This World Heritage Site is a true wonder to behold and any traveller to South India should go out of his/her way to see this marvel.
Started around 1200ad & finished in 1700ad - a five hundred year construction period!
The four huge 150+ft "Gopura"- the South, West, North & East Towers have 4000+ full sized painted figures from Hindu mythology and can be seen from across the city of Madurai.
The Temple is treated as the holiest of holies & pilgrims come from far & wide to perform "Puja" especially at the time of "Pongal"- mid January.
Page 2 is a Sunrise Sequence of the Gopura.