Attend the popular evening ceremony at the Meenakshi Temple
Meenakshi Temple or Meenakshi Amman Temple is a prominent Hindu temples in Madurai, one of South India's greatest temple towns. Besides the typical and intricate details depicting the essences of Hindu architecture with colorful sculptures, statues, and carvings, the temple is more attractive by its popular evening ceremony named "Going to bed Ceremony" where the Hindu God Siva is taken in an elaborate palanquin. Each night the image of Shiva (in the form of Sundareswarar) is carried out from his shrine by temple priests to his wife Parvati’s resting place, in a different part of the temple. The whole ceremony is pretty chaotic and noisy by not only a large number of attendances and worshippers but also the mixing sounds of chanting & drums along with smoke. It starts at 9:00 P.M daily except Friday. On Fridays, it gets underway between 9:30 - 10:00 P.M. Not allowed to enter the temple’s main sanctum area, but non-Hindus can soak up the buzzing atmosphere and witness the special ceremony occurring from a gallery outside. This is an eye-opening experience you really shouldn't miss here as it give a clear insight into India’s intense spirituality.
