Loading…
The Maha Kumbabishekam (consecration) of the Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple in Madurai was held on 17 September 2026, the first since April 2009.
186 restoration works costing ₹32.29 crore were completed before the ceremony, including the rebuilding of the fire-damaged Veeravasantharaya Mandapam with 79 carved black granite pillars.
The temple stands on the southern bank of the Vaigai. It has 14 gopurams, and the southern tower is the tallest at 52 m.
Temple sacked by Malik Kafur's forces (Delhi Sultanate)
Rebuilding begins under the Vijayanagara Empire
Madurai Nayak rulers expand the complex into its present form
Earlier Kumbabishekams
Adjudged best 'Swachh Iconic Place' in India
Fire damages the Veeravasantharaya Mandapam
Maha Kumbabishekam after 17 years
The temple stands at the centre of Madurai, on the southern bank of the Vaigai river in southern Tamil Nadu. The old city's streets are laid out in concentric squares around the temple.
State department that administers Hindu temples, including the Meenakshi temple, and oversaw the renovation
GS Paper I > Indian Culture > Temple architecture (Dravida style)
General Awareness > Art & Culture > Famous temples
Monumental gateway tower of a Dravidian temple; in Madurai the gopurams are taller than the vimanas over the sanctums
Tower directly over the sanctum (garbhagriha) of a Dravida temple
Consecration ritual that renews a temple's sanctity, traditionally about every 12 years