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Meenakshi Temple, also referred to as Meenakshi Amman or Minakshi-Sundareshwara 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 Meenakshi, a form of Parvati, and her consort, Sundareshwar, a form of Shiva.The temple is at the center of the ancient temple city of Madurai mentioned in the Tamil Sangam literature, with the goddess temple mentioned in 6th century CE texts.
The Madurai Temple forms the heart and lifeline of Madurai city which is 2,500 year old. The original temple was built by Kulashekara Pandya, but the initiative to rebuild the structure was taken by first Nayak king of Madurai, Viswanatha Nayak (1559-1600) under the supervision of Ariyanatha Mudaliar.
The temple was substantially expanded to the current structure during the reign of Thirumalai Nayak between 1623 and 1655 CE by the Nayak rulers.
The credit for making the temple as splendid as it is today goes to Tirumalai Nayak who brought back glory to this magnificent structure.
The complex is built in around 45 acres of land and is a massive structure measuring 254 by 237 meters. The temple is surrounded by 14 towers, the tallest of which, the famous Southern tower, rises to over 170 ft high built in 1559.
The oldest gopuram is the eastern one, built by Maravarman Sundara Pandyan during 1216-1238. The temple attracts 15,000 visitors a day, around 25,000 on Fridays.
The temple has four entrances, while the entrance on Eastern side being the main temple entrance.

THIRUMALAI NAYAK MAHAL
At a distance of 3 km from Madurai Junction Railway Station and 1 km from Meenakshi Temple, Thirumalai Nayak Mahal is a palace complex constructed in the Indo-Saracen style by Thirumalai Nayak in 1636.
It is among the major Madurai tourist places.
The original palace complex was four times bigger than the present structure. It was divided into two parts, Swargavilasa and Rangavilasa and only the Swargavilasa is survived today.
The palace was designed by an Italian architect. The ceilings are decorated with large paintings showing Shaivite and Vaishnavite themes. The Darbar hall (courtyard) and the Natakasala (dancing hall) are carry the original glory and are central attractions for visitors.
There are 248 pillars, each 58 feet tall and 5 feet in diameter. It is believed that the Rangavilasa portion of the palace was demolished by Chockanatha Nayak, the grandson of Thirumalai Nayak and the materials were carried to Trichy to build a new palace.

KOODAL ALAGAR TEMPLE
At a distance of 1 km from Madurai Junction Railway Station & 1.5 km Meenakshi Temple, The Koodal Alagar Temple, also known as Arulmigu Koodalazhagar Thirukoil, is another important temple in Madurai. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu,this temple is believed to be older than the Meenakshi temple.
It is one of the important places to visit in Madurai.
A unique feature of this temple is the three different postures of the same God. The three figures of Vishnu are in standing, sitting and reclining postures.
These three figures of the deity are known by three different names. The most venerated of the three figures is Lord Vishnu in the seated posture.
The seated Lord Vishnu is locally known as Lord Koodal Alagar from whom the temple derives its name. The reclining idol is known as Sri Ranganatha. Sri Surya Narayan Perumal is the name for the standing image of Lord Vishnu.

NARASINGAM
At a distance of 12 kms from Madurai, Narasingam is famous for the Cave temple of Yoga Narasinga Perumal constructed in 770 AD by Madurakavi who was the minister of the Madurai King Paraanthaka Nedunchelzyan.
The sculpture of Narasinga Perumal is carved out of the Aanaimalai Hill rocks. This temple is a good example of the cave sculpturing of the Pandya Kingdom. In front of this there is a stone temple for the goddess Sri Narasingavalli.
To the west of Narasinga Perumal temple, there is another cave temple constructed in 8th century AD by Pandia King. In this temple the deity Muruga and the goddess Devasena are seen.
On the outer wall of this temple the sculptures of the cock and peacocks are formed beautifully.

PAZHAMUDHIR SOLAI
At a distance of 23 kms north-east of Madurai (4 Kms from Alagar Koil), Pazhamudhir Solai is a beautiful temple created in the memory of Lord Subramaniya who is worshipped by several people in southern India.
It has great sculptures of lord subramaniya encarved in wood and marble and is a wonderful temple with giant steps in the front of it.
People worship the temple by moving across the periphery of the temple a several number of times, with the hope that their wish would come true.
It is the giant temple of Lord subhramaniya in southern India and one of the most beautiful too. It is located on the hills of Alagar koil.

GANDHI MUSEUM
At a distance of 4 Kms from Madurai Junction Railway Station, Gandhi Museum is a great master piece in Southern India and it has great historical background and mythology in its background.
The museum is square in shape and created at the height of 5 metres from the ground level and it has a wonderful dome in the centre which is about 7 metres diagonally.
It was constructed by Nayak Queen Rani in the earlier 1700 AD. Great cost was incurred in establishing the museum and it was all invested by the government of India, in memory of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation.