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                                           Madurai Temple

Meenakshi Amman Temple is a historic Hindu temple located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River in the temple city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to Parvati, known as Meenakshi, and her consort, Shiva, here named Sundareswarar. The temple forms the heart and lifeline of the 2,500-year-old city of Madurai and is a significant symbol for the Tamil people, mentioned since antiquity in Tamil literature. Though the present structure was built between 1623 and 1655 CE. It is said that the temple was actually built in the 6th century BC by survivors of the Kumari Kandam. Meenakshi  is an avatar of the Hindu goddess Parvati - the consort of Shiva, one of the few Hindu female deities to have a major temple devoted to her. The name "Mīnachchi" means fish-eyed and is derived from the words "mīna" meaning fish and "akṣi" meaning eyes. The lady goddess  Meenakshi  is the principal deity of the temple, not  Sundareswarar, unlike most Shiva temples in South India  where Shiva is the principal deity.