Situated on the banks of the River Vaigai, the city is very well known for Madurai Meenakshi Temple, among the most famous places to visit in Madurai. Often referred to as Athens of the East, Madhurai is the oldest continually inhabited city in the Indian peninsula with a history dating back to the Sangam period of the pre-Christian era. It has been inhabited since at least the 3rd century BCE. It is considered the cultural capital of Tamilnadu.
Madurai was the seat of power of the Pandyan Empire. It was built by the Pandyan king Kulasekhara and was the capital city of the great Pandya kings of South India. It was later ruled by Cholas, Later Pandyas, Madurai Sultanate, Vijayanagara, Madurai Nayaks, and finally British. Pandyas and Nayaks contributed enormously to the development of Meenakshi Amman Temple and Madurai city.
Meenakshi Temple is the biggest landmark of Madurai. It is one of the largest temples in India. The temple has stunning architecture and a significant testimony for Vishwakarma Brahmins for their master architecture in sculpting this temple. The core city of Madurai is built parallel to the streets of Madhurai Temple. Besides, Thirumalai Nayak Mahal & Koodal Alagar Temple are other important places to visit in Madurai. Madurai is also a base station to visit Trichy, Thanjavur, Rameswaram and Kodaikanal.
The Sangam period poet Nakkeerar is associated with some of the Tiruvilayaadal episodes of Sundareswarar – that are enacted as a part of temple festival traditions even today.
About 10 km from Madurai, Madurai airport has regular flight connectivity with cities like Chennai, New Delhi, and Bengaluru. Madurai Railway Station is well-connected by trains from all the major cities of India. Madurai has several bus stations. Most of the long-distance buses and inter-state buses start from Mattuthavani Bus Terminus (8 km from Railway Station). Buses to Chennai, Bangalore, Trichy, Rameswaram, Thanjavur, Tirupathi, etc. start from here. Arappalayam Bus Station is another major bus station (3 km from Railway Station) with connectivity to Kodaikanal, Palani, Theni, Dundigal, etc. Periyar bus station near Railway station is the hub for local city buses.
Though a year-round destination, Madurai is best visited during the winter months from October to March. This is also the time to witness the popular harvest festival Tamilnadu, Pongal which is regarded as an extremely special festival in Madurai. Better to avoid visiting Madurai in summer when the weather is uncharacteristically hot, and dry.
What legends say
According to legend, the sacred Suyambulingam discovered by the king of Gods Indira at Kadambavanam, was later enshrined by him in Madurai. The fact that the Lord is seen on the vehicle of Indira in this temple is said to be proof for this.
Many historical evidences of the temple have been found dating back from early A.D. The temple was almost completely destroyed in the year 1310 following the invasion of the Islamic conqueror Malikkapur.
As kings who were followers of Islam were noted for their intolerance towards other religions, the invaders destroyed most of the ancient sculptures of the temple.
Thirugnanasambandar the Hindu Saint has mentioned the temple in his songs which go back to early 7th century. The Lord has been described as Alavai Iraivan in his songs.
The temple was restored to its pristine glory in the late 14th century when the Hindu Kings came back to power in Madurai. This can also be termed as a new beginning of a new era in the history of the temple, when it was almost rebuilt.
King Thirumalai Naicker played an important role in the construction of the new form of the temple according to records. The Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple is now under the administration of the HR and CE department of Tamil Nadu.
Presiding Deity
The presiding Lord of this sacred shrine was in the times of yore known as Chockanathar, and Chockalinga Perumal.
Now the deity is known as Sundareswarar, Meenakshi Sundarar, Somasundarar, Kalyana Sundarar, Shanbaga Sundarar, Attavai Shevagan, Chockalingam, Adiyarku Nallan, Adhiraveesi, Vilayaduvan, Abhideka Chockar, Azhagiya Chockar, Kadambavana Chockar, Puzhugu Neidhu Chockar, Kadambavaneswarar, Karpoora Chockar, Madureswarar, Irayanar, Peralavayar and other names.
Discussion about this post