Madurai meenakshi temple · Meenakshi Temple in Madurai
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Meenakshi Temple in Madurai
Meenakshi Temple in Madurai
By far, the most common reason for visiting the city is the Meenakshi Temple , dedicated to the goddess Meenakshi (considered a form of Parvati) with a sanctum for her consort, Sundareshwarar (or Siva). Actually, historically, the Sundereshwar shrine is the larger and older of the two temple complexes. The complex itself is a splendid example of the south Indian Dravida architectural idiom. Four immense gopurams or temple towers crown the gateways at each cardinal direction, easily visible from a distance. Each tower is encrusted with more than a thousand brilliantly painted sculptures depicting an assortment of mythological and auspicious themes. It is traditional to enter through the south gopuram and, unusually, worship the Goddess before her consort. Inside the shelter for shoe-storage, offering baskets of coconuts, bananas and incense are available in addition to images of the Goddess for home altars. Many pilgrims -- particularly the men in black or orange sarongs who are devotees of the god Ayyappan -- circumambulate the main temple itself in the prakara or space between the outer wall and main temple. In addition, snake shrines and an assortment of offices and classrooms of religious foundations are found here.
Within the temple, devotees line up for darshan or viewing of the deities. Please note, however, that non-Hindus are not permitted into the inner sancta of Meenakshi or Sundareshwarar; anyone who looks suspicious can and will be pulled out of line by attendants. However, there is an abundance of sculpture and painting accessible to all. In addition, the steps of the Pottramaraikulam or Golden Lotus Pond is open to all and is a common meeting place for inhabitants of the city, in addition to pilgrims and tourists. In ancient times, the sangam or assembly of poets was said to gather at this pool to judge the merits of new compositions, often by throwing the manuscripts into the pool itself. Those that sank were inferior while those that floated were worthy of praise and propagation.
There are many shops within the east gate, selling everything from plastic toys to bronze images of the Goddess. Be sure to bargain hard.
NOTE: One can buy the special tickets at the counter [each Rs.15] to get a special darshan, which is nothing but cutting short the line by at least a half. Do buy these tickets if you can see the queue after getting inside. After the first entrance there is another entrance and after that the entrance to the inner sanctum and after that the inner sanctum itself. You will not be able to see it but the line would be 2 hours long if you are in the general queue.
Timings�: The temple is usually open between 0500hrs and 12.30hrs and again between 1600 hrs and 21.30 hrs.
WARNING: Beware of guides, many of whom are or claim to be tailors, who offer to take you to vantage points outside the temple to get a better view. You will be lured into shops that have a very hard sell..
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Madurai Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.