Madurai, Sept. 16 -- The 12 Gopurams of the historic Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai were adorned with colourful flower garlands weighing around five tonnes on Tuesday, ahead of the temple's consecration ceremony scheduled for September 17.

The elaborate flower garlands, meant to decorate all 12 gopurams, including the golden vimanas of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar and the eastern, western, northern and southern Rajagopurams, were prepared over the past two days in the Puthumandapam area, with artisans and workers putting in sustained effort to complete the intricate decorative work ahead of the ceremony.

The grand garlands ranged from around 40 feet to 122 feet in length, reflecting the scale and grandeur associated with ...