Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple or Meenakshi Amman Temple

Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple or Meenakshi Amman Temple, originally uploaded by Mithun Kundu.

Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple or Meenakshi Amman Temple

is an historic Hindu temple located in the holy city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to god Shiva - in the form of Sundareswarar or Beautiful Lord- and his consort, Parvati in the form of Meenakshi. The temple forms the heart and lifeline of the 2500 year old city of Madurai. The complex houses 14 magnificent Gopurams or towers including two golden Gopurams for the main deities, that are elaborately sculptured and painted. The temple is a significant symbol for the Tamil people, and has been mentioned since antiquity in Tamil literature, though the present structure is believed to have been built in 1600. The tallest temple tower is 51.9 metres (170 ft) high

Porthamarai Kulam, the sacred pond inside the temple, is a very holy site for devotees. People go around the 165 ft (50 m) by 120 ft (37 m) lake before entering the main shrine. The name means the Pond with the Golden Lotus, and the lotus that grows in it has a golden color. According to legend, Lord Shiva promised a stork that no fish or other marine life would grow here and thus no marine animals are found in the lake.[2] In the Tamil legends, the lake is supposed to be a judge for judging a worth of a new literature. Thus, authors place their works here and the poorly written works are supposed to sink and the scholastic ones are supposed to float


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