Madurai Meenakshi Amman

Unique Birthday Celebrations

• 10,000 mothers Deepa Poojas

• Worship of cows

• Whole Temple cleaning by 1000 volunteers.

• Annadanam

V. Shanmuganathan

On 23rd January 2011,

The Hindu temple protection committee celebrated the Birthday of Devi Meenakshi in Madurai. 10,000 women did deepa pooja with pure devotion cutting across all caste barriers. Spirit of unity was exhibited by their collective effort to celebrate the birth day celebrations. The devotees forum called bhaktar pevavai volunteers numbering 1000 people cleaned the temple with water and decorated it with Kolams. It is a massive work. Every Karyakartha involved himself in the work with devotion and dedication. The worshippers forum train the workers with a spiritual bent up of mind. True strength lies in submission which permits one to dedicate his life, through devotion, to something beyond himself.

Beautiful Towers

Meenakashi Amman Temple is one amongst the most important temples of our country. Temple structure sprawls in an area of 45 acres. The temple complex comprises of 12 superlative gopurams. These tall towers rise to the height of more than 50 meters. Apart from this, there are two golden towers for the main deities. These beautiful temple towers are elaborately sculptured, painted and decorated. There are 30 million colourful carvings and gypsum images around the temple. The tallest tower rises to the extent of 170 feet. The main sancturm sanctorium is believed to be more than 2500 years old.

Madurai Never sleeps

Tamil literature discribes about the Madurai, as the city of nectar. It is located on the banks of Vaigai River. It was the capital of Pandyan Rulers. It has been the center of learning and pilgrimage. It is the most active center of Tamilnadu during the day time as well as night time.

Thirugnana sambhandar, the famous saint of Shaiva siddhantha, mentioned this temple as early as the 7th century and described the lord as Aalavai Iraivan.

The collossal structure of the temple was constructed by Kulasekara Pandyan. It has a huge dimension of 254 by 237 meters. Having history of thousands of years, the present structure of the Temple got erected in the early 17th century.

From the debris

The Temple was ransacked by the muslim Invader Malik Kafur in the year 1310 A.D. and all the ancient elements were destroyed. The initiative to rebuild the temple was teken by first nayak king of Madurai. Then came the most valuable contributions of King Thirumalai Nayak. He constructed many mandapas and sthupas inside and outside the temple, including Vasantha Mandapam. Aayiram kaal Mandapan is a thousand pillared hall, which is prominent due to its class sculptures. The hall is truely marvellous and definitely worth seeing for its beautiful architecture.

Meenakshi Devi

Malayadwaja Pandya was the King of Madurai. He was childless for long and performed an ellborate yagna, sacrificial rites before a sacred fire, the Agni to get a child. To the wonder of all, a girl child emerged from the fire. Queen Kanchanamala was thrilled to see the baby and took the child and embraced It and put it on her lap. This has happend during the Tamil month of ‘Thai’ (January) on the day of Magha Nakshatra. The king, the queen and people were very happy. Birth day cleebrations were marked by deepa poojas and recitation of Nama Sangeerthanas. 108 cows were worshipped with neivedhyam, pooja and mangal arthi. All visitors were given good food.

Meenakshi Thiru Kalyanam

As per the faith of the devotees, Madurai is the same city where lord Sundareswar married goddess Meenakshi. The name Sundareswara means the Beautiful Shiva and Meenakshi means, the fish eyed goddess". Madurai temple is regarded as one of the most sacred places of Devi Parvati, other being Kamakshi of Kanchipuram and Kasi Visalakshi of varanasi.

The marriage ceremony is conducted with pomp and pageantry and in all its magnificence and splendour to the great delight of devotees. Mahavishnu as brother of Devi Meenakshi visited Madurai and formally gave the bride to shiva. Sri Brahma performed the vedic marriage rituals. This marriage scene is carved as a beautiful ‘Shilpa’ sculpture in one of the pllars. Mahavishnu comes across vaigai river from the nearby temple of Azhagarkovil. the fesitval that attracts the devotees most is the Meenakshi kalyanam popularly known as chithirai festival.

The sthalapakshi (Bird) is Parrot. People can see the parrot sitting on the shoulders of Meenakshi. Temple authorities maintains many parrots in and around the temple. This Kshethra is called as kadamba vana, the forest of the Kadamb trees.

Potramaraikulam (Golden Lotus tank)

In side the temple, Potramaraikulam is a consecrated pond where devotees take bath in the holy water, before entering the main strine. The term Potramaroikulam suggests the pond with a golden lotus. The area around this tank was the meeting place of the Tamil sangam, the ancient academy of poets. This acadamy judged the worth of any work of literature presented before it. The pond served as an evaluator for reviewing the worth of a new literature.

Velli Ambalam

There is a silver statue of Nataraja near sanctum sanctorium. It is called velli Ambalam or silver abode of shiva. Usually Nataraja performs dance by raising his left leg. A devotee was moved emotionally. He felt that, raising left lag may be painful to god and so he prayed to the lord, to change it to the right leg. Seeing his true devotion, Nataraja, changed the posture, and he satisfied the prayer of the devotee. Here Nataraja is seen with a difference.

Greatest gift

Thus, Meenakshi Temple at Madurai has got a great history. It is known for superb sculpture. Temple itself is the most spectacular display of architecture on earth. Meenakshi Amman Temple has been nominated for the new seven wonders of the world. Hundreds and thousands of devotees come every day to pay their obeisance to Goddess Meenakshi.

Once Max Muller said that, If I were asked under what sky the human mind has most fully developed some of ts choicest gifts, I should point to India. There is no doubt that Madurai Meenakshi Temple is the greatest gift of our forefathers to the present and future generation.