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Construction
Construction of Meenakshi Temple
historic Hindu temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
- 1200
- South Asia
Construction
historic Hindu temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
Fetching the article from Wikipedia…
Meenakshi Temple, also known as Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, is a historic Hindu temple located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to Meenakshi, a form of Parvati, and her consort Sundareswarar (Shiva). The temple is theologically significant as it represents a confluence of various denominations of Hinduism such as Shaivism, Shaktism, and Vaishnavism.
While the Sangam literature mentions the temple city of Madurai, the existence of a temple is first referenced in the Tamil texts from 6th century. It is one of the Paadal Petra Sthalams, Shiva temples that are revered in the Tevaram verses composed by the Nayanars between the 6th and 11th century. The early structures of the temple were built during the reign of the Pandyas in the 12th to 13th centuries. It was later rebuilt by the Vijayanagara Empire in the 14th century, after its destruction by the armies of the Delhi Sultanate. The temple complex was later expanded extensively by the Madurai Nayaks in the 16th and 17th centuries. While a few structural improvements were made during the 18th and 19th centuries, the temple condition degraded due to negligence during the British Raj. After the Indian independence in the mid 20th century, the temple was restored with donations collected from people. Further restoration and kumbhabhishekam of the temple was conducted in 1974, 1995, 2009, and 2026.
The temple complex is spread over 5.7 hectares (14 acres). It consists of monuments inside several concentric enclosures (prakara), each layer fortified with high masonry walls. The outer walls have four large gopurams (ornamental gateways), one on each cardinal direction, and 10 smaller gopurams. The tallest is the southern tower, which was built in the 16th century and rises to 170 ft (52 m). The shrines of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar, the prominent and largest of the shrines in the temple, is located in the courtyard of the innermost prakara. The complex has numerous mandapas, including the thousand pillared hall, which are used for housing idols, temple festivities, and as choultry. There are images of various Hindu gods located across various shrines and mandapas in the temple. The golden lotus pond (potramarai kulam) is the main temple tank, located within the premises.
The temple is managed by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu. The temple complex is a prominent landmark in Madurai and attracts thousands of visitors every day. Hence, it serves as an economic center, with the goods and services associate with the temple and its activities forming a significant part of the economy of Madurai. The state emblem of Tamil Nadu is based on the west gopuram (ornate tower) of the temple. In October 2017, the temple was adjudged the best 'Swachh Iconic Place' in India under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan by the Government of India.
Meenakshi, a representation of goddess Parvati, is the principal deity of the temple. Meenakshi means "fish-eyed" in Tamil language, derived from the words mina ("fish") and akshi ("eyes"). She was earlier known by the name Thadadakai ("fish-eyed one"), and later became Meenakshi. The name of the goddess might also mean "rule of the fish", derived from the Tamil words meen (fish) and aatchi (rule), denoting the fish signage on the flag used by the Pandyas.
The Tevaram texts from the 7th to 8th centuries, mention the name of Meenakshi's consort Shiva as Angayarkanni udanurai Alavai Annal ("One who is with Angayarkanni"). Angayarkanni literally means "the mother with the beautiful fish eyes" in Tamil. According to the inscriptions found inside the temple, and dated to 13th century, the principal deities Shiva and Parvati, were known as Thiru Aalavaai Udaya Nayanar and Thiru Kaamakottam Udaiya Aalavaai Naachiyaar respectively. The name "Meenakshi" became more prevalent since the 17th century. The deity is spelt as Minaksi and the city as Madura in the 17th to early 20th-century texts.
According to the 16th century Tamil text of Thiruvilaiyadal Puranam, king Malayadhwaja Pandya and his wife Kanchanamalai performed a yajna seeking a son to succeed the king. A daughter appeared out of the fire, who was three years old and had three breasts. When the parents prayed to Shiva, a divine voice advised them to bring up the child, and that she will lose the third breast when she meets her future husband. The girl grew up in the palace, and the king crowned her as his successor. When she finally met Shiva, who took the form of Sundareswarar, she took her true form of Meenakshi, an incarnation of Parvati. Meenakshi Tirukalyanam, the marriage of Meenakshi and Shiva was a grand event, with the attendance of various Hindu gods, and other celestial and living beings.
According to religious scholar William P. Harman, the story may reflect the matrilineal traditions prevalent in South India during the time and the regional beliefs that "[spiritual] powers rest with the women", gods listen to their spouse, and that the fates of kingdoms rest with the women. He notes:
For the vast majority of devotees of the divine couple of Madurai, Mīṉākṣi is more important than Śiva. [...] They visit her shrine first before worshipping Śiva. [...] In a strict sense, the goddess is closer to the people: according to tradition she was born in Madurai. Śiva came as an outsider, from a distant place, to take up his residence and to rule with her [...] she is regarded, indeed addressed, as Mother (ammaṉ), while Śiva is approached more formally as Lord (nāyakaṉ).
— William P. Harman, The Sacred Marriage of a Hindu Goddess (1992)
According to historian Susan Bayly, the reverence for Meenakshi is a part of the Hindu goddess tradition that integrates with the Hindu society where the "woman is the lynchpin of the system" of social relationships. According to anthropologist Christopher Fuller, the wedding represents a symbolic paradigm for human marriages during the time.
The temple implies an affinal, protective relationship between Shaivism and Vaishnavism traditions of Hinduism, by portraying Shiva as the husband of Meenakshi, and Vishnu as her brother, a significant relationship in Dravidian kinship system. Meenakshi herself is a central part of the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism, and represented as the dominant figure of the pair in this temple. The temple thus symbolically celebrates all three of its major traditions.
According to the Thiruvilaiyadal Puranam, the temple is amongst the four most important of the 68 pilgrimage places in Shaivism, along with Varanasi, Chidambaram, and Tirukkalatti. As per Hindu mythology, the shrine of Sundareswarar is considered as one of the Pancha Sabhai (five courts), where the Shiva performed cosmic dance. It corresponds to the "Velli Ambalam" (silver abode) derived from the Tamil words velli meaning silver and ambalam meaning stage or altar, and the Nataraja sculpture is situated on a large silver altar in the temple.
Over the years, the temple has been a centre of Tamil culture and literature. The temple is one of those revered in the Tevaram hymns, compiled as part of Tirumurai, composed by Nayanars, Shiva poets who lived between the 6th and 11th centuries. As the temple is revered in the Tevaram, it is classified as a Paadal Petra Sthalam, one of the 276 temples mentioned in the Tamil Shaiva canon. The temple is described as "Mathura in the South" in the Vaishnavite texts. Kumaraguruparar, a 17th-century Tamil poet, composed Meenakshi Pillaitamil in praise of the deity of this temple. Shyama Shastri, one of the Trinity of Carnatic music, composed a set of nine Telugu songs in praise of Meenakshi of Madurai, which are referred to as Navaratnamalika (Garland of nine gems).
The town of Madurai is described from the Sangam era texts, dated to 1st to 4th century. Tamil texts imply that a temple existed in Madurai by the mid-6th century. As per these texts, the town of "Koodal" (Madurai) is described as a temple town where every street radiated from the temple. In the Teveram texts, the temple and its deity are referred to by various epithets and names. In Campantar describes the deity as Aalavaai Iraivan. In early medieval literature and inscriptions, it is sometimes referred to as Kadambavanam as the region was covered with Kadamba trees. Various descriptions and mythology associated with the temple are described in regional texts and literature, which are often centered around a warrior goddess, but the details vary significantly and are inconsistent with each other. Hence, scholars have attempted to determine the history of the temple from the inscriptions and records relating to South Indian dynasties. However, most of these are dated to post 12th century.
During the rule of the Pandya dynasty, goddess Meenakshi is described as the divine ruler of Madurai, who along with Shiva were revered as the primary deities. The earliest of the existing masonry of the Meenakshi temple was built during the reign of the Pandya emperor Sadayavarman Kulasekaran I (r. 1190–1216). The gopuram at the entrance of the Sundareswarar shrine and the central portion of the Meenakshi shrine were built during his reign. Texts and inscriptions also credit him with building shrines for Nataraja and Surya near the main sanctum, Ayyanar in the east, Vinayagar in the south, Kariamal Perumal in the west and Kali in the north of the temple complex. The temple was later expanded during the reign of Maravarman Sundara Pandyan I (r. 1216–1238). During his reign, Ananda Nambi built the Vembathurar gopuram, and another large gopuram (named after Sundara Pandya) was added in 1231. Maravarman Sundara Pandyan II (r. 1238–1251) added the Chitra gopuram in the west, a pillared corridor heading towards the Sundareswarar shrine, and a mandapa named after him.
After the death of Maravarman Kulasekhara I in 1310, his sons Vira Pandya IV and Sundara Pandya IV fought a war of succession for control of the Pandya empire. It coincided with the South Indian raids of the Khalji dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. As per available records, Malik Kafur raided various towns and destroyed the Hindu temples including the Meenakshi temple, while looting them. He took back an enormous loot of gold and jewellery from the Pandya kingdom to Delhi in 1311. The Islamic invasion brought an abrupt end to the patronage of the Hindu temples. After the conquest and destruction, a Muslim governor was named to rule Madurai, and later established the Madurai Sultanate. The Sultanate sought tributes from the temples, and caused further damage.
The Vijayanagara Empire was established in early 14th century and succeeded in capturing Madurai in 1378. According to Madhura Vijayam, Kumara Kampana was asked by his wife Gangadevi to liberate Madurai, and reopen the Meenakshi temple. According to the text Thirupanimalai, Kampana after completing his conquest of Madurai, rebuilt the temple structure and built defensive walls around the temple. The temple idols, which were hidden during the Sultanate rule, were brought back and reconsecrated in the temple. Though the Meenakshi temple existed earlier, most of the present masonry were rebuilt and added since the 14th century. The restoration of the temple took a while, and it was repaired and expanded along with other regional temples. The two gopurams located to the east and west of the Sundareswarar shrine were built in 1372 and 1374 respectively.
The temple inscriptions suggest that the Vijayanagara rulers participated in the ceremonies of the temple and made grants to cover the expenses for daily operations of the temple. The Nayak commanders, who served under the Vijayanagara empire, expanded the temple further. In the mid 15th century, Lakana Nayak added the defensive walls around the first prakara, and renovated the Mahamandapa and the Meenakshi shrine. He also built the Paliarai (bed chamber), where the icons of the gods symbolically spend the night. The Nataraja shrine was added in the late 15th century by Arulalan Sevahadevan Vanathirayan, who also renovated the Thiruvalavaiudaiyar shrine. In 1516, Saluvanarasana Nayak constructed the sacred pool named Ezhukadal (seven seas). Chinnappa Nayak constructed the Nayaka mandapa in 1526. Chettiappa Nayak rebuilt the Dvarapala mandapa in front of the Sannadhi gopuram, the north colonnade of the golden lotus tank, and added a second protective wall around the Meenakshi shrine.
The temple was further renovated and expanded in the 16th and 17th centuries by the Madurai Nayaks. During the reign of Vishwanatha Nayak (r. 1529–1564), the temple complex was further fortified and the vimana above the Meenakshi shrine was gilded with gold. Under the supervision his prime minister Ariyanatha Mudaliar, more towers and various sculpted pillared halls, including the thousand pillared hall, were added. The Nayaka gopuram in the second prakara was built in 1530, while the Palahai gopuram was added later. The Kadaka gopuram in Meenakshi's shrine was built around the mid 16th century. The granite structures of the various gopuras were renovated by Kumara Krishnappa Nayak (r. 1564–1572). The Murthiyamman and Nandi mandapas were also added during his reign. The south gopuram, the tallest tower, was built in the late 16th century. The Mottai gopuram ("bald" gateway) was started during the reign of Krishnappa Nayak (r. 1572–1595), but was not completed till 1878. The Murugan shrine in the north east corner of the second prakara, the Kambathadi and golu mandapas were added during his reign. The Vira vasantha, Iruttu, and Kilikoondu mandapas were completed in 1611, 1613, and 1623 respectively during the reign of Muthu Veerappa Nayak (r. 1609–1623). The Vasantha mandapa was added during the reign of Tirumala Nayaka (r. 1623–1655). The corridors of the temple tank and the Meenatchi Nayak mandapa were built during the reign of Rani Mangammal (r. 1689–1704). The Nagara mandpa was built by Achaya Rayar, the minister of Rani Mangammal in 1635.
During the 18th century, the British gave endowments to the temple and participated in temple festivities to gain socio-political acceptance. Robert Clive donated the jewels looted by the British from Srirangapatna to the temple. However, in 1820, they withdrew from their roles as temple patrons and only participated in temple festivities. The Christian missionaries ridiculed the temple artwork and criticised the temple practices. However, the missionary efforts were largely unsuccessful with people continuing to patronise the temple.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Meenakshi Temple”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.