Temples in and around Madurai

I was on a trip to Madurai recently. This was just my first trip to Madurai and was long overdue. It was a two-and-half day trip, covering Madurai and Theni. The rain threat was always around and even before we started, I was busy praying rain should not play spoilsport. Luckily, it stayed away and allowed us the luxury of covering the various temples as planned.

My first halt was undoubtedly at the Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple. I have seen enough photos of the temple tower, tank and the goddess. Yet, the sight of these in person, left me spell bound. The intricate work on the temple towers, in specific, was literally out of the world. No surprise, the place was in contention for the wonders of the world. I am not going to verbally express my thoughts on the temple here, for partly it is not going to be justified and partly because there is already enough material on this on the web. So, let me share my thoughts on what other possible temples you can explore in and around Madurai.

1. KOODAL AZHAGAR TEMPLE: This temple is located right at the heart of the city and close to the Periyar bus stand. The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is regarded as one of the 108 sacred Vishnu Temples in India (Divya Desam). The temple tower is a beautiful structure and unlike a typical pyramid structure, has a slightly more circular dome-like structure, that adds to the beauty. It's a relatively small temple and the primary lord here is known by the name Koodal Azhagar. Here, the lord is seen in a sitting posture with his consorts. One interesting aspect of the temple, which even some of the locals are not aware of, is that apart from the primary god, Koodal Azhagar, two other lords, namely Suryanarayanan and Seerabdhi Narayanar reside in this temple. The former is in standing posture and the latter in a reclined posture. The sanctums are located in two floors above Koodal Azhagar, thus making this temple a 3-tier structure, with each lord residing one above the other. This makes the temple really unique and worth a visit.

2. IMMAIILUM NANMAI THARUM SIVAN TEMPLE: This temple located at a walking distance from Koodal Azhagar temple has a very fascinating name. The name suggests that the lord is the protector across all issues and across all births. This historic temple dedicated to Lord Shiva has a very pious feel about it and makes for a quick visit.

3. TIRUPARANKUNDRAM: The famed Murugan temple is located at about 8kms from Madurai. It is one of the six primary abodes of Lord Muruga. This is the place where Muruga is supposed to have married Deivanai. This is a rock-cut temple where sanctums have been carved out of rocks. The interesting aspect of the temple is that one gets to have a darshan of five sanctums from a single stretch. The sanctums of Lord Shiva, Vishnu, Ganapathy, Muruga (with Deivanai) and Lordess Durga are placed just next to each other. The idols are quite large in size allowing for a more fulfilling dharshan for devotees.

4. NAGASAI TEMPLE: This is a Shirdi Sai Baba temple located enroute to Tiruparankundram. This is one of the earliest Sai temples in the country having been founded in 1943. The current statue however is a much newer one. The sai temple is well maintained and activities are carried out as in any Sai Baba temple across the world. You could probably close your day with a trip to the Sai Baba temple, where you can join the Bhajans and the mangala aarthi is taken at 08:00PM.

5. KURUVITHURAI GURU TEMPLE: This is a temple dedicated to Lord Guru/Dhakshinamoorthy. The temple is located about 25 kms North-west of Madurai and is about 8 kms from a place called Cholavandhan. The primary deity of the temple is actually Lord Vishnu (in a tall, standing posture). However, the temple is famous as Lord Guru's shrine. In fact, Lord Guru and Sakkarathazhwar are seen together in a single shrine and they are aid to have emerged Suyambu (on their own at this place). The beautiful stream that runs besides the temple adds to the beauty of the trip.

6. EDAGANATHAR TEMPLE: This Lord Shiva temple is located at Cholavandhan and can be combined with a trip to Kuruvithurai. In fact, the entry arch to the temple is relatively small and is on the road that leads to Kuruvithurai that one could miss it. However, the temple by itself is quite large in size and carries a mystic feel to it. The temple has a strong history and is said to have emerged as a symbol of saivism winning over jainism when there was a discussion on which was a superior religion. Leaving the duel aside the temple is definitely worth a visit for a wonderful spiritual feel it offers.

7. KALLAZHAGAR TEMPLE: This is a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is located about 20 kms north of Madurai. Similar to Koodal Azhagar temple, Kallazhagar temple is also considered one of the 108 divine Vishnu temples of India. Here, the primary deity Kallazhagar is seen in a standing posture. Kallazhagar is considered the brother of Lordess Meenakshi, who is said to have offered Lordess Meenakshi's hands in marriage to Lord Shiva (Sundareswarar). The temple tower is an astounding structure with wonderful sculptural work. The temple corridor pillars are also very intricately carved and is definitely worth exploring.

8. PAZHAMUDHIR CHOLAI: This is one of the six primary abodes of Lord Muruga, similar to Tiruparankundram. This is the abode where Lord Muruga seems to have shown himself in front of the famous Tamil lady poet Avvaiyar. This is a reatively small temple but with significant history. The temple is located about 4 kms from Kallazhagar temple. In fact, Kallazhagar temple is located at the foothill, while Pazhamudhir Cholai is slightly uphill.

9. NOOBURA GANGAI: If you move further uphill from Pazhamudhir Cholai, you would find Noobura Gangai. Not many who visit Pazhamudhir Cholai temple is even aware of Noobura Gangai. After travelling a km uphill from Pazhamudhir Cholai, one needs to walk about 60 steps to reach Rakkai Amman temple. From the foot of the Lordess (the rock beneath the statue), there is a natural spring that gets generated. Interested could have a quick bath as well in wonderful natural spring, although the set up is not great for having a proper bath. However, a look at the spurt in flow of clean, natural water is definitely worth a visit.

10. NARASINGAM: As you move from Noobura Gangai back to Madurai, one could make a visit to Narasingam. The temple located at an interesting set up is located just below a mountain range called Yanamalai (meaning Elephant hill, as it represents a sitting elephant). There is a huge lotus pond just outside the temple. The temple, as the name of the village indicates, is dedicated to Lord Narasimha, one of the forms of lord Vishnu. Narasimha is seen in a sitting posture here and is carved out of a rock in a small cave. outside is a large statue of the goddess. Plans are on to give a gold plating to the temple gopuram.

11. THIRUMOHUR: This is again one of the 108 sacred Vishnu temples of India. The temple is also strongly revered as the shrine for Chakkarathazhwar. The temple is an ancient one and also houses separate sanctum for Srirangam Ranganathar and Hanuman. The temple is located between Narasingam and Madurai.

12. THIRUVATHAVUR: This is an ancient Shiva temple located between Thirumohur and Madurai. So, it makes a nice finish to your Madurai trip and gets you back to Madurai. The place is also the birth place of Manikavasagar, the great Saivite poet.

SCHEDULING YOUR TRIP: Madurai is about 450 kms from Chennai and is well connected by train and air. One needs to spend at least two days to explore these temples well apart from the Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple. Also, note that all these temples are closed in the after noon between 12PM and 4PM. So, one should plan the schedule of visits accordingly and use the noon time for covering the distance.

Have a great trip in this temple city!!!