Madurai

Madurai

Location : Madurai, Tamil Nadu
Area : 22 Sq. Kms
Attractions : The Meenakshi Temple, Mariamman Teppakulam,Tirumalai Naik
Ideal Time to Visit : November to February

¤ Madurai, The Temple City

Tamil Nadu travel guide will takes you to another temple city of South India. Madurai is the second largest city of the state of Tamil Nadu. It is famous for its temples, especially for the celebrated Meenakshi Temple. Situated on the banks of river Vaigai, it derives its name from the divine nectar (Madhu) that was showered from the locks of Lord Shiva according to a popular legend. The city has a rich cultural heritage which it has inherited from the great Tamil era, which is more than 2500 years old. Once the capital of the great Pandya kings, Madurai was an important cultural and commercial center even as early as 550 AD.
temple at Madurai
Today, Madurai is a well-known producer of some of the finest textiles in India and some of the best harvests of jasmine flowers. The city of Madurai is also mentioned in Megasthenes' Indica. He was an ancient Greek diplomat and envoy to India in the 3rd century BC , who wrote praises about this temple city. Madurai's glory reached its peak, during the reign of the Cholas and then during the Pandyas' regime in the 13th century.


¤ History of Madurai

Madurai, the city is as old as its history, which dates back to the Sangam period of the pre Christian era. Madurai's honour returned in an impaired form in the earlier part of this millennium. Later, Madurai came under the rule of the Vijayanagar kingdom, after it was plundered by the destructive armies of Delhi (Malik Kafur).

During the 16th and 18th centuries, Madurai was ruled by the Nayak Emperors, the foremost of whom was Tirumalai Nayakar. In the Sangam period, poet Nakkeerar was associated with some of the Tiruvilayaadal episodes of Sundareswarar. Even today these episodes are enacted as a part of temple festival traditions.


¤ Attractions At Madurai

The ancient and historical city of Madurai has many places that pulls tourists from all over the world and makes it one of the most travel destinatiions in South India. Among the most famous attractions at Madurai, is the Meenakshi Amman Temple, where the main deities are Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Shiva. The temple has 985 beautifully sculptured pillars, forming the Thousand Pillar Mandapam Hall. It has also been the center of Tamil art, music and dance.

The Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam is another prime attraction in Madurai. The presiding deity of this temple is Lord Vigneshwara. This temple is also the host of the annual float festival celebrated in the months of January and February. Thirupparankundram, situated 6 kms southwest of Madurai, is a small town known for its sacred granite hill. This place is regarded as one of the six dwellings of Lord Subramaniyam.

There is also a cave temple and a rock cut temple built by the Pandyas in the 8th century. Besides these attractions, Munnar, Thekkadi Wildlife Sanctuary and Palani Hills are other places of interest around Madurai.


¤ Excursions

Meenakshi TempleMadurai travel offer a number excursion options, which are exciting and intriguing. Some of the important ones are Vaigai Dam situated at a distance of 69 km, on the way to Thekkady. It is a beautiful picnic spot and is popular with the tourists and locals alike. Situated in the Western Ghats at a height of 2,130 m above sea level, Kodaikanal is a picturesque hill station. It is about 120 kms away from Madurai. The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is situated at a distance of 155 km from Madurai. The sanctuary is famous as the natural habitat for a wide variety of animals.


¤ Shopping At Madurai

Shopping at Madurai can be fun, here you can buy cotton and batiks, for which Madurai is famous. The Prithu Mandapam Market is a famous market of Maduari, situated just inside the eastern entrance of the Meenakshi Temple. Let yourself relax and visit the Pottramarai tank to feel the essence of Maduari.


¤ Festivals At Maduari

Festivals are celebrated in all twelve Tamil months at Madurai Meenakshi temple. Some of the popular festivals are Chithirai festival celebrated in the months of April - May and Avanimool festival celebrated in the months of September - Ocotber. Other important festivals are the Navarathri Festival and the Float Festival celebrated in the months of January- February.


¤ Reach Madurai

By Air : Madurai has its own airport situated 10 kms away from the city. There are daily flights to Madurai from Chennai, Bangalore, Tiruchi & Coimbatore.

By Rail : Madurai is an important railway junction of the Southern Railway and is directly connected to Chennai and Tirunelveli. Madurai is on the Madurai-Tiruchirappalli-Dindigul-Quilon route.

By Road : The city has excellent roads connecting Madurai to all parts of South India. It has 5 Major bus stand.

Madurai is one of the oldest cities of India, with a history dating all the way back to the Sangam period of the pre Christian era. The glory of Madurai returned in a diminished form in the earlier part of this millennium; it later on came under the rule of the Vijayanagar kingdom after its ransack by the ravaging armies of Delhi (Malik Kafur). During the 16th and 18th centuries, Madurai was ruled by the Nayak Emperors, the foremost of whom was Tirumalai Nayakar. The Sangam period poet Nakkeerar is associated with some of the Tiruvilayaadal episodes of Sundareswarar - that are enacted as a part of temple festival traditions even today.

The Sangam age or the Golden age of Tamil literature – produced masterpieces way back in the Pre christian era and in early 1st millennium . Madurai was the seat of the Tamil Sangam or Academy of learning. The entire city of Madurai, is built around the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple – the temple par excellence. Concentric rectangular streets surround the temple, symbolizing the structure of the cosmos.

As early as the 3rd century BC, Megasthanes visited Madurai. Later many people from Rome and Greece visited Madurai and established trade with the Pandya kings. Madurai flourished till 10th century AD when it was captured by Cholas the arch rivals of the Pandyas.

The Cholas ruled Madurai from 920 AD till the beginning of the 13th century. In 1223 AD Pandyas regained their kingdom and once again become prosperous. Pandian Kings patronised Tamil language in a great way. During their period, many master-pieces were created. "Silapathikaram", the great epic in Tamil was written based on the story of Kannagi who burnt Madurai as a result of the injustice caused to her husband Kovalan. In April 1311, Malik Kafur, the general of Alauddin Khilji who was then the ruler of Delhi, reached Madurai and raided and robbed the city for precious stones, jewels, and other rare treasures. This led to the subsequent raids by other Muslim Sultans. In 1323, the Pandya kingdom including Madurai became a province of the Delhi empire, under the Tughlaks.

The 1371, the Vijayanagar dynasty of Hampi captured Madurai and it became part of the Vijayanagar empire. Kings of this dynasty were in habit of leaving the captured land to governors called Nayaks. This was done for the efficient management of their empire. The Nayaks paid fixed amount annually to the Vijayanagar empire. After the death of Krishna Deva Raya (King of Vijayanagar empire) in 1530 AD, the Nayaks became independent and ruled the territories under their control. Among Nayaks, Thirumalai Nayak (1623-1659) was very popular, even now he is popular among people, since, it was he who contributed to the creation of many magnificent structures in and around Madurai. The Raja Gopuram of the Meenakshi Amman Temple, The Pudu Mandapam and The Thirumalai Nayakar's Palace are living monuments to his artistic fervor.
Madurai started slipping into the hands of the British's East India Company. In 1781, British appointed their representatives to look after Madurai. George Procter was the first collector of Madurai.

Now after India's independence, Madurai is one of the major districts of Tamilnadu State. Later on Madurai district was bifurcated into two districts namely Madurai and Dindugul Districts. In Madurai District, there are 15 State Assembly constituencies and two parliament constituencies.

The history of Madurai will not be complete without mentioning the name of RaniMangammal, the woman of great skill and sagacity. History does not provide many instances of ruling queens in Tamil Nadu. Though it was considered that women were not suited to succeed the throne of a kingdom, Rani Mangammmal, however shines in almost solitary eminence as an able and powerful ruler in Tamil Nadu.

Madurai is famous for its temples.The Aappudaiyaar Koyil Tevara Stalam and the Koodalazhagar Divya Desam are the most important temples one should rarely miss to go. In the vicinity of Madurai is Tirupparamkunram, one of the 6 padai veedu shrines of Murugan (glorified in Madurai Sangam Nakeerar’s Tirumurugaatruppadai). Also in the vicinity of Madurai is Alagar Koyil, one of the prominent Divya Desam shrines of the Sri Vaishnavite faith.