Do you know which Hindu temple was nominated to be part of the New Seven Wonders of the World? It is the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai. Dedicated to goddess Parvati, the temple has fourteen Gopurams and two golden sculptured Vimanas. Questions like why Goddess Parvati took the form of Meenakshi and how the temple came into being, is what we will try to answer today.Pleased by the devoted performance of the Putra Kameshti Yagna by the kind Malayadwaja and his wife Kanchanamalai, the goddess appeared from the fire of the yagna [sacrifice] and blessed the couple. It is said that, the goddess had given an indication to Kanchanamalai that she will be given an opportunity to be her mother. The child so born had three breasts. A voice from above comforted the worried parents, by saying that the third breast will vanish when the girl meets her future husband. Satisfied by god’s grace they named their child, Tadaatagai. As she grew she was taught 64 shastras.

It was time for Tadaatagai to be named the queen of Madurai. Before that, she had to defeat the three worlds - Vaikuntha of Vishnu, Amaravati of the Devas and Kailasa of Shiva. Tadaatagai successfully defeated Lord Vishnu and the Devas but when she came to Kailasa to fight Shiva, she bowed down and accepted defeat. She instantly fell in love with the Lord and her third breast vanished as soon as she saw Shiva. After this, the marriage of the two was performed by Lord Vishnu, which became the biggest event on earth. Following this, Lord Sudereshwara and   goddess Meenakshi ruled the kingdom of Madurai and blessed the world with happiness. Even today, their wedding is celebrated annually on Azhakar Thiruvizha festival. So, this is why goddess Parvati is known as Meenakshi Amman and Lord Shiva is known as Sundereshwara in Madhurai. The name Meenakshi has a special meaning. Meena means fish and akshi means eyes. It is a description of the fish like eyes of the goddess. Unlike all other temples around the world, Goddess Meenakshi is the main deity of the temple and not Lord Sudereshwara. The entire city of Madurai is blessed with the  beauty of this divine couple. 
 

- Kruti Beesam