around 1374 by Mallapan.[71]
- According to the inscriptions found on the foundation of the gateways, Visvappa Nayakkar built the Nayaka gopuram in the second prakara around 1530, while Palahai gopuram was built about the same time by Mallappan. Both the gopuram have similar style and architecture, likely built by a collaborating group of same artists.[71]
- Kadaka Gopuram in Meenakshi's shrine was built by Tumpichi Nayakkar around the mid 16th century, but different texts give different dates. It is five-storeyed, was walled up and closed through 1963 for unclear reasons. This gopura was reopened after the renovations were completed in 1963.
- The gopuram near the Ganesha shrine (Mukkuruni Vinayakar), also called the Nadukkattu gopuram or Idaikattu gopuram, was built by the Siramalai Sevvanthimurti Chetti family. It is called Nadukkattu because it is between the shrines of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar. They also rebuilt and renovated the Idabhakkuri Gopuram, a five-storey tower on the northern segment of the Adi Street.[71]
- The nine-storey southern gopura, the highest tower, was also built by the Siramalai Sevvanthimurti Chetti family, a wealthy Hindu who lived near Thiruchirapalli. It was completed in the second half of the 16th century. The gopuram is notable for its extensive artwork with over 1,500 mythological characters in panels that narrate legends from the Hindu texts, particularly the Puranas.[71]
- Mottai gopuram (lit. "bald" gateway) was started by Krishnappa Nayakkar, also called the North Raya gopuram (this is not on the plan, below the bottom edge). It was completed by the Amaravati Purur Vayinagaram Chettiyar family in 1878 CE. The Mottai gopuram for nearly three centuries did not have a roof structure, is simpler and has fewer stucco images than the other major entrances, giving it a relatively bald appearance and the local name. Before its completion in the 19th century, the gopuram made of stone and brick had even fewer stucco images.[72]
Shrines
The Meenakshi temple has two separate shrines for the goddess Meenakshi (Parvati, Devi, Amman) and god Sundaresvara (Shiva, Deva, Cuvami), just like most Shaiva temples.[73] Both are open to the east. The Devi shrine is on the south side (B), while the Deva shrine is more centrally placed, to the north (A), thus placing the goddess as the pradhana murti or the "more important" right side within the complex, states Fuller.[73]
The goddess shrine has the green stone image of Meenakshi, standing in bent-leg posture. Her raised hand holds a lotus, on which sits a green parrot. Her left hand hangs by her side. This image is set in a square garbha griya (central sanctum). A copy of this image has been made from metal and is kept in the temple complex. The metal version is used for a festive procession.
The Sundareswarar shrine has a stone linga in its square plan sanctum, and this anicon is shaded under a stone cobra hood. In the northeast corner is another stone image of his consort. None of these travel during a festive procession. Rather, Sundareswarar is represented in the form of anthropomorphic Somaskanda image.[73] There is another metal symbolic image of Shiva called the Cokkar, which is merely a pair of embossed feet on a metal stool. This symbol is kept near Sundareswarar sanctum all day, then carried in a palaki daily to Meenakshi's chamber every evening so that the two can symbolically spend the night together. In the morning, the temple volunteers wake the divine couple and the symbolic Cokkar image is carried back to the Sundareswarar sanctum.[73]
The shrine for Sundareswarar
Kumara Kampana, states the Thirupanimalai text, donated jewels and made grants to cover the expenses for daily operations of the two shrines in the 14th century.[41] The Tamil Hindus who had hidden the temple idols in Nanjil Nadu, brought them back and reconsecrated them ending the nearly five decades era when the temple had been closed under the Madurai Sultanate rule. The temple inscriptions suggest that the Vijayanagara rulers participated worship ceremonies in the temple and donated gold, through the 16th century. Lakana Nayakar built the Paliarai (bed chamber) in the mid 15th century for the icon goddess and god to symbolically spend their night together. The Nataraja shrine was also added in the 15th century by Arulalan Sevahadevan Vanathirayan, who also renovated the Thiruvalavaudaiyar shrine.[16][41]
The temple has other shrines, such as for Murugan in the northwest corner of the second courtyard. It was built by Krishnappa Nayakar II.[10]
Temple tank and surrounding portico
The Nayakas, who were the local governors for the Vijayanagara rulers, expanded the temple complex. In 1516, Saluvanarasana Nayaka added the sacred pool for pilgrims to take a dip, naming it Ezhukadal (seven seas, Saptasaharam).[16][41] Chettiappa Nayakkar rebuilt the north colonnade of the Golden Lotus Tank, as well as Dvarapala mandapam in front of the Sannadhi gopuram.[77]
The sacred temple tank is called Porthamarai Kulam ("Pond with the golden lotus"). It is also referred to as Adhi Theertham, Sivaganga and Uthama Theertham. The pool is 165 ft (50 m) by 120 ft (37 m) in size.[78] The pool walls were painted with frescoes. Only a fraction of 17th- and 18th-century paintings of Nayak period survives and one such portion is found in the small portico on the western side of the tank. It depicts the marriage of Sundareswarar and Meenkashi attended by Vijayaranga Chokkanatha and Rani Mangammal. The painting is executed on a vivid red background, with delicate black linework and large areas of white, green and ochre. The celestial couple is seated inside an architectural frame with a flowering tree in the background.[79]
The small six-pillared swing mandapam (Unjal) was built by Cheventhi Murthi Chetti during this period, and this remains in use currently for a Friday ritual and it also houses the model of the entire temple complex created in 1985.[77]
Halls
The temple complex has many mandapas (pillared-halls) built by kings and wealthy patrons over the centuries. They are choultry, or a place for the pilgrims to rest. Some of these mandapas include:[16][80]
Main mandapams
- Chinnappa Nayakkar constructed the 100-pillared Mandapa Nayaka Mandapam in the northeastern part of second courtyard in 1526. This mandapa houses the famed Nataraja statue with his "right" leg up in dance mudra, instead of the left leg typically found in Nataraja bronzes.[68][81]
- The small six-pillared swing mandapam (Unjal, oonjal) was built by Cheventhi Murthi Chetti during this period, and this remains in use currently for a Friday ritual. The images of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar are placed on the swing every Friday evening and swung. The shrine has a 3-storied gopuram flanked by two Dvarapala (guardians) and supported by golden, rectangular columns that bear lotus markings. Along the perimeter of the chamber, granite panels of the divine couple are present. The hall is situated in the western bank of the temple tank. This mandapam also houses the model of the entire temple complex created in 1985.
- Kambathadi mandapam (H) was built by Krishna Virappa Nayakkar (1572–1595). This choultry hall is known for intricately carved sculptures and eight Shiva forms: Ardanarishwara (half Parvati, half Shiva), Rudra (angry Shiva), Bhikshadanamurti (Shiva as a monk), Dakshinamurti (Shiva as yoga teacher, guru), Lingobhava (Shiva emerging out of a linga), Ekapathamurti, Rishaba, Somaskanda (Shiva, Parvati and Skanda), Chandrasekara, Nataraja (dancing Shiva) and Somasundara.[72]
- Ashta Shakthi Mandapam ("Hall of eight goddesses", O on plan) was built by two queens.[82] It is the hall near the East gopuram, between the main entrance for visitors and the smaller gopuram leading to the Meenakshi shrine tower.[83] The passage was named for eight forms of goddess Shakti carved on its pillars: Koumari, Roudri, Vaishnavi, Maha-lakshmi, Yagnarupini, Shyamala, Maheswari and Manonmani.[82] These reflect the feminine and power aspects of all major traditions of Hinduism. Other sculptures and paintings depict the Tiruvilayadal (holy games of Shiva). The sculptures of heroes of Mahabharata, the Pancha pandavas can be seen in the Pancha Pandava Mandapam (Hall of Pandavas). The hall also has four sculptures of Shiva scholars, as well as a statue of Mahatma Gandhi added in 1923 while the Indians were midst their independence struggle from the colonial British rule.[82]
- Kilikoondu Mandapam, also called Sangili mandapam (E), is near the Meenakshi shrine. The word Kilikondu means "parrot cage", and in past the parrots kept here were trained to say "Meenakshi". This pillared hall was completed in 1623 by Muthu Veerappa Nayakar. The cages were later removed.[84] In contemporary times, girls perform the kolattam dance, a type of stick dance that involves acrobatics and forming chains with long ropes hanging from the ceiling, which is why it is called sangili. These dances celebrate Hindu festival days.[84] The Kilikoondu Mandapam is notable for its sculpture of characters from the Mahabharata, a Hindu epic. It also has a yali sculpture on a pillar, inside whose mouth is carved a stone ball that freely rotates.[84]
- The Kambatadi Mandapam ("Hall of temple tree") with its seated Nandi (sacred bull) has various manifestations of Shiva carved and also contains the famous "Marriage of Meenakshi" sculpture.Siddar.[68]
- The Vira vasantha raya mandapam (R) is to the south of the 1000-pillar mandapam, and was completed in 1611 by Muthu Veerappa Nayakar I.[10] It contains a Nandi facing the main Sundaresvara sanctum. To the south of this hall is the kalyana mandapam, or wedding hall. It is here that the marriage of Shiva and Parvati is celebrated every year during the Chithirai festival which falls sometime in or abouts April.
- Pudumandapam, also called Vasantha mandapam (bottom of plan) was completed by Thirumalai Nayak in the 17th century. It is in front of the eastern tower, outside the current walled complex. It leads to the unfinished Eastern gopuram. It has 124 pillars, each with intricately carved sculptures of Meenakshi's wedding to Shiva, Kali, Nataraja, Surya, Chandra as well as common life scenes such as elephants eating sugarcane stalks are found in this mandapam.[85] Its popularity led to shopkeepers occupying the pillared hall, some of which hide or make a complete view of the sculpture difficult.[85]
- Golu mandapam was built by Thittiyappa Chetti, a common man, in 1565 during the rule of Krishnappa Nayakkar. This mandapam is used during the Navaratri festival every year when goddess Meenakshi is decorated like a golu doll, in nine different forms on each of the nine days of the autumn festival.[86]
- The Thousand-Pillared Hall (Q) contains 985 (instead of 1000) carved pillars, with two shrines occupying the space of the remaining 15.yali (mythological beast with body of lion and head of an elephant). It is situated to the north of Sundareswarar flag staff hall.[68] There is a Temple Art Museum in the hall where icons, photographs, drawings, and other exhibits of the temple are displayed.[68] Just outside this hall, towards the west, are the Musical Pillars. Each pillar, when struck, produces a different musical note.[68][87]
Other mandapams
- Lakana Nayakar expanded and renovated the Mahamandapa in late 15th century CE.
- The Urchava Nayanar Mandapa and the small six-pillared mandapa in front of the Mahamandapa was rebuilt by Sundaratolydaiya Mavali Vanathirayar in the 15th century.
- Chettiappa Nayakkar rebuilt the Dvarapala mandapam in front of the Sannadhi gopuram, as well as the north colonnade of the Golden Lotus Tank in the late 16th century.
- Vanniyadi Natarajar Mandapam and Annakkuli Mandapam were built by a woman named Chellappen Mannikkam in the late 16th century.
- Murthiyamman mandapam and Nandi mandapam were built by Krishnappa Nayakar (1564–1572). The Nandi mandapam was renovated again in 1877.
- The Mudali Pillai Mandapam or Iruttu Mandapam (dark hall) is a wide and long hall built by Muthu Pillai during 1613. On the pillars of the halls, there are fine sculptures of Shiva narrating the legend of Bikshadanar.[88]
- The Mangayarkarasi mandapam is a newly built hall situated opposite to the wedding halls and bears the name of queen Mangayarkarasi who contributed to Saivism and Tamil language.Navarathri festival celebrated during September–October.[92]This hall is situated in the second corridor of the Meenakshi shrine at the western side.
The mandapas also feature community gathering halls. The Kanaka Sabha and Ratna Sabha are in the first prahara, Rajata Sabha in Velliambalam, Deva Sabha in the 100-pillared mandapam and Chitra Sabha in the 1000-pillared mandapam.[93]
Deities inside the Temple
- Meenakshi Amman (Main Goddess)
- Sundareshwarar (Main God)
- Mukkuruni Vinayagar
- Irattai Vinayagar
- Dakshinamurthy
- Mahalakshmi
- Saraswathi
- 63 Nayanmars
- Sapthamatrikas
- Kasi Vishwanathar
- Lingodbhava
- Sahasralingas
- Deivayanai and Valli
- Chandrasekhar
- Chandikeshwarar
- Kalyana Sundareshwarar with Meenakshi Amman
- Siddhar
- Durgai Amman
- Bhairavar
- Appar
- Sambandhar
- Sundarar
- Manickavasagar
- Suryanarayanan with Usha and Prathyusha
- Sangam poets
- Vibhoothi Vinayagar
- Navagrahas
Along with these, there are statues of King Thirumalai Naicker with his wives within the temple complex.
Significance
The Meenakshi Temple is a theologically and culturally significant temple for Hindus. Professor Christopher Fuller signifies that through the wedding of Meenakshi and Sundaresvara the "supremely important rite of passage" for women, the cultural concept of "sumangali" or "auspicious married woman" who lives with her husband but is also independent, organizer of the social connections and who is central to Tamilian life. The marriage of the goddess and god is a symbolic paradigm for human marriage.[94] This event is commemorated with an annual festive procession that falls sometime around April. The temple is also significant because it implies an affinal, protective relationship between Shaivism and Vaishnavism traditions of Hinduism, by making Shiva the husband of Meenakshi, and Vishnu her brother, a significant relationship in Dravidian kinship system.[94][95] Meenakshi herself is a central part of the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism, and represented as the dominant figure of the pair in this temple. The temple thus symbolically celebrates all three of its major traditions.[96][97]
According to the Tiruvilaiyatal Puranam, of the list of 68 pilgrimage places in Shaivism, four are most important: Kashi (Varanasi), Chidambaram, Tirukkalatti and Madurai. The sacrality of Madurai is from this temple.[98] The shrine of Sundareswarar is considered one of the Pancha Sabhai (five courts),[99] where the Tamil Hindu tradition believes Shiva performed cosmic dance.[100] The Tamil word velli means silver and ambalam means stage or altar.[101] This massive Nataraja sculpture is enclosed in a huge silver altar and hence called "Velli Ambalam" (silver abode).[102]
The temple is a popular site for Hindu weddings, though it is not the exclusive site. The short main ceremony is completed in the temple, followed by receptions and other rituals elsewhere.[103]
The Meenakshi temple is not only a religious center, but is also an economic center. The goods and services for temple-related pilgrims and visitors is a significant part of the Madurai economy.[104]
Tamil Nadu state emblem is based on the West Gopuram. Though, sometimes it is wrongly mentioned that the State emblem is based on Srivilliputhur temple Gopuram, the artist R Krishna Rao the one who designed the Emblem has stated that he designed it based on the Madurai Meenakshiamman West Gopuram.[105]
Worship
The Meenakshi Amman temple is an active house of Hindu worship. Priests perform the puja ceremonies on a daily basis and during festivals.[106] Volunteers and temple staff also participate in daily rituals, such as symbolically moving an icon of Sundaresvara in a palanquin to Meenakshi's chamber every night so that they can be together, then waking the two and returning Sundaresvara to his shrine every morning.[16] There are periodic ratha (chariot) processions where one of the metal copy icon of the goddess is taken out of the temple in an elaborate car shrine decorated with colorful clothes and flowers, with volunteers pulling the car through the streets of Madurai and circumambulating the temple complex on one of the concentric roads in the old city. This symbolizes her mythical conquests and her presence in the secular life of the people.[16]
The temple has a six time pooja calendar everyday, each comprising four rituals namely abhisheka (sacred bath), alangaram (decoration), neivethanam (food offerings
The Hindus generally circumambulate the shrines clockwise first before entering the shrine for a
Festivals
The Meenakshi temple hosts a festival in each month of the Tamil calendar. Some festivals attract significant participation, with the Meenakshi wedding-related festival attracting over a million people over 12 days. It is called the "
Other festivals include the Vasantham festival is celebrated in Vaikasi month. The Unjal Festival in Aani, the Mulai-Kottu festival in Aadi, the Aavani Moolam Aavani, the Kolattam festivals of Ayppasi and Karthikai months, the Arudhra Dharsan festival of Margali month, the Thai month utsavam that co-celebrated with the Mariyamman temple in Madurai, the Masi utsavam and Vasamtham utsavam in Panguni.[70][106]
In the Tamil month of Purattasi, the temple celebrates the
Literary mention
Over the centuries, the temple has been a centre of education of culture, literature, art, music and dance.[6]
The temple is famed location where Tamil tradition believes Sambandar helped establish Tamil Shiva bhakti.[115]
Kumaraguruparar, a 17th-century Tamil poet, composed Meenakshi Pillaitamil in praise of presiding deity of this temple.[116] King Tirumalai Nayak's patronage of the poet Kumaraguruparar has an important place in the history of pillaitamil (a genre of Tamil literature). Kumaraguruparar visited a lot of temples and when he visited this temple, he composed Meenakshi pillaitamil dedicated to the goddess Meenakshi.[117]
108 Veena concert
On 5 October 2022, the final day of the year's
Notes
- ^ Some of the shrines and the gopuram are not exactly aligned east-west and north-south axis, however.[52]
- ^ His alternate names in texts and Madurai Meenakshi temple-related inscriptions include Chockalingam, Chockanathar, Meenakshi Sundarar, Somasundarar, Kalyana Sundarar, Shanbaga Sundarar, Attavai Shevagan, Adiyarku Nallan, Adhiraveesi, Vilayaduvan, Abhideka Chockar, Azhagiya Chockar, Kadambavana Chockar, Puzhugu Neidhu Chockar, Kadambavaneswarar, Karpoora Chockar, Madureswarar, Irayanar, Peralavayar.[70][75]
- ^ These offerings are always vegetarian, and animal sacrifices are never performed, states Christopher Fuller.[107]
References
- ^ "9°55'10.23"N 78°07'09.63"E". Retrieved 22 October 2020.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "This Temple Is Covered in Thousands of Colorful Statues". National Geographic. 2 August 2017. Archived from the original on 26 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-5381-0686-0.
- ^ a b Knott 2000, section 10.
- ^ Rajarajan Archived 30 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine, R.K.K. 2005. Minaksi or Sundaresvara: Who is the first principle? South Indian History Congress Annual Proceedings XXV, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, pp. 551-553.
- ^ a b National Geographic 2008, p. 155.
- ^ Swaroop, Vishnu (7 November 2016). "Which Tamil Nadu temple is the state emblem?". The Times of India. Madurai: The Times Group. Archived from the original on 26 June 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
- ^ Madhavan, Chitra (1–15 July 2011). "The artist who designed the State emblem". Madras Musings. XXI (6). Archived from the original on 16 December 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g D. Uma 2015, pp. 19–23.
- ^ a b c d D. Uma 2015, pp. 36–37.
- ^ a b c King 2005, pp. 72–74.
- ^ D. Uma 2015, pp. 39–40.
- ^ a b Madurai Archived 1 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Encyclopedia Britannica, Quote: "The [Meenakshi] temple, Tirumala Nayak palace, Teppakulam tank (an earthen embankment reservoir), and a 1000-pillared hall were rebuilt in the Vijayanagar period (16th–17th century) after the total destruction of the city in 1310."
- ^ Michell 1995, pp. 9-10
- ISBN 978-1-135-35624-8., Quote: "By the beginning of the 14th century south India was exposed to the depredations of Muslim raiders from the north, and even Madurai was destroyed in 1310, by Malik Kafur, briefly becoming the seat of a sultanate thereafter."
- ^ ISBN 978-81-85026-213.
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- ^ D. Uma 2015, pp. 34–47.
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- ^ Gopal 1990, p. 181.
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- ^ "Madurai's Meenakshi Temple named best 'Swachh Iconic Place' in India". Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
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- ^ ISBN 978-1-4262-0336-7.
- ^ Reddy 2013, p. 10.
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- ^ Manly Palmer Hall, ed. (1949). Horizon, Volume 9, Issue 3. Philosophical Research Society. p. 33.
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- ^ Journal of Indian History. Department of History, University of Kerala. 2002. p. 96.
- ^ Excerpt for the etymology of Meenatchi from "A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Tamil Language, Vol. VII, PART - II", page 68: மீனாட்சி, Mīṉāṭci, பெ. (n. ) மதுரையை உறைவிடமாகக் கொண்ட தெய்வம்; Umā, the tutelary Goddess of Madurai. [மீன் + ஆட்சி. மீனைக் கொடியில் சின்னமாகக் கொண்டவள்.] Translation: [ Meen + Aatchi. Her who put the fish as symbol for the flag.] (மீன் - Mīṉ which means "fish", ஆட்சி- āṭci which means "rule")
- ^ Proceedings of the First International Conference Seminar of Tamil Studies, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, April, 1966. International Association of Tamil Research. 1968. p. 543.
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- ^ a b Harman 1992, pp. 44–47.
- ^ a b c Brockman 2011, pp. 326–327.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-521-89103-5.
- ^ Sangam Literature Archived 28 May 2019 at the Wayback Machine, Encyclopedia Britannica
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- ^ Cotterell 2011, p. 190.
- ^ a b c d e f g h D. Uma 2015, pp. 19–32.
- ^ Michell 1995, pp. 9-10, Quote: "The era under consideration opens with an unprecedented calamity for Southern India: the invasion of the region at the turn of the fourteenth century by Malik Kafur, general of Alauddin, Sultan of Delhi. Malik Kafur's forces brought to an abrupt end all of the indigenous ruling houses of Southern India, not one of which was able to withstand the assault or outlive the conquest. Virtually every city of importance in the Kannada, Telugu and Tamil lands succumbed to the raids of Malik Kafur and later Muslim invasions; forts were destroyed, palaces dismantled and temple sanctuaries wrecked in the search for treasure. In order to consolidate the rapidly won gains of this pillage, the Delhi Sultanate established the province of Ma'bar in 1323 with the capital at Madurai (Madura) in the southernmost part of the Tamil zone, former capital of the Pandyas who were dislodged by the Delhi forces. Madurai thereupon became the capital of the Ma'bar (Malabar) province of the Delhi empire."
- ^ ISBN 978-1-61069-026-3.
- ISBN 978-0-521-89103-5.
- ISBN 978-0-19-566869-8.
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- ^ Michell 1995, pp. 14, 78-81, 158
- ^ a b c King 2005, pp. 72–73.
- ^ a b c d King 2005, pp. 72–75.
- ^ V. 1995, p. 115.
- JSTOR 2928680.
- S2CID 145422778.
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- ^ D. Uma 2015, pp. 48–53.
- ISBN 978-3-11-085775-7.
- ^ Thenmozhi, Kuru (1969). Nadar Chamuga Varalaru (T). Madurai. p. 2.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ ISBN 978-81-7304-701-5.
- ^ from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- ^ "Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, 1959". Archived from the original on 6 December 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ Selby & Peterson 2008, p. 149.
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- ^ D. Uma 2015, pp. 16–17, 24–26.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i V.K. 2003, pp. 96–98.
- .
- ^ a b c d Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareshwarar Thirukkoil – Temple Towers Archived 1 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Madurai Meenakshi Temple, Government of Tamil Nadu
- ^ a b c d D. Uma 2015, pp. 24–32.
- ^ a b D. Uma 2015, pp. 32–33.
- ^ a b c d e C. J. Fuller (1980), South Indian Temple: Mīnākṣī and Sundareśvara at Madurai, History of Religions, Vol. 19, No. 4 (May, 1980), University of Chicago Press, pages 321-348
- ^ Pal 1988, p. 291.
- ^ D. Uma 2015, pp. 19–38.
- ^ Compiled 2008, p. 174.
- ^ a b D. Uma 2015, pp. 24–31.
- ^ Temple theertham 2012.
- ^ Michell 1995, p. 241.
- ^ D. Uma 2015, pp. 22–39.
- ISBN 978-81-926983-2-8.
- ^ a b c D. Uma 2015, pp. 41–43.
- ^ Nicholson 1997, pp. 279–280.
- ^ a b c D. Uma 2015, pp. 38–39.
- ^ a b D. Uma 2015, pp. 39–41.
- ^ D. Uma 2015, pp. 34–35.
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- ^ Ki 1963, p. 93.
- ^ Awakened India 2007, p. 49.
- ^ Iyer & T. R. 1987, p. 43.
- ^ Ki 1963, p. 76.
- ^ Awakened India 2007, p. 47.
- ^ D. Uma 2015, pp. 33–34.
- ^ a b Christopher Fuller (1995), The 'Holy Family' of Shiva in a south Indian temple, Social Anthropology, Volume 3, Issue 3, Cambridge University Press, pages 205-217
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- ^ Kumar 2001, p. 184.
- ^ Smith 1996, pp. 10–48.
- ^ Soundara Rajan 2001, p. 51.
- doi:10.1558/rosa.v8i2.197. Archived from the originalon 29 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ISBN 978-0-8135-8394-5.
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- ^ "Which Tamil Nadu temple is the state emblem? | Madurai News - Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 26 June 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
- ^ a b c Fuller 2004, pp. 63–74.
- ^ Fuller 2004, p. 97.
- ^ Fuller 2004, p. 67.
- ^ Bansal 2008, p. 123.
- ^ Harman 1992, p. 65.
- ^ Harman 1992, p. 66.
- ^ Navarathri celebrations: Meenakshi temple golu display steals the show Archived 11 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine, The Times of India (6 Oct 2016)
- ^ Crowds throng Madurai Meenakshi temple for 'golu' Archived 20 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine, The Hindu (6 OCTOBER 2013)
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- ^ Karen Pechilis Prentiss 1999, pp. 78–79.
- ^ Datta 2005, p. 1626.
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External links
- "Madurai Meenakshi Temple Timings" on 1Temples.com
- "Madurai Meenakshi Temple 360 View" on Dinamalar.com
- "A Brief History Of Meenakshi Temple"