|  Madurai,
the second largest city of Tamil Nadu is located191 Km south west of Thanjavur.
The temple city of south India derived its name from the Tamil word Honey.
It is famous for the Meenakshi Temple situated near by to the Chithirai
street.
Visit : Daily from 0430 to 1230 and 1600 to 2130. For
photography permission is required from the main office, when the temple
is open. Time from 1230 to 1600 only. There are two sanctuaries in the
temple, one is to Meenakshi (the fish eyed Goddess, consort of Shiva)
and the other is to Shiva in the form of Sundareswar. The gopurams have
been repainted in bright colours. The high point of the temple is the
'Hall of a Thousand Pillars', was built around 1560. This hall adorned
with 985 elaborately carved pillars. The Temple art museum is in the hall
of a Thousand Pillars. This pillars have beautiful images. Among the mandapams,
the Kambattadi Mandapam is outstanding for its excellent sculptured representations
of the manifestations of Shiva on the pillars.
Tirumala Nayak Mahal is 1.5km north of Meenakshi temple. Visit to Palace:
Daily from 0900 to 1300 and 1400 to 1700. It is an Indo-Saracen Palace,
built by Tirumala Nayak in 1636. The Sound and Light show, shown here
is excellent. Show start at 1845. This show dramatizes the Madurai's past
in English
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