Meenakshi temple, the frontier between gods and men I WIDE

At the first light of dawn, when the sun rises over the city of Madurai, the immense towers of this extraordinary Hindu temple appear in the distance, like sacred mountains in the center of the city. The thousands of sculptures which decorate them are representations of the pantheon of Indian gods which have always looked over the inhabitants of the Tamil city. The temple honors the most famous couple of Hinduism, the god Shiva and his companion Meenakshi, after whom the temple was named. According to the legend, the divine spouses would have celebrated their marriage here and then elected to stay in two small sanctuaries, separated at each end of the temple. For thousands of years, every evening, Shiva has crossed the space that separates him from his beloved to celebrate his wedding night. As the city begins to wake up, in the still deserted temple, the Brahmin's song resounds. A song taken from the Vedas, the sacred Indian texts that are the oldest in the world. About 20 priests who live permanently in Meenakshi, serving the deities whom they nourish and clothe daily. Brahmin Raju Patar arrived here as a novice at the age of 15. His whole priestly life will be devoted to this temple. Through my prayers, I create an energy between myself and the divinities who are present here. This energy is then shared with all the faithful who come to the temple. If the Brahmins are at the service of the needs of the gods, they are not the only interceders. In Hinduism, every man and woman has the power to directly invoke the divinities. All of the Hindu rituals allow to awaken and activate the five senses of the human being. The candlelight reinforces the eyesight. The smoke of incense reinforces the sense of smell. Hearing or listening to the litany of prayers, called mantras, strengthens hearing. And the offerings of flowers, rice powder or ghee oil, allow the refining of touch and taste. The immense Meenakshi temple stands proud in the middle of the city of Madurai and its million inhabitants. With an area of more than six hectares, it is the heart and lungs of the city. The walls of its multiple enclosures mark the symbolic border between gods and men. It's 10 a.m. and the city is bustling with activity. The prosperity of the population is entirely dependent on the temple, one of the most visited in India. No less than 15,000 visitors a day and up to a million at major festivals. From the small sanctuary erected more than 5,000 years ago, the Tamil emperors extended the temple, dynasty after dynasty, in gigantic proportions. And they erected the 11 gopurams, these huge gateway towers, that are a renowned part of Meenakshi. At 60 meters, the last tower, built in the 17th century, broke the height record of all Hindu temples. Archaeologist Dr. Videshalam is closely interested in the origins of this atypical temple. Among these 12 towers, 8 are original. They're the ones which were built at the very beginning. Then the emperors succeeded each other and they all wanted to outdo each other. They built more and more towers, some larger than others. The last four are placed at the four compass points. The pantheon of the Hindu gods is joyfully spread out in great colorful chaos. Color is synonymous with vitality. Moreover, the temple is newly repainted every 15 years. In India, people don't like the idea of dilapidation. Color is light emanating from the world of the gods. It is said that in Meenakshi, there are 33,000 statues representing the 33,000 manifestations of the three major deities of Hinduism. Brahma, the creator, Vishnu, the protector, and Shiva, the destroyer, but also the one who renews life. He is the most revered Tamil god. Each Tamil emperor had only one objective when he came to power. To preserve the existing rooms and build new ones. With each new room, he also had to build the adjoining corridors with more and more decorations and more and more pillars. What makes this temple so exceptionally unique is that it's dedicated to a woman, the goddess Meenakshi. Geeta Pai, professor at the University of Berkeley, is particularly interested in this female figure who is so important she's had a temple dedicated to her. She's popular in Madurai because people here in Madurai think of her not only as their goddess, but also as the daughter or the queen, the Pandyan queen, which is a dynasty that had its origins and its center here in Madurai. And so, history blends with legend. Is Meenakshi a historical figure? A princess who ruled over southern India? Or, as legend has it, is she an invincible warrior-turned-goddess thanks to Shiva's love? The second Pandyan king and his wife were having difficulty bearing children. And that's when they were advised to do a fire sacrifice to produce a son. To their great surprise, a three-year-old girl came out of the sacrificial fire with three breasts and fish eyes. She was named Meenakshi, the beautiful one with the eyes of fish. And that's when a voice from the heavens telling the couple, don't worry, train your daughter as a son. Train her in all the martial arts, you know, how to use weapons, how to be a good warrior. When she meets her future husband, the third breast will fall. Meenakshi became an invincible and fierce warrior, knowing how to expertly handle weapons. One day, she went to fight on Mount Kailash, home of the god Shiva. And when she gets there and faces Shiva, her third breast falls. And she realizes at that moment that he is to be her husband. The wedding was celebrated in Madurai in great splendor. Meenakshi abandoned the fight and the divine spouses took up residence in the temple. Here in Madurai, because she's not seen only as his consort, she's seen as a powerful goddess in her own right. And that's why this particular temple is unusual.