The Shape of Texas
Sri Meenakshi Temple - The Shape of Texas
11/1/2022 | 2m 18sVideo has Closed Captions
Explore Pearland's Hindu temple honoring Meenakshi, the goddess of marriage.
The Sri Meenakshi Hindu Temple is dedicated to Meenakshi, the goddess of marriage. It was the third Hindu temple erected in the United States. The structure is composed of gleaming white granite imported from India. The temple was built to be a replica of the Sree Meenakshi Temple in Madurai. Delicate sculptures and intricate stonework are found throughout the complex.
The Shape of Texas
Sri Meenakshi Temple - The Shape of Texas
11/1/2022 | 2m 18sVideo has Closed Captions
The Sri Meenakshi Hindu Temple is dedicated to Meenakshi, the goddess of marriage. It was the third Hindu temple erected in the United States. The structure is composed of gleaming white granite imported from India. The temple was built to be a replica of the Sree Meenakshi Temple in Madurai. Delicate sculptures and intricate stonework are found throughout the complex.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship- [Narrator] The Sri Meenakshi Temple in Pearland stands out from its flat semi-rural surroundings.
Here it serves as a place of worship and celebration for the area's Hindu population.
It's the only temple outside of India dedicated to Meenakshi, the goddess of marriage.
Inspiration for its design was drawn directly from the world's largest Meenakshi temple located in the southern province of Tamil Nadu.
Craftsmen who traveled from India in the early 80s sculpted the largest tower of the Texas temple to mirror its Indian muse.
It rises tall above the surrounding structure, resembling a cross between a Mayan stepped pyramid and a Chinese pagoda.
But unlike pagodas, the towers are solid brick and plaster.
The heads of mythical creatures sprout from the roofs at their gable ends.
The main temple features five domed towers over the one-story building.
They are topped with golden spires and ornate sculptures descending their symmetrical facade.
The temple and courtyard are enclosed by 12-foot walls built with rough, poured-in-place concrete.
Each of the four walls has a gateway with intricate details set under a tower.
Architects worked in accordance with the building traditions of India, based on mathematics and cosmology.
As such, the walls of the compound face the four cardinal directions.
North, East, South, and West.
The wrought iron gates on the North and South include sculpted female figures.
The large eastern tower faces the street, but the western gateway is the main entrance.
Here, is where visitors leave their shoes before entering the holy compound.
A sign of respect and humility to the deities believed to dwell within the space.
The Sri Meenakshi Temple in Pearland shows that architecture can preserve and honor the spiritual needs of Texas' many communities.
Funding for The Shape of Texas is provided by Texas Society of Architects; and by a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of The National Endowment for the Humanities; and The Summerlee Foundation of Dallas, Texas.
