Written by London Swaminathan

Post No. 15,820

Date uploaded in London –2 June 2026

Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com

Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.

this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.

tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com

xxxx 

(Tamil Version was posted yesterday)

Madurai Meenakshi Sundareswarar (Shiva) temple is a world-famous Temple and listed as one of the 100 Wonders of the World long back by AA of United Kingdom. Though it has 2000-year history Nayak Kings added lot of new structures in and around the temple 500 years ago. One of them is Pudu Mandapam (New Hall) just opposite the main (Eastern) entrance of the temple.

It is 335 feet long, 105 feet wide and raised up to 25 feet. About 125 pillars are in four rows. Around the main hall is deep pits to fill in with water during the spring festival called Vasanta Urchavam in Sanskrit; this is to get cool air during early summer.

The pillars have the statues of Nayak kings and the most important of them is the Thirumalai Nayak. Apart from other Nayak kings, many Siva Leelas (64 Divine Sports Siva played to bless his devotees) and goddesses are also portrayed. Secular figures like Yalis, Heroes on Horse backs are also sculpted.

One of the sculptures shows a woman carrying a child. The dress and the jewellery of the woman make her look like a divine woman; may be a goddess or a queen.

Many stories are going round it as hear say; nothing authentic is available in writing. Most famous temple artiste Sillpi who has drawn or painted all the main temples of Tamil Nadu posted a picture of this divine lady long back in a Tamil weekly called Ananda Vikatan; later all his paintings and drawings have been published in two volumes with Tamil write ups. Commenting on this picture of Divine Woman, he has said that may opinions are told about this statue. But her decorations are noteworthy. He did not elaborate.

***

My research shows that one story in the Tiru Vilaiyadal Puranam may explain the significance of this statue. The T V Puranam has 64 Sacred Sports or Sacred Games or Leelas of Lord Siva that happened in and around Madurai.

If anyone else has any other authentic information, please share it with our readers.

Here is the story

The God on Account of Gauri, Became An Old Man, A Youth And later A Child! This is the 23^rd story in the T V Purana.

While ViKrama-Pandian was ruling from Madurai, there was a Brahmin named Virupaksha, his wife’s name being Subavrithai, who were childless; in consequence they worshipped the seven celestial females and obtained thereby the gift of a daughter. At five years old the child, named Gauri, asked to be taught a prayer and her father taught her the Devi-mantra.

While the father was waiting for a suitable husband, she passed the eighth year of her age without being betrothed; One day a Vaishnava Brahmin came to beg alms. Father was very much impressed when he met him. The youth was handsome and learned in the Vedas. After some thinking, he bestowed his daughter to him in marriage, with the usual ceremony of gift and Vedic fire worship. But he never disclosed it to his close relatives in the town. After the marriage both husband and wife travelled to husband’s village.

When the Vaishnava Brahmin brought his wife to his own village, and to his parents, they disapproved of his marrying a Saiva woman.

One day the parents without calling her, went away to a distant marriage feast. They locked the kitchen so that she would not touch any vessels there. Orthodox Vaishnavites cook for themselves and never eat other food. In this interval an aged Saiva Brahmin came to her and asked for food; She told him the kitchen was locked. Then the man told her to go to the kitchen and touch the door. It opened miraculously. on being admitted into the house and food being given by the woman, since he was too infirm to feed himself she assisted him to eat, when he suddenly changed to a young man.

At that time husband’s parents entered the house. She was so scared; to save her from trouble the young man suddenly became a child. Finding her with a young Saiva child they asked her what happened and who the child was. She told them that the neighbour had asked her to look after the child for a short time. Enraged parents (of her husband) turned both out of doors; and while she was in the street, sorrowing deeply for her misfortunes, she meditated the Devi mantra, on which the child instantly disappeared, and the god himself approached towards her, seated on his bullock vahan, (or car), and taking her up with him. The clouds rained flowers, and the town’s people were astonished, he carried her through the air to the temple.

This story is sung by all the Four Saivite Saints and so this should have happened 1500 or 2000 years ago. If the child and woman in the statue at Pudu Mandapam are one and the same , then the mystery is solved. But the statue looks like a goddess or a queen. So, there may be some other incident related or linked to the statue.

Who can throw more light on it and enlighten our readers?

–subham—

Tags – Woman and child, Madurai, Pudu Mandapam, Silpi, Mystery: Can You Solve it?