And the space will be provided free of cost. P. Baskaran, Joint Commissioner, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments and Executive Officer of the temple, says that dance programmes have been held at a hall inside the temple and now, they are permitting arangetrams because getting halls for an 'arangetram' had become costly and not many people could afford the fees that auditoriums charge here. The 'Tirukkalyana Mandapam' inside the temple is to be offered free of cost for arangetrams on the condition that the dancer's party bear the electricity cost.

This 400-year-old stage has a special significance, for this is where the celestial wedding of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar used to be conducted for many years.
Also, the hall is large and the event will also attract people visiting the temple.
The temple authorities say that they would also give certificates to dancers for the arangetrams and also arrange for a special darshan of the deities.

The move is a positive one and should be great news for aspiring dancers not only in Madurai and in south Tamil Nadu, but those who may want to have arangetrams held in a prominent place. Over the last few years, more and more temples in Tamil Nadu have been hosting classical dance festivals. The most famous are the dance festivals held during Shivaratri. Contact: Madurai Meenakshi temple, Ph: 0452-2744360, Joint Commissioner Ph: 2744322, Res: 2734819