According to some reports, one of the first who saw the Meenakshi Hindu temple in the city of Madurai in India were the writers of Ancient Rome Pliny and Ptolemy. They spoke with admiration of the majestic structure in their records. The Italian merchant and traveler Marco Polo, who spoke of the temple as a "wonder of the world", was equally delighted.
The exact date of the construction of the temple is unknown, only oral traditions have survived. According to one of them, the history of the city of Madurai is the history of the temple, since it is located in its very center. It all started with him. But the age of Madurai, which today is home to 1.5 million people, is 2.5 thousand years old, and the temple, according to the conclusions of archaeologists, appeared a maximum of 1.3 thousand years ago. Obviously, the legendary history of the temple is closer to believers.
The entire territory of the temple is 258 meters long and 223 meters wide. It is crowned with nine gopura - gate towers, which reach a height of 50 meters. Four towers rise above the outer walls, four others are located inside. All of them are covered with many different sculptures. These are images of many-armed shivas and many-faced goddesses, musicians and priests, men and women. There are also mythical animals. All these sculptures can be viewed for a very long time.
There is a huge pond in front of the temple, which is called the Golden Line pond. In it, pilgrims can perform the rite of ablution. The temple is open to pilgrims around the clock. Festive processions are often organized around it, to which musicians are connected.
The structure of the temple is subject to certain patterns typical of Indian temple buildings. Inside there is the sanctuary of the god Shiva-Sundareshvara and his sculptural image. The sanctuary can be bypassed along a special passage strictly clockwise. On special solemn religious days, the figurine of the god is placed in a gilded carriage and taken out of the gate. An elephant is harnessed to the cart, and a solemn procession begins around the temple.
The Meenakshi Temple is an amazing architectural structure that is considered a true classic of world architecture.
