The temples of India that are strewn across the country like precious gems tell the story of the rich heritage and culture of India across the centuries. Traditionally the temples of India have been much more than mere places of worship. They have been centres of art and culture and in many cases complete settlements within themselves. One such outstanding temple that draws millions of visitors to its exquisite interiors is the Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. We look at the Madurai Meenakshi Temple Timings, Darshan, Pooja as well as the Madurai Meenakshi Temple history in this Madurai Temple blog post. This blog post has information about Madurai Meenakshi temple timings, darshan, pooja, and other details.
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Madurai Meenakshi Temple Timings, Darshan, Pooja, and Other Details
The famous temple of Meenakshi is located in Madurai, one of the ancient cities of India in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The temple is a centre of pilgrimage for Hindus. It is also known for its beautiful architecture, sculpture, and painting work.
Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple
The famous temple has as its principal deity, Meenakshi, a form of Parvati. Also present in the temple complex is Shiva in the form of Sundareswara Legend has it that the temple is located at the place where the marriage of Meenakshi and Sundareshwara took place, blessed by the Gods and Goddesses of the Hindu pantheon. The temple consists of 14 Gopuras and is made of concentric squares with high walls. There are beautiful corridors, pillared halls, and sculptures adorning the temple complex. The roofs have beautiful paintings on their surfaces.
The main temples inside the complex are those of Meenakshi and Sundareshwara. There are temples to other Gods including Ganesha, Murugan, etc..
Madurai Meenakshi Temple History
The temple is believed to have been built during the early 12th century by King Kulasekara Pandya. The temple faced devastation and was plundered during the Muslim invasion of the region by the forces of Alauddin Khalji, led by a eunuch and Muslim converted commander Malik Kafur. After this, the temple lay in ruins and its idols were safely hidden in a secret place by faithful Hindu devotees. For some time Madurai came under the Delhi Sultanate and was known as the Madurai Sultanate. However, this did not last long, as the forces of the Vijaynagar Empire freed the temple town from the clutches of the Muslim invaders. The temple was opened once again and re-constructed. However, the major extension and reconstruction of the temple occurred between the 16th and 17th centuries, done by the Nayaka dynasty of rulers including Vishwanatha Nayak.
Madurai Meenakshi Temple Timings
The Meenakshi Temple timings are from 5.00 AM to 12.30 PM after which it is closed to the public. The temple opens its doors again at 4.00 PM and is open till 10.00 PM.
Madurai Meenakshi Amman Kovil Sevas
There are many Sevas that visitors to the temple can perform, just like any other temple in India. The cost and time depends on the particular Seva. The Sevas that can be performed are:
- Annadhanam – Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple
- Annadhanam – Arulmigu Thiruvappudaiyar Temple
- Arulmigu Mahalakshmi Sandal Paste Decoration
- Annadhanam – Arulmigu Mariamman Temple
- Arulmigu Dhakshinamoorthy Sandal Paste Decoration
- Arulmigu Pathrakali Sandal Paste Decoration
- Arulmigu Muktheeswarar temple Annathanam
- Arulmigu Saraswathy Abhishekam
- Arulmigu Mahalakshmi Abhishekam
- Arulmigu Pathra Kali Abhishekam
- Arulmigu Ahora Veerabhadhrar Abhishekam
- Arulmigu Mukkurini Vinayakar Abhishekam
- Arulmigu Dhakshina Moorthi Abhishekam
- Arulmigu Swami & Meenakshi Amman Abhishekam
- Ubaya ThiruKalyanam (Morning)
- Ubaya ThiruKalyanam (Evening)
- Arulmigu Sidthar Pushpa Koodaram
How to reach Madurai
- Madurai is well connected by road, rail, and air to other parts of India
- Madurai is at a distance of 462 kilometres from Chennai
- Madurai has an airport with flights to and from major cities of India
- The Madurai Airport is at a distance of about 11 kilometres from the Madurai Meenakshi temple
We hope you liked our post about the Madurai Meenakshi Temple. Do stay tuned to our blog for more posts on interesting places as well as other interesting topics.
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One of the most gorgeous temples in south India! My aunt lived in Madurai and we had the privilege of visiting the temple many times. It is unbelievably beautiful and the architecture is breathtaking. The deity is stunning! The photos in your post are wonderful. The gopuram, especially is so beautiful.
Madhurai temple is marvelously build & so beautiful. i’ve not visited the temple yet. but it has been in my list since ages, after reading the post i’m reminded of that. thanks for the detailed post. I’ll certainly plan a visit soon.