Architecture
Dravidian temple architecture at full scale — towers, enclosures, halls and tank.
The plan
The temple is built as a set of concentric rectangular enclosures. The Sundareswarar sanctum sits at the centre, with the Meenakshi sanctum to its north-west; both are crowned by gold-plated vimanams.
There are fourteen towers in all — nine-tier rajagopurams on each of the four sides of the outer wall, and five- and three-tier towers within.
The golden lotus tank
The sacred tank at the heart of the complex, ringed by a pillared walkway with Thirukkural verses inscribed along its walls. From here the gilded towers are seen reflected in the water.
The sculpture
In the Thousand Pillar Hall every pillar is an individually carved figure rather than a repeated form, and the musical pillars outside sound a different note when struck.
The rajagopurams are covered in painted stucco figures — thousands of them, running through puranic scenes, divine forms and yalis.