The gigantic temple complex, the statues exploring the entire range of
human emotions, everything here is larger than life. The Meenakshi
temple complex is a city temple - one of the largest and certainly one
of the most ancient. According to legend Madurai is the actual site
where the wedding between Shiva and Meenakshi took place. The soaring
and exquisitely carved towers enclose the temple dedicated to
Meenakashi.
The temple city of Madurai is situated at a distance of 307 miles
south of Madras on the main railway line. This is decidedly the oldest
city of South India, truly representing Dravidian culture. European
scholars have compared it to Athens of Greece. It was in the past the
seat of the Tamil Academy (the Tamil Sangam) .... It is estimated that
there are 33 million carvings in the Madurai temple. The temple stands
in the centre of the town and main roads run roughly parallel to the
four sides. A writer has described the architecture as follows: The
architecture is almost purely Dravidian - its characteristics being
the pyramidal towers of colossal height dominating the surrounding
landscape for miles around; the rectangular enclosures one within the
other like a China box; the use of the flat roof and the entire
absence of the arch or dome; delicate sculpture worked in ponderous
material, and finally a partiality for long galleries interspersed
with sculptured pillars.
