Reflections from our dear friend Dr. Suresh Subramani, immediate past Executive Vice Chancellor of the University of California San Diego and an esteemed Molecular Biologist, on our visit with Amma: 

These are the events of February 8, when we flew from Chennai to Madurai. In the late afternoon we decided to go to see the 3600-year-old Madurai Meenakshi Temple, which is one of India’s holiest shrines. Amazing things are beginning to feel ordinary for us: we landed just before sunset, which is the most auspicious hour on a day called Pradosham, which is a very special day every two weeks (associated with the lunar cycle) for Shiva. The period around sunset is the most auspicious time devoted to Shiva a couple of days before the new moon day of the full moon. Had we visited the temple the next day, it would have been closed!

Excerpt from Wikipedia: Pradosha or Pradosham is a bimonthly occasion on the thirteenth day of every fortnight in Hindu calendar. It is closely connected with the worship of Hindu god Shiva. The auspicious 3 hour period, 1.5 hours before and after the sunset is the optimum time for worship of Lord Shiva.

…And that’s exactly when we showed up!

Meenakshi is the wife of Shiva and is also called Parvati. The original Shiva lingam, which appeared out of the earth and is self-formed, is believed to be 3,600 years old. The Meenakshi statue was carved out of a green emerald stone about 3,000 years ago. There were many paintings and carvings in the temple depicting a blue Vishnu (Parvati’s brother), a green (emerald) Parvati, and Shiva the ascetic covered in ash. Both temples have been modified by 64 different kings or rulers over the ages. It is enormous and has the most beautiful stone carvings that one could ever see – amazing structures of people, and of animals and mythological creatures, one of whom had a body from five different animals (lion’s face, body of a sea horse, tiger claws, bull’s tail and an elephant’s trunk). There were also carvings of alligators and human figures depicting many gods and goddesses. In front of the Shiva temple was a 12 foot x 10 foot stone stage with Nandi the bull (associated with Shiva) carved exquisitely out of a single stone.

In most Indian temples one goes and prays to the male deity first (Shiva, in this case) and then goes to the female god. Here, though, Meenakshi is queen so she is the one that everyone goes to worship first,then going to the Shiva temple. Since they would not allow non-Hindus into the temple, Manny and Janice were in the inner corridor surrounding the sanctum sanctorum. However, we were amazed by a procession coming down the hallway in which the temple gods were being brought out. Manny and Janice were really moved by the coincidence that although they were not allowed to go into the temple, the gods were being brought out for them to see with us.

The procession of the the gods was going via the inner corridor around the central shrine three times when Feroza and I went off to see the Meenakshi temple. We asked the priest to pray for us, our kids, and Manny, Janice, and Naila. When we were finished, we made our way to the Shiva temple, and in doing so we had to pass the path of the procession as it completed the third circle around the Meenakshi shrine. As we stepped into the corridor, the procession had just completed the third round and the priests were performing an “aarti” (offering of lit lamps), which we thought was very auspicious. Manny, Janice and our guide were also right there, at the exact spot.

Next we went off to the Shiva temple which also had many remarkable features. There was a 7 foot Ganesha (son of Shiva and Parvati; remover of obstacles) carved out of a single stone. We also saw a form of Shiva dancing on his left foot: normally, he would be dancing on his right foot, but here is the only place in India where Shiva is seen dancing on the left foot. (The legend behind this is that some great devotee of Shiva told the Lord that he must be very tired always dancing on his right leg and he wanted him to get some rest and so this is the only place in the whole country where the deity is dancing on his left leg.) We walked past a tank where people traditionally sprinkle water over their heads and wash their feet before entering the temple. Next, we went into a 1,000 Pillar Hall (though it now has something like 996 pillars left). Every one of them is covered with beautiful carvings. Inside this hall are also a set of stone pillars that are hollow inside– but if you knock on them they give you the perfect pitch sound of musical notes. I had seen this as a child and this was a single thing that I remembered about the temple.