Madurai (Meenakshi Amman Temple)

The Meenakshi Amman Temple stands at the heart of Madurai, an ancient city on the banks of the Vaigai River, and it is the great Dravidian temple complex of South India. It is dedicated to the Goddess Meenakshi, a powerful form of Parvati, and her consort Sundareswarar, a form of Shiva. Massive high stone walls enclose it, and 14 towering gopurams rise above them, each one carpeted with thousands of brightly painted stone sculptures of deities, demons and celestial beings. Inside are the grand columned assembly halls, the legendary Hall of a Thousand Pillars among them, and the sacred golden lotus pond, where millions of devotees perform their rituals each year.