Meenaksi Amman Temple,Madurai,India

The temple is dedicated to lord Shiva (Sundareshvara) and his consort Parvathy( Meenakshi).
The original temple was built by by Kulasekara Pandiya,But the entire credit of making the temple as splendid as it is today goes to Nayaks.
the Nayaks ruled Madurai from 16th to 18th century.
There are 12 temple towers ( Gopurams) :

1. East Tower (9 stories) - Height 161'3''
2. South Tower (9 stories) - Height 170'6''
3. West Tower (9 stories ) - Height 163'3''
4. North Tower ( 9 stories )-Height 160'6''

The many mandapams or pavilions are one of the many attractions of this temple.Prominenet among them are Killi Kootu Mandapam,Aayiram Kaal Mandapam,Meenakshi Nayakan Mandapam,Ashtashakti Mandapam and etc.