Meenakshi Amman Temple

Meenakshi Amman Temple மீனாட்சியம்மன் கோயில்
Meenakshi Amman Temple மீனாட்சியம்மன் கோயில் Location in Tamil Nadu
Name
Other names	Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, Tiru-aalavai
Proper name	Tiru-aalavai
Geography
Coordinates	9°55′10″N 78°07′10″E / 9.91944°N 78.11944°E / 9.91944; 78.11944Coordinates: 9°55′10″N 78°07′10″E / 9.91944°N 78.11944°E / 9.91944; 78.11944
Country	India
State	Tamil Nadu
District	Madurai
Culture
Primary deity	Meenakshi (Parvati)
Consort	Sundareswarar (Shiva)
Temple tank	Potramarai Kulam
Important festivals	Chithirai Thiruvizha
Architecture
Architectural styles	Tamizhan architecture
Number of temples	27
History and governance
Website	http://www.maduraimeenakshi.org

Meenakshi Amman Temple is a historic Tamil Hindu temple located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River in the temple city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to Parvati, known as Meenakshi, and her consort, Shiva, here named Sundareswarar. The temple forms the heart and lifeline of the 2,500-year-old city of Madurai and is a significant symbol for the Tamil people, mentioned since antiquity in Tamil literature. Though most of the present structure was built between 1623 and 1655 CE. It is said that the temple was originally built in the 6th century BC by survivors of the Kumari Kandam. In the 14th century, the Sultanate Muslim Commander Malik Kafur plundered the temple and looted it of its valuables. It was rebuilt by the Nayak ruler Vishwanatha Nayakar around the 16th century. It was Vishwanatha Nayaka who rebuilt the temple in accordance to shilpa shastra. It houses 14 gopurams (gateway towers), ranging from 45–50m in height. The tallest is the southern tower, 51.9 metres (170 ft) high, and two golden sculptured vimanas, the shrines over the garbhagrihas (sanctums) of the main deities. The temple attracts 15,000 visitors a day, around 25,000 on Fridays, and receives an annual revenue of ₹ 60 million. There are an estimated 33,000 sculptures in the temple. It was on the list of top 30 nominees for the "New Seven Wonders of the World". The temple is the most prominent landmark and most visited tourist attraction in the city. The annual 10-day Meenakshi Tirukalyanam festival, celebrated during April and May, attracts 1 million visitors.

Meenakshi (IAST Mīnākṣī Tamil மீனாட்சி) is a form of the Hindu goddess Parvati - the consort of Shiva, one of the many Hindu female deities to have a major temple devoted to her. The name "Mīnachchi" means fish-eyed and is derived from the words "mīna" meaning fish and "akṣi" meaning eyes. The goddess Meenakshi is the principal deity of the temple, not Sundareswarar, unlike most Shiva temples in South India where Shiva is the principal deity. According to Hindu legend, in order to answer the prayers of the second Pandya king Malayadwaja Pandya and his wife Kanchanamalai, Parvati appeared out of the holy fire of the Putra Kameshti Yagna (sacrifice for childhood) performed by the king. According to another legend, the goddess herself gave notice to Kanchanamalai in one of her previous births that Kanchanamalai would have the privilege of mothering the goddess. The girl who came out of the holy fire had three breasts. A voice from the heavens told the king not to worry about the abnormality and added that the third breast would vanish as soon as the girl met her future husband. The happy king named the girl "Tadaatagai" and as the heir to the throne, Tadaatagai was trained carefully in all the 64 sastras, the fields of science .