Meenakshi Amman Temple

King Malayadhwaja Pandya of Madurai performed a great fire sacrifice, yearning for a son to inherit his kingdom. Instead, from the sacred fire emerged a three-year-old girl with three breasts and eyes shaped like fish — she was named Meenakshi, "the one with fish-shaped eyes."

A divine voice declared that her third breast would vanish the moment she met her destined husband. The king raised Meenakshi as a fierce warrior. She conquered kingdom after kingdom, marching her armies north toward the Himalayas. When she reached Mount Kailash and challenged Lord Shiva himself, their eyes met — and instantly, her third breast disappeared.

The shy, fierce warrior-queen became gentle in the presence of her lord. They were married in what is described as the greatest wedding the universe has ever witnessed — every god, goddess, sage, and celestial being attended. Lord Vishnu himself gave away the bride, and it is said that so much food was prepared for the feast that Vishnu ate excessively and suffered from divine indigestion.

This celestial wedding is reenacted every year during the Chithirai Festival, when over a million people gather to witness the procession of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar (Shiva) through the streets of Madurai. The temple complex spans 14 acres and contains over 33,000 intricately carved sculptures — it was nominated as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

Expanded massively during the Nayak dynasty in the 16th-18th centuries. Contains the sacred Golden Lotus Tank where Tamil Sangam poets had their works judged.

The Chithirai festival reenacts the divine wedding. Over a million people attend. The float festival on the Mariamman Teppakulam is equally spectacular.

14 towering gopurams covered in over 33,000 colorful stucco figures of gods, demons, and mythological creatures. The tallest gopuram rises 170 feet.