Meenakshi Amman Temple

The Madurai Meenakshi Temple also known as the Meenakshi Amman or the Tiru-alavai Temple resides on the southern banks of the religious river Vaigai which flows in the middle of the ancient city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu. The temple is dedicated to the consort Lord Shiva, the goddess Parvati. Sundareswarar, which means a beautiful deity, is referred to Shiva and hence the temple is also called Meenakshi Sundareswarar. The temple has a remarkable architecture including the Gopurams or the gateway towers, their height ranging between 45 to 50m the tallest gopuram being the southern tower with the gigantic height of 51.9m and also the two golden sculptures or the shrines present in the holiest place in the temple, right above the main deities. The temple was build years ago but it still attracts a large group of religious people with approximately 15000 of them in a day and an increased amount of crowd of 25000 during Fridays as the day owes an important significance. The group of visitors includes a crowd of both, domestic and international visitors and hence, the temple is also a good foreign currency earner for the state of Tamil Nadu which is approximated to be about 60 million INR. The temple enjoys a large hustle-bustle during the months of April-May because of the annual ten day festival of Meenakshi Tirukalyanam with around one million visitors every day. Hence, it can be said that Madurai Meenakshi Temple is a must visit place in a Tamil Nadu vacation trip.