Meenakshi Temple, Madurai

MEENAKSHI TEMPLE, MADURAI

THE TEMPLE BECOMES A FORT…..

WITH THE GROWING UNCERTAINTIES OF TEMPORAL POWER,THE BUILDING OF NEW ARCHITECTURAL MASTERPIECES TO THE “GLORY OF GOD” WAS HARDLY POSSIBLE. THE KEEPERS OF THE TEMPLE ALSO REQUIRED BUILDINGS MORE OF A DEFENSIVE CHARACTER RATHER THAN OF AN INNOVATIVE NATURE. THUS EXISTING TEMPLES BEGAN TO ACQUIRE SEVERAL CONCENTRIC RINGS OF GROWTH THIS ENSURED THAT THE ADDITIONAL HALL’S WERE CONVENIENTLY LOCATED MORE OR LESS EQUIDISTANT FROM THE SHRINE.

AND THE FORT BECOMES A CITY….. •OVER A PERIOD OF TIME WITH THE ACCRETION OF GREATER RELIGIOUS MERIT AND PILGRIMS ARRIVING IN THOUSANDS,THE TEMPLE PRECINCTS HAD TO BE ENLARGED FURTHER. •THE PRECEDENTS OF THE METHODOLOGY OF GROWTH HAD NOW BEEN ESTABLISHED.MORE SPACE WAS ACQUIRED BY CONSTRUCTING YET ANOTHER,EVEN LARGER,CONCENTRIC WALL. •THE ORIGINAL OPEN COURT SURROUNDING THE GARBHA GRIHA WAS ROOFED OVER.THE SACRED IMAGE OF THE DEITY ACQUIRED AN EVEN MORE MYSTERIOUS QUALITY •TANKS WERE BUILT FOR PILGRIMS TO PERFORM THE RITUAL ABLUTIONS. •THUS MORE SPACES WERE ADDED,DICTATED BY THEIR FUNCTIONAL USE RATHER THAN ARCHITECTURAL HARMONY . •ULTIMATELY,THE FORT LIKE DESIGN OF A TEMPLE AS A SERIES OF CONCENTRIC FORTIFICATIONS ADORNED WITH MASSIVE GOPURAMS BECAME AN ACCEPTED “STYLE” OF TEMPLE BUILDING.

THE MEENAKSHI TEMPLE AT MADURAI…

THUS THE MEENAKSHI TEMPLE GREW WITH ADDITIONS AND ALTERATIONS BASED ON THE EXISTING METHODOLOGY OF GROWTH. SPACES AROUND THE SHRINE WERE ENDOWED WITH DIMINISHING RELIGIOUS VALUE DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO THEIR DISTANCE FROM THE DEITY IN THE SHRINE THE INNERMOST COURTS WERE THE KITCHENS OF THE BRAHMINS,THE PAVILLIONS FOR THE DANCING GIRLS AND THE TREASURY THE TEMPLE STANDS AT THE CENTRE OF THE TOWN WITH THE MAIN ROADS RUNNING ROUGHLY PARRALLEL TO THE FOUR MAIN WALLS OF THE TEMPLE.

THE ARCHITECTURE IS PURELY DRAVIDIAN CHARACTERISTICS BEING: -COLOSSOL GOPURAS DOMINATING THE SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE -CONCENTRIC RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURES -USE OF FLAT ROOF -ABSENCE OF ARCH OR DOME -PARTIALITY FOR LONG GALLERIES INTERSPERSED WITH SCULPTURED PILLARS -DELICATE SCULPTURE WORKED IN PONDEROUS MATERIAL THE AXES OF THE NORTH AND SOUTH AND THE EAST AND WEST GOPURAS INTERSECT AT THE PLACE WERE THE SHRINE OF THE PRINCIPAL DEITY IS LOCATED

A BRIEF HISTORY… The Sri Meenakshi Sundareswara temple and Madurai city originated together. According to tradition, Indra once committed a sin when he killed a demon, who was then performing penance While passing through a forest of Kadamba trees in Pandya land, he felt relieved of his burden . He was told that there was a Shivalinga under a Kadamba tree and beside a lake. Certain that it was the Linga that had helped him; he worshipped it and built a small temple around it. It is believed that it is this Linga, which is still under worship in the Madurai temple. The shrine is called the "Indra Vimana". The divine wedding of the masculine and feminine cosmic principles of the Universe,shiva and shakti.took place on Earth in madurai,the meenakshi temple encloses the spot where it took place

ABOUT THE TEMPLE… ASHTA SHAKTI MANDAPA It is a convention in this temple that the devotee first worships goddess meenakshi.Therefore while there are four other entrances into the temple,under huge gopuras in the four cardinal directions,it is customary to enter not thru any of them ,but, thru this mandapa. This Mandapa is an impressive structure, with a hemispherical ceiling. It is 14m long and 5.5m wide. There are bas-reliefs all over the place.

SAMAGAM MEENAKSHI NAYAKAR MANDAPA Walking westwards from the ashta shakti mandapa,you enter the meenakshi nayakar mandapa.The Meenakshi Nayakar Mandapa is a huge hall, 42.9m long and 33.5m wide. It contains 110 stone columns, each 6.7m high. There are yalis in the capital and delicate reliefs below. Some of the carvings are unfinished. The chitra gopura stands over the entrance from this mandapa into the shrine complex of the goddess.It could have been the original entrance into the sanctum,over seven tiers high it is the tallest gopura over the shrine of the Godddess

MUDALI PILLAI MANDAPA

THE MUDALI PILLAI MANDAPA FOLLOWS THE CHITRA GOPURA.ADDED IN 1613 IT IS 183M LONG AND 7-6M WIDE ON ITS WALLS ARE MANY PURANIC SCENES.IT USED TO BE WITHOUT ANY NATURAL LIGHT BUT WINDOWS WERE ADDED IN THE LAST RENOVATION. PASSING THRU THE MUDALI MANDAPA YOU COME TO THE POTRAMARAIKULAM OR THE GOLDEN LOTUS TANK

THE GOLDEN LOTUS TANK THIS TANK IS 165 FEET LONG AND 120 FEET WIDE.THERE ARE STONE STEPS ON ALL FOUR SIDES.THE NORTHERN CORRIDOR LEADS DIRECTLY TO THE SHRINE OF THE GODDESS. THE CORRIDORS AROUND THE TANK ARE RIGHTLY CALLED THE CHITRA MANDAPA,FOR THE WALLS CARRY PAINTINGS OF THE DIVINE SPORTS OF THE LORD.

THE OONJAL AND KILLIKATTI MANDAPAS THESE MANDAPAS ARE ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE GOLDEN LOTUS TANK. TO THE WEST OF THE KILLIKATTI MANDAPA THERE IS A THREE TIERED GOPURA THRU WHICH YOU CAN ENTER THE MEENAKSHI SHRINE

THE SHRINE OF THE GODDESS THE SHRINE CONSISTS OF A SQUARE SANCTUM,AN ARDHAMANDAPA AND A MUKHAMANDAPA.IN THE NICHES ON THE WALLS OF THE SHRINE ARE IMAGES OF IKKASHAKTI IN THE SOUTH,KRIYASHAKTI IN THE WEST AND JANASHAKTI IN THE NORTH.THERE ARE SHRINES OF VINAYAKA AND SUBRAMANYA IN THE OUTER PRAKARA

SUNDARESHWARA TEMPLE IN THE OUTER PRAKARAM THERE IS THE KADAMBHATHADI MANDAPA AND A BIG HALL CALLED THE VELLIAMBALLAM. THIS MANDAPA ALSO ENCLOSES THE NANDI SHRINE .

SUNDARESHWARA SHRINE OVER THE ENTRANCE INTO THE SHRINE STANDS A GOPURA OF FIVE STORIES. FLANKING THE ENTRANCE ARE HUGE DWARPALIKAS. THE SHRINE IS A SQUARE OF 10.4 M.EIGHT ELEPHANTS,THIRTY TWO LIONS AND SIXTY FOUR SPORTIVE DWARVES SUPPORT ITS BASE OUTER WALLS HAVE THREE PROMINENT NICHES EACH PROJECTING 1.8M. THE VIMANA OF THE SANCTUM IS THREE STORIES HIGH. IN FRONT OF THE SHRINE THERE IS ,SUCCESSIVELY,AN ANTARALA, ARDHAMANDAPA, MUKHAMANDAPA AND MAHAMANDAPA. THERE ARE 2 PRAKARAS AND FIVE GOPURAS

THE THOUSAND PILLAR HALL THIS MANDAPA ACTUALLY CONTAINS 985 PILLARS. THE CENTRAL NAVE LEADS TO A SHRINE DEDICATED TO LORD SABAPATI. THIS MANDAPA ENCLOSES THE TEMPLE MUSEUM OUTSIDE THIS MANDAPA TOWARDS THE WEST,ARE THE MUSICAL PILLARS

KALAYANA MANDAPA SPECIAL MANDAPA DEDICATED TO THE RITUAL CELEBRATION OF THE MARRIAGE OF THE LORD WITH THE GODDESS. THUS THE CENTER HAS A LARGE PLATFORM WHERE,ANNUALLY, THE MARRIAGE OF LORD SUNDARESHWAR AND GODDESS MEENAKSHI IS CELEBRATED.ON TWO OF THE WALLS ARE TWO HUGE PAINTINGS OF THE “TWO WORLDS” OF HINDU COSMOGONY

PUDHUMANDAPA IT IS A LARGE HALL CONTAINING 124 PILLARS ,ELABORATELY SCULPTED WITH FIGURES OF SHIV ,MEENAKSHI AND THE 10 NAYAK KINGS WITH THEIR CONSORTS. ALSO CALLED VASANTHA MANDAPA AS THE SPRING FESTIVAL IS CELEBRATED IN THIS MANDAPA IN VAIKASI (APRIL/MAY).

THE GOPURAS OF THE TEMPLE SYMBOLOGY OF THE GOPURA The majestic temple gopuram symbolises an individual’s attempt at reaching spiritual heights. The vertical and pyramidal gopuram elicits the image of the idealised heavenly abode of God. The majestic sculptures remind us of the efforts and sacrifices needed to reach a life of perfection, i.e., a spiritual apex. 

EASTERN GOPURA OLDEST OF THE FOUR.BASE IS A STONE STRUCTURE BUILT IN TWO STOREYS [ 34MX20M] OVER IT THE SUPERSTRUCTURE TOWERS TO A HEIGHT OF 47M IN NINE STOREYS.

WESTERN GOPURA BUILT BY THE PANDYAS. 48M HIGH RESTING ON A BASE THAT IS 31M X14M. HAS NINE TIERS

SOUTHERN GOPURA MOST ARTISTIC OF THE FOUR ALSO THE TALLEST MEASURING 49M IN HEIGHT.UNLIKE THE OTHERS IT IS A CURVILINEAR GOPURA

NORTHERN GOPURA