The crowning glory of temple architecture of South India, Meenakshi Amman Temple is one of the most popular attractions in Madurai. Placed on the southern banks of river Vaigai the temple is dedicated to Goddess Meenakshi (Parvati), the consort of lord Shiva, who here is known as Sundareswarar. If statistics are considered the temple receives as many as 15000 devotees on a daily basis. According to the legend, God Indra discovered the self manifested Shiva lingam at Kadambavanam, which he later brought to Madurai. This thing is proven from the fact that the linga is seen on lord Indra’s vehicle. It is stated that the temple has a history that goes even before the early AD’s. It was almost ruined at the time of invasion by Malik Kafur, a Muslim ruler in 1310. The temple and the lord as Alavai Iraivan also find their mention in the songs of the Hindu saint Thirugnanasambandar who lived in the first half of the 7th century. The temple was restored in a grand way during the second half of the 14th century by the first ruler of Nayak dynasty, Viswanatha Nayak. Important additions in the architecture of the temple were later made by King Thirumalai Nayak. The mythological connection behind the temple says that Goddess Parvati came here as the result of the prayers of Pandya ruler Malayadwaja Pandya and his wife Kanchanamala. She emerged from Yagna fire in the form of three-breast Goddess Meenakshi. A voice from the heaven assured the parents that the superfluous breast would disappear when she would meet her prospective husband. She was named as Meenakshi. During the conquest of Digvijayam (all eight directions), she defeated all and went to Kailash, the abode of lord Shiva. As she set her eyes on the lord, her third breast melted and she came to know that he was her man and she was the manifestation of Goddess Parvati. Both of them came to Madurai and everyone on the Earth witnessed the grand wedding. Meenakshi’s brother, Vishnu was travelling for the wedding but was delayed because of tricks of lord Indra. This union is celebrated as Chithirai Thiruvizha festival in April / May month, every year. After the marriage, they presided over Madurai for some time and later became Sundareswarar and Meenakshi, the deities of the temple. The original temple was built by Kulasekara Pandya, but the initiative to rebuild the structure was taken by first Nayak king of Madurai, Viswanatha Nayak (1559-1600) under the supervision of Ariyanatha Mudaliar. The temple was substantially expanded to the current structure during the reign of Thirumalai Nayak between 1623 and 1655 CE and the other Nayak rulers. The complex is built in around 45 acres of land and is a massive structure measuring 254 by 237 meters. The temple is surrounded by 14 towers, the tallest of which, the famous southern tower rises to over 170 feet high built in 1559. The oldest gopuram is the eastern one, built by Maravarman Sundara Pandyan during 1216 to 1238. The temple is an architectural wonder with an estimated 33,000 sculptures. There are several corridors, halls and shrines inside the temple. The corridors and pillars are adorned with wonderful artwork. The outer walls of the main shrines Meenakshi Amman and Sundareswarar have breathtakingly beautiful sculptures carved with so much detail. The sculptures depict the mythological stories, Shiva & Parvathi marriage scenes, etc. The sacred pond (Potramarai Kulam) inside the Meenakshi Amman Temple measures 165 feet by 120 feet is visited before entering the temple. The view of the temple is marvelous from the pond premises with towers raised on all sides. The thousand pillar hall contains 985 (instead of 1000) carved pillars. It was built by Ariyanatha Mudaliar in 1569. It is currently houses a museum with artifacts collected from Madurai from 8th century onwards. There are the Musical Pillars outside this hall towards the west. Each pillar produces a different musical note when struck.