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One of South India's great temple towns, Madurai is synonymous with the celebrated Meenakshi Temple. Situated on the banks of river Vaigai, Madurai has a rich cultural heritage passed on from the great Tamil era more than 2500 years old. Madurai was an important cultural and commercial centre even as early as 550 AD. It was the capital city for the great Pandya kings.

Known as the "city of nectar", Madurai is the oldest city in Tamil Nadu and was home to the ancient Tamil Sangam, the literary conclave that produced the first epic, Silappathikaram. Today, it is known to produce some of the finest textiles in India and some of the best harvests of jasmine flowers. One cannot ignore mention of the Meenakshi Temple, which is as well known for its architectural splendor as also a shelter, which inspired a thousand arts.

Madurai has found mention in Megasthenes' Indica, where the ancient Greek diplomat and envoy to India in the 3rd century BC wrote about this temple-city in the most glowing terms. Madurai reached its pinnacles of glory during the time of the Cholas and then during the Pandyas' regime in the 13th century.

General Info
Area: 22 Sq. Kms ( 8.56 Sq. Miles)
Population : About 10.9 lacks
Altitude:101 meters (330 ft) above sea level
Climate : Chennai has a very hot tropical climate. The temperature variation between winters and summers is minimal. Rainfall is timely and tends to be heavy during the monsoons. Proximity to the sea makes the atmosphere heavy and humid. The summers are sultry and hot while winters are warm. As such Chennai has enough to offer a year round tourist season and one can visit the place any time.
Languages:Tamil, English, Sourashtra
Shopping: Shopping Areas in Madurai city
(Books, Handlooms, Fabrics & Sarees, Departmental Stores).
Best times to visit : Between November and February.

Places of Interest

Meenakshi Temple
Your trip to this city would not just be incomplete but pointless without visiting the Meenakshi Sundareswar temple. Dedicated to Meenakshi, the lovely consort of Shiva or Sundareswar, as he is known here, the Pandya king Kulasekhara originally built the temple in the 13th century though it attained its present splendor only in the hands of the Nayaks, 400 years later.

Legend has it that Meenakshi, the beautiful princess born to the Pandya king of Madurai had three breasts. This deformity is said to have vanished when she met her divine consort, Shiva. The temple holds in thrall visitors from all over the country and world.

The temple complex with 12 towers, the Thousand Pillared Mandapam and the Potramaraikulam (the golden lotus tank) is a perfect example of Dravidian architecture. The temple tank also played host to the ancient Tamil Sangam who met here to decide on the merits of literary compositions.
The outer towers are the landmarks of Madurai. They are:

1. East Tower (Nine Storeys). Height 161'3". This Gopura has 1011 sudhai figures.
2. South Tower (Nine Storeys). Height 170'6". This Tower has 1511 sudhai figures.
3. West Tower (Nine Storeys). Height 163'3". This Tower has 1124 sudhai figures.
4. North Tower (Nine Storeys). Height 160'6". This Tower has lesser figures of sudhai than other outer towers.

The Thousand-Pillared Mandapam, which actually has 985 pillars, make musical sounds when struck and houses the Temple Museum. The gopurams are covered with extensive carvings depicting stories from Hindu mythology, and the one on the east serves as the principal gateway to the shrine.

Thirumalai Nayak Mahal
This Palace was built in 1636 by King Thirumalai Nayak with the help of an Italian Architect. The building we see today was the main Palace where the King lived. The original Palace Complex was four times bigger than the present structure. This palace consisted mainly of two parts, namely Swargavilasa and Rangavilasa.
Muslim armies on the rampage brought an end to the royal line of the Vijayanagar Empire paving way for the Nayaks, who assumed royal powers over their principalities, which included Madurai. The city and the dynasty flourished from the 16th to the 18th century. Thirumalai Nayak built this palace 1 km Southeast of the temple. Built in the Indo-Saracenic style, all that remains of this magnificent mansion today are the principal entrance, the dancing hall and the main hall. The main attraction now is the light and sound show in the palace, which depicts events from Thirumalai Nayak's life and also snatches from the ancient Tamil epic Silappathikaram.
It can be visited from 9a.m to 5 p.m on payment of the entrance fee.

Mariamman Teppakulam
This is a huge temple tank about 5 kms east of the Meenakshi temple. The mandapam in the centre has an idol of Vigneshwara (Vinayaka). This tank was said to have been dug by Tirumala Nayaka. It is the biggest tank of its kind in Tamil Nadu and one of the most imposing sights of Madurai when it is full of water.The vinayaka idol was found when the earth was being dug out from here to build the Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal. So, the place attained sanctity and was converted into a teppakulam (tank).

Tirupparankundram
Thirupparankundram, 6 kms southwest of Madurai, is a small town known for its sacred granite hill. It is regarded as one of the six abodes of Lord Subramaniya.
This cave temple is cut out of solid rock. There are myths and legends surrounding the deity Murugan here. This is one of his six abodes, Murugan being the second son of Shiva. Situated 10 km south of the city, the place where the temple is built is supposed to have been the site of his marriage to Devayani.

Gandhi Museum
This museum as the name suggests is dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, fondly known as the Father of the Nation. It is housed in what used to be the palace of Rani Mangammal. Among the collection of Gandhi memorabilia exhibited here is the bloodstained dhoti that he was wearing on the fateful day of his assassination. The Picture Gallery presents a visual biography of Gandhiji. It contains photos, paintings, sculptures, manuscripts, quotations, and some original articles used by Gandhiji (Relics and replicas).

Excursions Of Madurai

Vaigai Dam
At a distance of 69 km, on the way to Thekkady, you will come across the Vaigai Dam. It is a beautiful picnic spot and is very popular with the tourists and locals alike. You can laze around in the well laid out gardens. The dam offers a breath-taking sight on weekends when it is illuminated.

Kodaikkanal
If you want to escape to some cooler place, travel 120 km out of Madurai to the hill station of Kodai or Kodaikkanal. It is situated in the Western Ghats at a height of 2,130 m above sea level. You can take pleasant strolls among the wooded hills, picturesque waterfalls or simply sit by the magnificent lake at this beautiful hill station of the South.

Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
At a distance of 155 km from Madurai is the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary is renowned as the natural habitat for the Indian elephant among other wild animals. The forests of this sanctuary slope down to the manmade lake where you can see the elephants, gaurs (Bos gaurus) and sambhars (Cervus unicolor) wallowing in the waters over here. October to June is the best period to visit this sanctuary.

Special Festivals

Chithirai Festival
This festival is celebrated between the months of April and May (Chithirai - according to the Tamil Calendar), when the celestial marriage of Meenakshi to Sundareswarer is celebrated , Azhagar travels to Madurai. A gold processional icon called The Sundararajar is carried by devotees in procession from Azhagar Koil to Madurai for wedding ritual.

The Float Festival
Held in January - February, the float festival takes place in the Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam. The night comes alive as the specially constructed raft carried the deities around the lake. Brightly lit with flowers on all sides, not to mention the throng of people that gather to watch the fetivalm there is a sense of peace that this ritual seems to inspire. decorated with flowers and lights carries the deities around the tank.
The images of Meenakshi and Lord Sundareshwara are mounted on floats or rafts, and taken to the Mariamman Teppakkulam Tank. The illuminated rafts embellished with flowers are floated on the waters of the tank. The floats carry them back to the central shrine amidst chants and music.

Avanimoola Festival
Held in late August or early September, the Avanimoola festival marks the coronation of Sundareshwara (Shiva). The special feature of the festival is its series of plays based on the myths from the legend of the temple. The coronation of the deity and the procession of the images all form an integral part of this elaborate festival.

Panguni Festival
Panguni Festival is a 14-day annual event is held in the Tirupparankundram temple during April/May. The celebrations mark the coronation of Lord Subramanya and his marriage to Devyani, the daughter of Indra. The festivities involve elaborate coronation rituals, wedding ceremonies and grand processions. The deities from the Meenakshi temple actually travel in a procession to attend the wedding and return in the evening.

How to get there

By Road :There are excellent roads connecting Madurai to all parts of South India. Madurai City has 5 Major Bus Stand.

By Air : There are daily flights to Madurai from Chennai, Bangalore,Tiruchi & Coimbatore. Madurai Airport is 10 Kms away from Madurai City.

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 line. The Vaigai Express, which is a super-fast day train between Chennai Egmore and Madurai takes 7 hours for the 495kms.