The Meenakshi Temple in Madurai is dedicated to Meenakshi, a form of Parvati, and her consort Sundareswarar, a form of Shiva. The earliest surviving masonry dates to the reign of the Pandya king Sadayavarman Kulasekaran I, who ruled from 1190 to 1216. Malik Kafur's raids in 1311 destroyed temples, including this one. Most of the present masonry was rebuilt or added from the 14th century.
Under the Madurai Nayaks, Vishwanatha Nayak fortified the complex, gilded the vimana above the Meenakshi shrine and oversaw the thousand-pillared hall. Tirumala Nayaka added the Vasantha mandapa. The temple covers 14 acres (5.7 ha) and has 14 gopurams. The tallest, the southern tower, rises 170 feet (52 m). The Hall of a Thousand Pillars has 985 carved pillars, and the Golden Lotus Tank measures 165 by 120 feet (50 by 37 m).
The Meenakshi Thirukalyanam in Chithirai is the most attended festival, lasting 15 days.
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