Madurai temple

• • • • • • • • • • • • (–3300 BCE) • (c. 3300–c. 1800 BCE) • (1800–200 BCE) • (c. 200 BCE–c. 500 CE) • • (c. 500–1200 CE) • (c. 1200–1757) • (c. 1757–1857) • (c. 1857–1947) • (c. 1947–) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Meenakshi Temple, Madurai%newline%Also known as the Meenakshi Sundaresvara Temple, the Meenakshi Temple is a historic temple complex located in the city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, South India. One of the 275 paadal petra sthalams – a list of important Saivite sites mentioned in the devotional poetry of the Nayanars – the complex is built in the Dravida style of temple architecture and houses a large number of artistically significant sculptures. The principal deities of the temple are the consorts Meenakshi and Sundaresvara. Meenakshi, the patron deity of Madurai, is a form of Parvati, while Sundaresvara is worshipped as a form of Shiva. In the early medieval period, Sundaresvara was considered the main deity of the temple. Over time, Meenakshi was accorded equal status as well. The shrine is speculated to have existed as a structure since the seventh century CE. Its present form, however, has been shaped by the patronage of a succession of rulers from the twelfth century to the colonial period. The Pandya kings, who governed their territory in southern India from Madurai, considerably expanded the temple complex and its stru...