Madurai Things to Do

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Meaning "New Hall", this is a 100 metre (328ft) long hall with portrait sculptures of the Nayaka rulers. It was built by Tirumalai Nayaka in 1635 outside the main temple complex and today houses a market selling saris, jewellery, spices and souvenirs.

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This is one of the two main shrines within the temple complex and is dedicated to Shiva, known here as Sundareshvara (meaning the "Handsome One") who resides amid columns that bear the fish motifs emblematic of his wife Meenakshi.

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The 16th century Kambattadi Mandapa (meaning "Flagpole Hall"), in front of the main Sundareshvara Shrine, has a pavilion with a seated Nandi bull (Shiva's chariot), a gilded flagpole and ornately carved pillars depicting the 24 forms of Shiva.

Outside the main Shiva shrine lies a huge sculpture of Lord Ganesh carved out of a single piece of stone called the Mukkurini Vinayagar. This idol is believed to have been found during an excavation process to dig the temple lake and was installed by King Thirumalai Nayakkar in 1645.

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The 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) pond before entering the main shrine. The name means the "Pond with the Golden Lotus", and the lotus that grows in it has a golden colour. 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 it.

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There is a Temple Art Museum in the Thousand-Pillared Hall where icons, photographs, drawings, and other exhibits of the 1200 year old history of the temple are displayed.

Admission: Rs5 & Rs25 for camera.

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The Thousand-Pillared Hall actually contains 985 (instead of 1000) carved pillars. It is considered culturally important and is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. It was built by Ariyanatha Mudaliar in 1569 who was the Prime Minister and General of Viswanatha Nayak of the first Nayaka of Madurai (1559-1600).

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The temple can be seen from miles around thanks to its impressive 12 gopurams (towers) which rise to a height of between 45 and 52 metres (the tallest is the southern tower) and are immensely decorated with stucco figures of various deities, mythical animals and monsters, painted in vivid colours. They are repaired, repainted and ritually reconsecrated every 12 years. Smaller gopurams lead to the inner sanctums of the main deities.