Golden Lily Tank

Minakshi Temple, Madurai

At the south end of the enclosure, the temple's southern gopura rises above the tank, where a tall brass lamp column punctuates a square pond filled with lotus plants.

Minakshi is a local goddess who fought a battle against Shiva and then married him. The worship of Shiva (as Sundareshvara) and Minakshi at Madurai includes a fertility rite, in which images of the god and goddess are brought to bed together each night.