Meenakshi Amman Temple

Day: Monday To Sunday
Morning Timing: 05:00 AM To 01:00 PM
Evening Timing: 04:00 PM To 09:00 PM
About

Meenakshi Temple, also referred to as Meenakshi Amman or Meenakshi Sundareshwara Temple, is a historic Hindu temple located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River in the temple city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India.The presiding deities are Meenakshi, a form of Parvati, and her consort, Sundareshwar, a form of Shiva. The temple is at the center of the ancient temple city of Madurai mentioned in the Tamil Sangam literature, with the goddess temple mentioned in 6th century CE texts.

Only Hindus can go into the inner sanctums to worship the deity of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar. There is access for everyone to worship the deities without any payment and special entrance tickets are also available for those who wishes to have the darshan quickly. The cost of special entrance is Rs.50/- for a single shrine either goddess Meenakshi or lord Sundaresara and Rs.100/- for both the shrines.

The temple abounds in legends and myths. It is believed that Indra discovered the presence of Swayambhu lingam during his trip through Madurai and he enshrined it. This temple finds mention in ancient texts and was completely devastated in 1310. The temple was restored to its original glory in the 14th century. It is quite an architectural marvel with 14 temple towers with a height ranging between 45-50 metres. A 1000 pillared hall is another major feature with exquisitely sculpted pillars. There are musical pillars which produce sounds of different scales.