Crowning Glory Meenakshi Amman Temple
Tamil Nadu is the seat of South Indian temple architecture, the Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple is its crowning glory. The temple structure with its concentric squares and high walled enclosures is a lesson for students of architecture. The temple is square shaped and a series of concentric streets with names from Tamil months surround the structure. The entire temple occupies around 45 acres, with each side having an entrance of its own. Madurai Meenakshi temple ’s history is as old. Madurai Meenakshi temple was built by King Kulasekara Pandya (1190-1216 CE). He built the main Portions of the three-storeyed gopura at the entrance of Sundareswarar Shrine and the central portion of the Goddess Meenakshi Shrine are some of the earliest surviving parts of the temple. The traditional texts call him a poet-saint king, additionally credit him with a poem called Ambikai Malai, as well as shrines (koil) each for Natara...