Meenakshi Temple

Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple
An aerial view of the compound from the top of the southern gopuram, looking north.
Religion
AffiliationHinduism
DistrictMadurai
Deity
FestivalsChithirai Thiruvizha, Navaratri, Cradle festival, Aavanimoolam, Meenakshi Tirukalyanam, Alagar's river plunge
Governing bodyHindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department
Features
  • Temple tank: Potramarai Kulam (Golden-Lotus Pond)
Location
StateTamil Nadu
CountryIndia
Location of Meenakshi Temple
Location of Meenakshi Temple
Shown within Tamil Nadu
Location of Meenakshi Temple
Location of Meenakshi Temple
Meenakshi Temple (India)
Geographic coordinates9°55′10.23″N 78°07′09.63″E / 9.9195083°N 78.1193417°E / 9.9195083; 78.1193417[1]
Architecture
TypeDravidian architecture[2]
Inscriptionsover 40
Elevation144 m (472 ft)
Website
https://maduraimeenakshi.hrce.tn.gov.in/

Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, also known as 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 Amman, a form of Parvati, 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]

  1. ^ "9°55'10.23"N 78°07'09.63"E". Retrieved 22 October 2020.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "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.
  3. ^ Vijaya Ramaswamy (2017). Historical Dictionary of the Tamils. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. pp. 9–10, 103, 210, 363–364. ISBN 978-1-5381-0686-0.
  4. ^ Knott 2000, section 10.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ National Geographic 2008, p. 155.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.