TN: Madurai's Meenakshi Amman Temple revives sacred water ritual after four-year pause

Madurai (Tamil Nadu) [India], July 1 : Madurai's Meenakshi Amman Temple has resumed its traditional practice of drawing sacred water (Thirumanjanam) from the Vaigai River for daily rituals, after a hiatus of four years.
The temple administration had stopped the practice due to the COVID lockdown but has now restored the well and resumed the tradition. The sacred water is drawn from a well in the river and carried in a procession to the temple, accompanied by music, and elephants.

Devotees are thrilled to see the revival of this ancient custom, which is an integral part of the temple's daily rituals. The temple priest performs special pujas and abhishekam with the sacred water.
Madurai's Meenakshi Amman temple is a famous pilgrimage spot, the temple is renowned for its classic architectural style, stupendous structures, and carvings, as per the Tamil Nadu tourism website.
As per the Tamil Nadu tourism website, Meenakshi Amman temple is mentioned in ancient texts and was completely devastated in 1310. The temple was restored to its original glory in the 14th century.
"It is quite an architectural marvel with 14 temple towers with a height ranging between 45-50 meters. A 1000-pillared hall is another major feature with exquisitely sculpted pillars. There are musical pillars which produce sounds of different scales," as per the Tamil Nadu tourism website.
As per the Tamil Nadu tourism website, the Navarathri festival held during September - October also draws people in huge numbers to Madurai's Meenakshi Amman temple. The other major festivals are the Avani Moolam Festival during August- September and the Masi Mandala Utsavam during February - March.