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Meenakshi (, .also spelled as Minakshi; also known as ', ' and ) is a Hindu goddess. She is the tutelary deity of Madurai district and is considered a form of the goddess Parvati. She is the divine consort of Sundareśvarar, a form of Shiva and the sister of Aḻagar, a form of Vishnu. She finds mention in literature as the queen of the ancient Madurai-based Pandya dynasty, and is later deified. The goddess is also extolled by Adi Shankara as Shri Vidya.
She is mainly worshipped in India where she has a major temple devoted to her known as the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. Meenakshi, Kamakshi, and Visalakshi are considered the three Shakti forms of the goddess Parvati.
is a [[Sanskrit]] term meaning 'fish-eyed', derived from the words 'fish' and 'eye'. She was also known by the [[Tamil|Tamil language]] name 'fish-eyed one', mentioned in early historical account as a fierce, unmarried goddess as Meenakshi. She is also known by the Tamil name or (). According to another theory, the name of the goddess literally means 'rule of the fish', derived from the [[Tamil|Tamil language]] words 'fish' and 'rule'.Excerpt for the etymology of Meenatchi from "''A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Tamil Language, Vol. VII, PART - II''", page 68: மீனாட்சி ,Mīṉāṭci, பெ. (n. ) மதுரையை உறைவிடமாகக் கொண்ட தெய்வம்; Umā, the tutelary Goddess of Madurai. [மீன் + ஆட்சி. மீனைக் கொடியில் சின்னமாகக் கொண்டவள்.] Translation: [ Meen + Aatchi. Her who put the fish as symbol for the flag.] (மீன் - Mīṉ which means "fish", ஆட்சி- āṭci which means "rule")
Various meanings of this appellation have been suggested, including that she was originally a goddess of the fisher-folk, that her eyes are "large and brilliant" like that of a fish, or that she has "long and slender" eyes shaped like the body of a fish. Another interpretation is that the name is based on the belief that the fish never close their eyes: the goddess similarly never stops watching over her devotees. Yet another interpretation states that the name is based on the ancient belief that the fish feed their young by merely looking at them; the goddess supposedly supports her devotees by merely glancing at them. There are the three avatars of Adi Shakti: Vishalakshi in the north,Bangala Bhasar Abhidhaan ( Dictioanary of the Bengali Language), Shishu Sahitya Samsad Pvt Ltd., 32A, APC Road, Kolkata – 700009, Volume 2, p.1600. (ed. 1988) Kamakshi and Meenakshi in the south.
One Tamil poem/song (Tamilpillai) portrays Meenakshi as the intersection of domesticity and divinity: (2025). 9788124109380, Shakti Books. ISBN 9788124109380
The great Shiva with the Datura metel / Wanders through the courtyard of space / Destroying Housewife again and again / And then he comes before you. // You never get angry. / Every day you just pick up the vessels.
Though the temple has historic roots dating back to 2000 BCE, most of the present campus structure was rebuilt after the 14th century CE, further repaired, renovated and expanded in the 17th century by Tirumala Nayaka. In the early 14th century, the armies of Delhi Sultanate led by Muslim Commander Malik Kafur plundered the temple, looted it of its valuables and destroyed the Madurai temple town along with many other temple towns of South India.Michell 1995, pp. 9-10, Quote: "By the beginning of the 14th century south India was exposed to the depredations of Muslim raiders from the north, and even Madurai was destroyed in 1310, by Malik Kafur, briefly becoming the seat of a sultanate thereafter." The contemporary temple is the result of rebuilding efforts started by the Vijayanagara Empire rulers who rebuilt the core and reopened the temple. In the 16th century, the temple complex was further expanded and fortified. The restored complex houses 14 gopurams (gateway towers), each above in height. The complex has numerous sculpted pillared halls such as Ayirakkal (1,000 pillar hall), Kilikoondu-mandapam, Golu-mandapam and Pudu-mandapam. Its shrines are dedicated to Hindu deities and Shaivism scholars, with the vimanas above the (sanctums) of Meenakshi and Sundareśvarar gilded with gold.
The temple is a major pilgrimage destination within the Shaivism tradition, dedicated to Meenakshi and Shiva. However, the temple includes Vishnu in many narratives, sculptures and rituals as he is considered to be Meenakshi's brother. This has made this temple and Madurai as the "southern Mathura", one included in Vaishnava texts. The large temple complex is the most prominent landmark in Madurai and attracts tens of thousands visitors a day. The temple attracts over a million pilgrims and visitors during the annual 10-day Meenakshi Tirukalyanam festival, celebrated with much festivities and a ratha (chariot) procession during the Tamil month of Chittirai (overlaps with April–May in Georgian calendar, Chaitra in North India).
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