Madurai
is one of the oldest
cities of South
India. It is the
seat of Dravidian
culture.
 There
are spiritual associations
to the name Madurai.
Once a merchant
noticed Indra worshipping
a Swayambhu Siva
linga and informed
King Kulashekhara
of this. Lord Siva
appeared in the
king’s dreams
as Sundareswar.
Drops of nectar
fell from Siva’s
hair on the spot
and as nectar is
supposed to be the
sweetest of all
sweets, the place
was called Madhurai.
Madhurai is also
called the Kadabhavanam
Kshetram as the
place used to be
full of kadambha
trees. The pandya
king built the temple
for Lord Sundareswar
and his consort
Meenakshi. But this
temple was destroyed
during the Moslem
invasion. It was
subsequently rebuilt
by the future generations.
The temple was named
Meenakshi temple
because fish or
meen was the emblem
of the Pandyan kings.
The vision is that,
like how the mother
fish casts a gaze
at her spawns to
instill life in
them, similarly
Goddess Meenakshi
just has to cast
her eyes on her
worshippers to instill
a spiritual life
in them. There are
legends associated
with the origin
of goddess Meenakshi.
She was supposed
to have been born
out of the sacrificial
fire during the
Putrakameshti sacrifice
by the Pandyan king
 Malayadhwaja.
Another legend says
that she was born
as a Pandyan princess
who vowed to marry
only the one who
could defeat her
in a combat. Lord
Siva disguised as
Sundareswar defeated
her and thus married
her. The origin
of the Tamil sang
am took place here.
There are stories
attached to this
incident as well.
The original members
are said to be the
48 parts of goddess
Sarawati following
a curse from Brahma.
They went on to
become great scholars.
The temple is also
famous for its pond
with golden lily
flowers. The art
and sculpture of
this place is also
beyond comparison.
There are a lot
of brilliant carvings
here. The Teppakulam,
which is a tank
that never dries
up, is also an important
site here.
Madurai being a
famous town is easily
accessible. The
Madurai railway
station is well
connected with important
cities. |
