Madurai Sri Meenakshi Amman Temple

Pooja Shedule

Thiruvanandal pooja                  Morning               05 : 00 - 06 : 00  

Vizha pooja                          Morning               06 : 30 - 07 : 15  

Kalasandhi pooja                  Morning                 6 : 30 - 07 : 15

 Thrikalasandhi pooja           Morning                10 : 30 - 11 : 15

Uchikkala Pooja  (Noon Pooja   Morning                10 : 30 - 11 : 15  

Maalai pooja                           Evening                 04 : 30 - 05 : 15

Ardhajama Pooja (Night Pooja)   Night                  07 : 30 - 08 : 15  

Palliarai pooja                             Night                  09 : 30- 10 : 00

Procedure Of Worship

Worshipping Arulmighu Meenakshi Amman at first had been the manner of prayer traditionally.

    Devotees should enter the temple through East Gopuram, pass along Ashtasakthi Mandapam, Meenakshi Nayakar Mandapam and Mudali Mandapam, take a bath in the Golden Lotus pond and wear clean clothes.

   Foremost,  they must worship the Viboothi Vinayakar on the south of the sacred pond. From the southern bank, devotees could worship the golden pinnacles of  Swamy and Amman temples. They can see the 64 miracles of Lord Shiva on the walls surrounding the pond.

After worshipping Sithi Vinayakar, Kumaran and other deities in the parrot cage mandapam, must go round the altar at the Amman Sannidhi, and then enter the sanctum through the main entrance. Men and women should stand in separate rows and worship the deity.

   Devotees should meditate the five holy alphabets, recite the sacred names of the Lord, sing divine songs and go round the shrine.

   While going round the first corridor, Airavatha Vinayakar on the south east, Valla Vinayakar on the south west, Nirutha Ganapathy and Muthukumaraswamy and Chandikeswarar on the northwest must be worshipped.

   While going round the second corridor, the devotees could see a statue of Thirumalai Naicker in the east, kolu mandapam and Koodalkumarar sannidhi in the west.After worshipping Kumarar, the devotees should proceed to the second corridor of Swamy shrine.

   It is the normal practice toseek the permission of Nandiam Perumal to grant permission to enter the temple. After that the Anukgnai Vinayakar and the Nandi at the main entrance to the  Swamy temple.

   After that the devotees should proceed along the six pillared  pedestal and worship Chandrasekarar and other deities and the Natarajar who danced changing his legs at the Velliyambalam and then worship the Lord at the sanctum.

   While going round the first corridor of the  Swamy temple, Vandhiyammai, Sivalingam, Sun, Kalaimagal, the Saints, Somaskander, various Lingams, Pitchadanar, Kasiviswanathar, Ellam Valla Siddhar, Durgai Amman, Kadamba tree, Kanagasabai Natarajar, Chandikeswarar, Atcharalingam, Mahalakshmi, Rathnasabai Natarajar, Vanniyum well, Lingam and Bhairavar should be worshipped in that order before coming out.

   On the north of the main entrance is the shrine of Arulmighu Palani Andavar.

    Having worshipped the deities including Sadayappar between the Nandhi Mandapam and coming round the hundred pillar hall, Agni Veeraputhirar, Ahora Veerapathirar, Ooothuva Thandava Moorthy and Badrakali, devotees should proceed to the Thirugnanasambandar mandapam and there offer worship to the four deities, Mangayarkarasiyar, Kulachirayar and Nedumaranayar and then after paying obeisance to the flag pole, they should sit down for a while. Later the idols of Hanumar, Krishnar and other deities on the pillars at the back and then enter the middle way and leave through Amman Sannidhi.

   Devotees proceeding the temple should bathe and  wear Saiva symbols  such as holy ash, Uthiraksham, and carry with them coconut, fruits, incense and other items of offering to the extent possible. It is the practice to meditate the holy scriptures, and       recite the saced names of the deities  while in the sacred premises.

Ref from: maduraimeenakshi.org.

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Business In Madurai

Why Madurai?

Madurai is located in South Central part of Tamil Nadu, which is thirdlargest city in Tamilnadu,Madurai has good connectivity by Road, Rail and Air.

Roads:

* 4 laned Madurai to Chennai National Highway (NH 32)via Tiruchi

* 4 laned Madurai to Bangalore National Highway (NH 44)viaDindigul, Karur andSalem.

* 4 laned Madurai to Kanyakumari National Highway (NH44)viaVirudhunagar and Tirunelveli.

* 4 laned Madurai to Tuticorin National Highway (NH 38).

*Madurai to Kochi National Highway (NH 85)via Theni.

*Madurai to Rameswaram via Manamadurai, Paramakudi andRamanathapuram National Highway (NH 87).

*Madurai to ThondiNational Highway (NH 85)via Sivagangai.

*Madurai to Quilonvia Tirumangalam, T. Kallupatti andRajapalayam,Shencottah National Highway (NH 744).

Railway :

Madurai has good connectivity as far as railway is concerned. It has Broad Gauge railway connectivity to almost all the corners of India via important towns and cities and will always be a busy Junction handling more than 40000 passengers per day.Koodal Nagar station of Madurai is a station that handles goods and has a Rail side warehouse complex and also an inland container depot by CONCOR. Goods could be sent by trains to Tuticorin and Karaikal ports from here.

Air :

Madurai has a nice airport with its new integrated terminal building and runway length 7500 ft enabling landing of A320s and 747s and runway expansion for length 12500 ft for landing Jumbo aircrafts is in the cards with land acquisition fast progressing. It is an International Airport with a dedicated Cargo Complex from CONCOR. Its International Airport .

A nice region to invest:

Madurai has a organized pattern of Industrial growth also it has oppurtunity for becoming a hub with scope for all kinds of industries be it Automobile, Chemical, Agro based, Textile, Logistics, Information

Technology, Energy.

Communication infrastructure :

Major ISPs :SOFTNET (Madurai STPI), BSNL, TATA, VSNL, BHARTI, RELIANCE offering Broadband Communication facility.Bandwidth on demand available from all telecom operators.

IT Parks/Special Economic Zones(SEZ) :

ELCOT’s SEZ in 29 acres at IIandaikulam village, Madurai North, 4 Kms from city limit. ELCOT’s Signature Tower coming up in 1.8 Sq.ft .SEZ in 213 acres at Vadapalanji village, opposite to Madurai Kamaraj University, out of 240 acres Integrated Information Technology campus. 50 acres of the IT SEZ is to be promoted through Public Private Partnership(PPP) mode to create IT space with social infrastructure.

Private SEZ :

30.82 Hectare SEZ developed by RR Industries, Chennai.

 Madurai is a culturally prosperous city in the state of Tamilnadu and is the third largest city in the state. Famous for its people, history and flowers, “The Athens of the East” is a budding corporate centre with the IT,textile and granite industries. Madurai has scores of temples, museums and historical monuments that make it an out of the ordinary place for casual and corporate travelers.

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Festivals in Madurai

Madurai is famous for its spirit of festivity. There are a number of festivals celebrated in the city, forming an important part of its cultural heritage. People from across the globe gather here to be a part of these festivals. All the major festivals in the Madurai city of Tamil Nadu are celebrated with great pomp and show. The city is swept away by the tides of spirituality.

Pongal Festival.

Jallikattu.

Chithirai Festival.

Festival of the Cradle.

Avanimoolam Festival.

Dance Festival.

Float festival.

Pongal Festival In Madurai:

Pongal festival is popularly known as the Harvest Festival. The three-day festival is celebrated to thank the Sun, the nature and the cattle for giving the farmers a good harvest. Pongal is one of the major festivals of Madurai and is celebrated with great pomp and show. On the first day,known as Bogi, the houses are freshly painted and clutter is removed. The second day is the main day on which large-scale celebrations take place.

Mango leaves are used for decoration. Sugarcanes and pongal (sweet rice) are the main culinary items. The third day is called Mattu Pongal and on this day, cattle are worshipped for bringing prosperity.

 Jallikattu In Madurai:

Jallikattu is more of a sport than a festival and is held mostly in villages. It is a part of the Pongal celebrations. People in huge numbers throng the open grounds to witness the game of strength. The sport is basically ashow of courage and valor expressed by the means of taming wild bulls.

 Chithirai Festival in Madurai:

This is the most popular gathering of the region. The festival takes place in late April-early May. It celebrates the marriage of Meenakshi and Sri Sundareshwara. In the tenth day of festivities, the effigies of the two deities are carried in the city on giant floats followed by thousands of faithful.This is biggest festival of Madurai.

 Festival of the Cradle in Madurai:

During this festival, Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundarewarer are taken in a procession to a mirror chamber. Here, they are placed on aswing for nine days which rocks slowly.

 Avanimoolam Festival:

The festival takes place in August/September. It is basically organized to celebrate the coronation of Lord Sundareswarer. Priests narrate mythological stories of Siva through a play called 'Lila'. It includes

the recitation of 64 miracles of Siva, which saved the city from adversity.The venue of the celebrations is the Sundareswarer Temple.

 Dance Festival:

This cultural festival is organized by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Department. Dancers from all over the nation participate in this fifteen-day festival. Various dance forms are presented by the participants.

Float festival:

Float Festival is one of the main festivals celebrated in Madurai. It takes place on the full moon night of the Tamil month, Thai, which falls between mid January and mid February. The concept of the festival datesback to the 17th century, when it was celebrated for the first time by King Thirumalai Nayak.

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Madurai-Athenes of the east

The city which is constructed in the form of lotus A.K.A lotus city.Lotus city is
famous for jasmine,that adds floral fragrance to the city.Madurai's jasmine are exported to
other parts of India as well as to countries like Germany, America and Italy.Riverbanks are
the birth place of cultures,being one of the ancient cities,madurai's mythological history was
wound with the vagai river.The place is more than 2500 years old and the commercial center
was developed in 550 AD.Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple is the excellent master piece of
the area.
History:
Madurai has a rich historical background in the sense that Lord Shiva himself
performed sixty-four wonders called "Thiruvilaiyadals".
It is narrated in legend that Madurai was originally a forest known as
Kadambavanam. One day, a farmer named Dhananjaya who was passing through the forest,
saw Indra,worshipping a swayambhu under kadamba tree. Dhananjaya, the farmer
immediately reported this to King Kulasekara Pandya. Kulasekara Pandya cleared the forest
and built a temple around the Lingam. A city was soon planned with the temple as its centre.
On the day the city was to be named, Lord Shiva is said to have appeared and drops of
nectar from his hair fell on the town. So, the place was named Madurai - mathuram meaning
"sweetness" in Tamil.
As early as the 3rd century BC, Megasthanes visited Madurai. Later many people
from Rome and Greece visited Madurai and established trade with the Pandya kings.The
Cholas ruled Madurai from 920 AD till the beginning of the 13th century. In 1223 AD Pandyas
regained their kingdom and once again become prosperous.The 1371, the Vijayanagar
dynasty of Hampi captured Madurai and Madurai became part of the Vijayanagar empire.After
the death of Krishna Deva Raya (King of Vijayanagar empire) in 1530 AD, the Nayaks
became independent and ruled the territories under their control. Among Nayaks, Thirumalai
Nayak (1623-1659) was very popular, even now he is popular among people, since, it was he
who contributed to the creation of many magnificent structures in and around Madurai. The
Raja Gopuram of the Meenakshi Amman Temple, The Pudu Mandapam and The Thirumalai
Nayakar's Palace are living monuments to his artistic fervor.
Attractions:
Meenakshi Amman Temple:
Meenakshi Amman Temple is the holy temple of hindus located in the city of Madurai in
southern India. It is a vast temple of Lord Shiva and Goddess parvati. It is the best temple in
which both God and Goddess are worshipped together. It is the life line of the country,
especially southern India as Lord shiva is the highly worshiped god of the country. It has its
foundation way back in the 2500 AD.According to the mythology, Lord shiva visited Madurai
to marry Parvati and it has been the sacred abode of Goddess Parvarti since her birth. The
wonderful architecture of the place is amongst the seven wonders of the world and the
construction is highly minute with great art piece incorporated the walls and pillars of the
temple.
Thirumalai Nayak Palace:
About 1.5 Kms from the Meenakshi temple, this palace was built in 1636 by the ruler
whose name it bears. The imposing edifice is famous for the “Stuccowork” on its domes and
impressive arches. The Sorgavilasam (Celestial Pavilion), measuring 75m x 52m, constructed
entirely of brick and mortar without the support of a single rafter or girder, is a marvel of indo-
Saracenic architectural style. Among other striking features of the palace are the massive
white pillars, several of which line the corridor that runs along the courtyard. Connected by
high decorated arches, these pillars measure 20m in height and have a circumference of 4m.
Elsewhere, there are polished black stone pillars of varying heights. It was King Thirumalai
Nayak’s grandson who demolished much of the fine structure and removed most of the jewels
and woodcarvings in order to build his own palace in Tiruchirapalli.
Visiting time :between 0900hrs and 1300 hrs and again between 1400 hrs and 1700 hrs.
Gandhi Museum:
Housed in the old Palace of Rani Mangammal, the Gandhi Museum depicts the highlights of the
freedom struggle and contains a picture gallery of the Gandhian movement. Also can be seen are a gallery of
relics, Khadi and village industries section and South Indian Handicrafts section.
Visiting time :1000hrs to 1300 hrs and 1400 hrs to 1730 hrs.
Alagar koil:
The temple is situated on a hill amidst panoramic surroundings. The shrine is know
as Alagarkoil and the hill , Solaimalai. The temple also contain some beautiful carvings and
makes the visit rewarding. Palamudirsolai, one of the six abodes of Lord Subramaniya is
located atop the Hill.About 21 Kms North East of Madurai, stands a celebrated Vishnu
Temple dedicated to Lord Alagar.
Mariamman Teppakulam:
Mariamman Teppakulam is a beautiful square tank spread over a huge area of almost
16 acres, located about 5Kms East of Meenakshi Temple. The tank is the scene of the
colourful float festival held in January/February to celebrate the birth anniversary of King
Thirumalai Nayak, who built this tank. The deities of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar are
placed in a float, called “Teppam”, decorated with flowers and illuminated with hundred of
lights. This float is taken around the tank to the sound of traditional music. On the Northern
side of the tank a temple is dedicated to Mariamman , a famous village deity of Tamil Nadu.
Vaigai Dam:
Vaigai dam is a giant dam constructed on the river Vaigai and is
situated near Andipatti in southern India. The dam has been the life line of
the agricultural lands in the neighbourhood and because of it the areas
have flourished in leaps and bounds. It provides clean and fresh drinking
water to whole of the region of Madurai and Andipatti. Agricultural research
institution too has been developed near the dam so as to research on a
wide variety of crops including cereals and pulses.
Thirupparankundram Temple:
It is located 8 Kms South of Madurai Railway Junction. The temple
here is one of the six abodes of Lord Subramanya. Its innermost shrine is
cut out of a solid rock.

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Hotels In Madurai

Hotels in Madurai:

Madurai in the state of Tamil Nadu in India mostly attracts
visitors interested in its extensive historical and cultural attractions.You
could spend days exploring all of its features.Madurai offers a plethora of
options to stay. Right from hostels, budget, mid-range to star hotels, the
temple city offers it all. Though many of the budget accommodations are
located close to the railway station, some are located close to the
Meenakshi temple.Being a heritage center of India it attracts a huge
number of tourists every day.Targetting the Local and foreign tourists many
luxurious,budget type,hotels are emerged around the city.
• 5&4 star hotels.
• 3 star hotels.
• 2 star hotels.
• 1 star hotels.
• Budget hotels.
5&4 star hotels:
Madurai has one 5 star hotel and two 4 star hotel now.And new hotels are being build,
which will emerge in near future.These luxury hotels are basically situated within 15Km radius
of airport.They offer many luxurious features like spa,pool,cafe,wifi,spl lounges and multicusine
dine options. Palanganatham,dindukal main road,Pasumalai hill road are the locations
where luxurious hotels situated in maduarai.Price range varies from 3500to5000.
3 star hotels:
Fourteen 3 star hotels are presently available in Madurai.These hotels are basically situated
around the meenakshi amman temple,Madurai junction,vandiyur lake,Pudur,meenakshi
mission road,race course road,collector office road.Price range varies from 1500 to 4000.
2 star hotels:
Nine 2 star hotels are available to choose from in madurai city. These hotels are basically
situated around the meenakshi amman temple,Madurai junction,periyar bus-stand,meenakshi
mission road,race course road,collector office road. Price range varies from 900 to 1500.
1 star hotels:
Around ten 1 star hotels are available in madurai.These hotels are basically situated
around the meenakshi amman temple,Madurai junction,periyar bus-stand,meenakshi mission
road,race course road,collector office road. Price range varies from 700 to 1500.
Budget Hotels:
Around 39 budget hotels are available around madurai.Situated in and around
madurai.They offer wide range of packages available from 500 to 2000.These types of hotels
are basically situated around the meenakshi amman temple,Madurai junction,periyar busstand,
meenakshi mission road,race course road,collector office road.

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