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Vendor Evictions in Madurai’s Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple
Hundreds of street vendors are recently evicted from roads surrounding the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple in Madurai. The eviction forms part of measures to regulate traffic and pedestrian movement ahead of the temple’s Maha Kumbabishekam.
Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple:
| Dimension | Key Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple is located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. |
| Alternate name | The temple is also called Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple. |
| Deities | The temple is dedicated to goddess Meenakshi (a form of Parvati), her consort Sundareswarar (a form of Shiva), and her brother Alagar (a form of Vishnu). |
| Theological significance | The temple represents a confluence of the Shaivism, Shaktism, and Vaishnavism denominations of Hinduism. |
| Built during | It is built during the Pandya reign by Kulasekarer Pandya. |
| Historical mention | There are mentions of this temple in the songs of the Hindu saint Thirugnanasambandar, who lives during the 7th century. |
| Expansion | It is later expanded during the rule of Thirumalai Nayak (1623-55 AD). |
| Architecture style | The temple is a finest example of the Dravidian style of architecture. |
| Area and complex size | It is spread over 45 acres and comprises a complex measuring 254 by 237 meters. |
| Towers (gopurams) | The temple is surrounded by 14 towers; the Southern tower rises to over 170 feet and is built in 1559. |
| Oldest gopuram | The oldest gopuram is the eastern one, built by Maravarman Sundara Pandyan during 1216-1238. |
| Tamil Nadu State Emblem linkage | The west tower (gopuram) is the model on which the Tamil Nadu State Emblem is based. |
| Entrances | The temple has four entrances, and the entrance on the Eastern side is the main temple entrance. |
| Halls and mandapams | The temple comprises halls and corridors including Aayirankaal (1000-pillared hall), Kilikoondu-mandapam, Golu-mandapam, and Pudu-mandapam. |
| Thousand Pillar Hall | The Thousand Pillar Hall contains 985 carved pillars. |
| Thousand Pillar Hall: builder and current use | The Thousand Pillar Hall is built by Ariyanatha Mudaliar in 1569 and currently houses a museum with artifacts collected from Madurai from the 8th century onwards. |
| Musical Pillars | The temple has Musical Pillars outside the Thousand Pillar Hall towards the west, and each pillar produces a different musical note when struck. |
| Sculptures | The temple comprises an estimated 33,000 sculptures. |
| Current trigger | Hundreds of street vendors have been recently evicted from roads surrounding the temple to regulate traffic and pedestrian movement ahead of the Maha Kumbabishekam. |