Madurai’s skyline is dominated by the 14 colorful gopurams (gateway towers) of Meenakshi Amman Temple. Built-in the 14th century, it has four impressive towers called Gopurams and the tallest one is about 170 feet high. More than 33,000 sculptures adorn the temple and the roof is covered with intricate motifs. A couple of other striking features are the 1000-pillar hall and the musical pillars. In the late evening, you will witness the incredible pooja (prayer) ceremony at the Meenakshi Temple. During the ceremony, the idols of Sundareshwar (an avatar of Lord Shiva) and his consort Meenakshi (an avatar of Parvati) are carried in a grand procession to the bed-chamber, where they are kept for the night. This hall is known for intricately carved sculptures and eight Shiva forms, which are Ardanarishwara (half Parvati, half Shiva), Rudra (angry Shiva), Bhikshadanamurti (Shiva as a monk), Dakshinamurti (Shiva as a yoga teacher), Lingobhava (Shiva emerging out of a linga), Ekapathamurti, Rishabh, Somaskanda (Shiva, Parvati, and Skanda), Chandrasekhara, Nataraja (dancing Shiva) and Somasundaram.