Meenakshi Amman Temple hosts Navaratri through 20 October

Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai completed its Navaratri festival on 20 October 2026, with special worship featuring 108 veenas. The ten-day programme brought daily decorations, religious observances and cultural performances to the temple in India.

Navaratri ran from 11 to 20 October in Madurai

The festival ran from 11 October to 20 October 2026, as announced by the temple administration. The programme placed the festival image of Meenakshi in the Kolu Mandapam, where she appeared in a different decorative form each day.

The schedule included Rajarajeshwari decoration on 11 October, Ardhanareeswarar on 12 October, Kolattam on 13 October and Pattabhishekam on 14 October. Further forms followed through Thapasu, Oonjal, Muthangi Seva, Mahishasuramardhini and Siva Puja before the Vijayadashami closing day. The announced festival programme also included devotional music, Bharatanatyam, spiritual talks and other performances in the Thirukalyana Mandapam.

The closing programme on 20 October featured special worship with 108 veenas. Musicians from several Indian districts and from overseas played devotional songs as part of a ceremony linked to students' progress in education, art and music. The event was reported after its completion by Dinamani on 21 October.

Daily decorations connected the festival to the temple complex

The Kolu Mandapam sits in the second enclosure near the shrine of Meenakshi. That location made the festival more than a city-wide celebration: visitors encountered the daily decorative programme inside a named part of the temple complex.

The wider building is a major example of Dravidian architecture. The official India tourism description records 14 sculpted gopurams, with heights between 45 and 50 metres. It also identifies the Aayiram Kaal Mandapam, or 1,000-pillared hall, whose pillars depict stories from Hindu mythology and include musical pillars.

The festival's closing music therefore took place within a complex already defined by sound, ritual and sculpted architecture. The 20 October veena worship connected a specific Navaratri programme with the temple's long-established ceremonial and artistic spaces.

Visiting Meenakshi Amman Temple: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The 2026 Navaratri festival took place at the temple from 11 October to 20 October, so that programme has ended by 24 October 2026.
• The 20 October closing event included 108 veenas, while daily decorations were presented in the Kolu Mandapam during the festival.
• The temple is in Madurai, India. The official tourism listing names Madurai International Airport and Madurai Junction Railway Station as the nearest transport points.
• Visitors encounter 14 gopurams measuring between 45 and 50 metres, as well as the Aayiram Kaal Mandapam and its musical pillars.
• English is widely used in tourism alongside Tamil, the official language of Tamil Nadu, and the currency is the Indian rupee.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Meenakshi Amman Temple

When did Navaratri take place at Meenakshi Amman Temple?

The 2026 festival ran from 11 October to 20 October, ending with Vijayadashami observances and special worship.

What happened at Meenakshi Amman Temple on 20 October?

The closing programme included special worship with 108 veenas and devotional performances in the temple complex.

Where is Meenakshi Amman Temple and how do you get there?

The temple is in Madurai, India. Madurai International Airport and Madurai Junction Railway Station are the transport points named by the national tourism listing.