This enormous temple complex in Madurai is dedicated to Lord Shiva, known here as Sundareshvara, and his consort Parvati or Meenakshi. The original temple was built by Kulasekara Pandya, but the entire credit for making the temple as splendid as it is today goes to the Nayaks. The Nayaks ruled Madurai from the 16th to the 18th century and left a majestic imprint of their rule in the Meenakshi – Sundareswarar Temple.
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. Restoration was undertaken by the Nayak ruler Vishwanatha Nayakar around the 16th century. It was Vishwanatha Nayak who rebuilt the temple in accordance to shilpa shastra.
The temple complex is within a high-walled enclosure, at the core of which are the two sanctums for Meenakshi and Sundareshwara, surrounded by a number of smaller shrines and grand pillared halls. Especially impressive are the 12 gopurams. Their soaring towers rise from solid granite bases, and are covered with stucco figures of deities, mythical animals and monsters painted in vivid colours.
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THANK YOU & GOD BLESS YOUR FOR THESE WONDERFUL PICTURES OF ONE OF ‘7 WONDERS’ MADURAI MEENAKSHI AMMAN TEMPLES
Awesome pictures of madurai meenakshi temple. Thanks for sharing…
Wonderful pictures. Grateful to you to share them.
Absolutely breathtaking… only Shiva could inspire such a work.
Great pictures of madurai meenakshi temple. Thanks for showing such a lovely collection and hats off to your dedicational effort.
12th July 2015 I visited this temple. The real buety is known after your amazing update.
Wonderful, indeed spectacular pictures. The temple has retained its splendour and majesty after many centuries.
Awesome pictures of Madurai Meenatchi Amman temple. Thank you for the pictures and other very useful articles.
Wonderful pictures of Madhura meenakhi Temple. One has to visit this temple at least one in his life time.
thanks very much for taking me to Madurai meenakshi amman temple. may god bless u
Absolutely breathtaking, amazing, and mind expanding pictures of Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple. Thanks for the wonderful post.
Thanks for providing wonderful pix of Devi Meenaxi.
It is wonderful thanks for such beautiful pictures of Madurai Meenakashi temple…..India is a very great country proud tobe Indian….thanks for sharing ….god bless all
i am so glad to see mother madurai meenakshi Amme .. Wonderful mother who show herself in my dream that i cannot forget until now.
Beautiful pictures, breathtaking work of art and architecture. Thanks for sending the photographs.
Thanks & Blessed, at-least we can see in pictures
Thanks — Blessed, Blessed & Blessed
Sundara means beautiful. It is the abode of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar. Adisankara already praised them as Maatacha Parvati Devi Pitadevo Maheswara. Maduram means sweet. When great persons have praised the place in more poetic verses, how can an ordinary man like me praise the divine abode except to offer my sasthanga pranams before the lotus feet of mother and father with deep sense of love.
Excellent
Thanks for these beautiful and price less photos.
Rajashekar
Indeed awesome breath taking beautiful pictures of Madurai Temple. Amma Meenakshi Picture, no words to praise.Very Divine & Graceful Mother. May you have HER abundant blessings.Thanks for sharing Great Pictures.
Thank you Oh! Lord Shiva for giving us this beautiful land.
We should be proud of our unthinkable history of immense greatness……………
As the saying goes ” As above, so below” all the wonders this land holds.
Very nice pictures. those temple towers evoking a lofty, serene mood. my humble suggestion is had you included those marvellous statues attached to the pillars inside the Meenakshi temple which bespeak the highest craftsmanship, artistry and a hallmark of Nayakka dynasty, we would’ve felt a wholeness in the coverage.
Tears of joy and a sense of awe were the experience I had when I viewed the temple and its precincts.
Magnificent colourful pageantry, a visual delight, a spectacle worth viewing over and over again . My Namaskar to the Creator and His Creation
I was in India some ten years back, truly it was but marvelous. What an ARCHITECTURE.
This is great accomplishment.We will be happy if divine information on Goddess Kamakhya in Assam can be provided to devotees.
In last 20 years , many times planned to go to Madurai and today seeing high quality pictures,my imaginations about the temple got that long awaited spark. Thanks for these grand pictures of the famous Meenakshi temple in the south of India.
A wonderful friend and Samskritam teacher took me and his family to see this beautiful temple in 2004. It’s WONDERFUL to see these great pictures and be reminded how amazing it is. Thank you SO MUCH for these and other articles you send. With love for Holy Bharat!
nice pictures of Madurai Meenakshi temple
Superb pictures of Madurai Meenakshi Temple
Truly wonderful service you are doing. I lived in Madurai for 7 years and I am writing a book on “Unity of Faiths.” I would like to use one photo of yours of the temple in the book. would you permit me?
George Thomas
super………………………
A visit to Madurai Meenakshi Temple in the morning and again in the evening will be to the greatest advantage of any person in experiencing Hinduism in all its glory. The viewing of the Architectural and Sculptural marvels in the Gopurams and on the Pillars inside the temples within the Complex, the intense feeling experienced as one goes around the corridors and in the benign presence of the Lord and HIS Beloved Meenakshi, are to a person’s emancipation to the higher levels of Consciousness. Great Heritage and Great Monument to Cherish lifelong.