Meenakshi

Meenakshi, meaning fish-eyed in Tamil, is a Hindu goddess widely worshipped in Tamil Nadu and southern India. She is regarded as a form of Parvati and is commonly identified as the divine consort of Shiva, who is worshipped in the form of Sundareswarar at her main temples. Meenakshi is especially associated with the city of Madurai and the temple complex there.

The Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai is one of India's most prominent temples. The complex features a remarkable gopuram-driven layout, hundreds of sculpted figures, and the famed thousand-pillared hall, or Aayiram Kal Mandapam. The temple houses shrines to Meenakshi and Sundareswarar, along with various attendant deities and sacred tanks. It has been developed and expanded over centuries by Pandya, Nayak, and later rulers, and remains a major pilgrimage site for Tamil Hindus.

Legends say Meenakshi was a princess of the Pandya kingdom with the form of Parvati, and her marriage to Shiva is celebrated as a divine union. The Meenakshi Kalyanam festival, reenacted annually in the Tamil month of Chithirai, is a centerpiece of temple life. The goddess is also linked to fertility and marital felicity, and her image is traditionally revered with offerings of flowers, lamps, and coconuts.

In modern times, Meenakshi is a common feminine given name in Tamil Nadu and other parts of India, used among Hindus and non-Hindus alike.