Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple Inscriptions
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1.Madurai is one of the ancient cities of India and several literary evidences stand proof for the fact that a very popular temple dedicated to Siva was existing there since time immemorial.

2.The capital city of the pANDyAs and the family deity to the kings, Meenakshi Sundareshwarar shrine should have enjoyed high patronage.

3.Unfortunately it is one among the many temples destroyed by the crude islamic invasion of 14th CCE. Major parts of the temple was rebuilt during the vijayanagar and nAyak period.

4.Hence we have only around 70 inscriptions documented so far, belonging to the later pANDyAs, vijayanagar and madurai nAyak dynasties.

5.The deity is referred to as tiruvAlavAiyuDaiyAr and the city as tiruvAlavAi.

6.The earliest inscription available today is from 1194 CE saDaiyavarman kulasEkara pANDyan's donation to light 2 perpetual lamps at the entrance door of sunDarEshwarA's shrine.

7.mAravarman suNDarapANDyan II has set up an endowment to feed paradEsi kOvanavar (a designation) to chant the songs of tiruvempAvai on all 30 days of mArgazhi.

8. An interesting inscription from the same period mentions rendering of sAdhAri pANN, a specific rAga, when the deity is brought out in procession to his consorts shrine. Interestingly, that is the rAga that was sung by the (1/2)

Lord himself when he came down as a woodcutter to defeat hEmanAtha bhAgavatha (an episode from tiruvilayAdal purAnam) (2/2)

9.The south entrance that connects the shrine of dEvi and siva (near mukkuruni vinAyakar) is called as vANAdhirAyan tiruvASAL during the 13th CCE.

10. Land near karunIlakkuDI was donated exclusively to pay the employees in charge of manufacturing the scented oil and other perfumes used to apply on the tirumEni of chokkanAtha.

11. A certain aruLALan sEvagaththEvan has constructed the natarAja shrine, the corridor around sunDarEshA's shrine (destroyed now), temple chariots were also repaired by him.

12.The east rAjagOpuram was constructed by saDayavarman sunDara pANDyan IV in early 14th CCE as it is seen today. Inscriptions calls it "avani vEndha rAman tirukkOpuram" and sunDara pANDyan tirukkopuram".

13. The west gOpuram was constructed a lil after that by parAkrama pANDyan.

14. Several mutts have existed around the temple in the 14th CCE. naralOka sooriyan tirumatam, mAnamperiyAn matam, tirugnAnasambandhan matam, sunDarapANDyan matam, therkkil matam etc.

15. 100 pilgrims were fed everyday in the Avani festival at the bhuvanEkaveeran matam.

16. Around the midst of 14th CCE, sivanaimuzhudhuDaiyAL, a dEvadAsi constructed a mutt. (sivanai muzhudhuDaiyAL, the one who owns siva completely, what an apt name for a dEvadAsi)

17. A ghOsAla with 30 cows was functioning in the temple during mAravarman sunDarapANDyan's time. Land was tiruvEDakam was leased out to feed and maintain the cows.

18. gangaikoNDa vAnAdhirAyan, an officer under mAravarman sunDara pANDyan, donated the mUrti of sUryA and his wife donated a bronze icon of dEvi called tiruvuDai nAchchiyAr.

19. sALuvanarasanAyakar, an officer under krishNadEvarAya constructed a tank near the pudumaNDapam and called it the EzhukaDal tIrtham or saptasAgaram in 1516 CE.

21.During the nAyak period the temple was referred to as chokkanAtha swAmi temple.

22. In 1710 CE a temple employee committed suicide by jumping off the east gOpuram to register his resistance against the corroupt officials who collected more tax on the temple lands that they were cultivating.