Meenakshi Amman Temple

The original temple was built around the 6th century CE by the Pandya dynasty. The present structure was largely rebuilt in the 16th and 17th centuries by the Nayak rulers after being damaged during the Malik Kafur invasion of 1311. The temple was restored to its full glory under Thirumalai Nayak (1623–1659), who added many of the current gopurams and the musical pillars of the Vasantha Mandapam.

The temple complex covers 14 acres and is enclosed by nine gopurams (gateway towers) ranging from 39 to 52 metres tall. The tallest, the southern tower, was completed in 1955. The thousand-pillar hall (Aayiram Kaal Mandapam) features carved pillars that produce different musical notes when struck. The temple's 33,000 sculptures are among the most colourful in South India, with every gopuram covered in thousands of painted figures.

The Meenakshi Amman Temple is the cultural and commercial heart of Madurai, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The temple's layout — with the city's four major streets radiating from the temple in cardinal directions — is a living example of the ancient Indian concept of the temple as the centre of urban life. The temple hosts over 15,000 visitors daily and is the site of the 10-day Chithirai Festival.

India's Tentative List entry proposes inscription under Criteria (iii), (iv), (v), and (vi) — as an outstanding example of Dravidian architecture and a living Hindu temple complex.