The temple city of Madurai has retained the essentials of culture of yore. The history of Madurai dates back to the 6th century BC. It was the capital of the Pandyan Empire till the 14th century AD. Madurai was the seat of Tamil learning. It is a twin temple dedicated to Sundareswarar and His consort Meennakshi. There are 11 gopurams, the most attractive of them being the one at the southern entrance rising to a height of 160 feet with a parabolic curve. Madurai is one of the 51 Shakti Peetams. The Golden Lotus Tank inside the temple is surrounded by spacious corridors, the walls of which are covered with paintings depicting the Lord's miracles. The long rows of pillars here contain delivately-carved figures. In the sanctum, the Goddess stands with a parrot and bouquet, radiating love and compassion. A large image of Ganesha greets the pilgrims as they proceed to the Sundareswarar shrine. In front of the shrine is the famous Kampathadi Mandapam. This contains many finely sculptured pillars, including one depicting the siding of Meenakshi. The beautiful figures of Siva, incarnations of Vishnu and other statues are striking illustrations of exclence of Dravidian art.