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| Location |
Tamil Nadu |
| Population |
About 1.23 Million |
| Historical Significance |
Remained The Capital
Of Pandayan Empire Till 14th Century. |
| Main Attractions |
Meenakshi Temple, Koodal
Azhagar Temple, Thirumalai Nayak Mahal |
| Festive Attractions
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Meenakshi Kalyanam In
April-May And The Teppam Festival |
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| NEARBY
CITIES |
Coimbatore
- 227-km
Rameshwara- 173-km
Kanyakumari - 253-km
Tekkadi - 137-km
Courtalam - 160-km
Kodaikkanal - 121-km
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| FESTIVAL
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Meenakshi
Kalyanam
The Teppam Festival |
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Madurai or the "city of nectar"
is the oldest and second largest city of Tamil Nadu.
This city is located on Vaigai River and was the capital
of Pandyan rulers till the 14th century. The Pandyan
king, Kulasekhara had built a gorgeous temple around
which he created a lotus shaped city. Mythology says
when city was being named; Lord Shiva blessed the
city and its people. On the auspicious occasion some
Divine nectar ("Madhu") fell from the matted
locks of Shiva and hence the city was named "Madhurapuri".
This sacred town of south attracts thousands of pilgrims
and visitors from India as well as abroad.
Madurai's Pilgrimage - Meenakshi
Temple
The life of Madurai revolves around the Sri Meenakshi
Sundareswarar temple. This magnificently carved temple
is the main attraction of Madurai and its huge Gopurams
towers over the city. Meenakshi temple has a thousand
pillared 'Mandapam'. Precisely there are 985 pillars
and each of them is delicately and exquisitely carved.
Among these are the musical pillars, which produce
music when tapped. Surprisingly, these musical pillars
are carved out of a single granite rock. The temple
has been a hub of Tamil culture and has been sponsoring
literature, art, music, and dance in the region for
a long time. The temple also has an art museum. The
city apart from temple is crammed with shops, street
markets and temples, pilgrims choultries, hotels and
restaurants. Though Madurai is considered as pilgrimage
but it has also developed as a business centre and
is famed for its traditional handicrafts in bronze
and brass.
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| PRIME ATTRACTIONS |
Meenakshi Amman Temple
An excellent example of Dravidian Architecture, the
Meenakshi Temple attracts devotees from all over India
and Tourist from all over the world. One can climb
to the southern Gopuram of the temple to get a great
view of the city.
Koodal Azhaar Temple
One of the most ancient temples in Madurai, Koodal
Azhagar temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. In this
temple he is seen in various postures sitting, standing,
reclining one over the other. There are intricate
woodcarvings in here, including one of Lord Rama's
coronation.
Vandiyur Kanmoy Tourist Complex
This is an ideal picnic spot with TTDC providing boathouses
restaurants services.
Thirumalai Nayak Mahal
This palace is an excellent example of Indo-Sarcenic
architecture. It was built in 1523 AD and originally
was four times larger than what it is today. The gardens,
the defensive wall all have gone and what remains
are the main entrance gate, the dancing hall and the
main hall. Lord Napier renovated the palace in 1866-72
and later further restoration works were carried on.
Today, the main attraction of the palace is light
and sound show, which is based on the life of "Tirumalai
Nayak" and "Silapathikaram".
Vanditur Mariamman Teppakulam
This huge tank is covers an area equal to the six
of Meenakshi temple. Tirumalai Nayak built it in 1646.
It is said that channels from the Vaigai River connect
the tank. Today, this tank remains empty for most
of the year except during the Teppam Festival.
The Gandhi Museum
The museum was initially the palace of Rani Mangammal.
It gives a clear account of the history of Independence
movement of India. This museum also tells some little
known facts about Gandhiji but the real piece of Gandhi
Memorabilia is the blood stained Dhoti, which he was
wearing at the time of his assassination. The local
government museum is also situated over here. The
small bookshop offers plenty of reading material from
Gandhiji's works.
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Thirupparankundram
This is one of the abodes of Lord
Sundareshwara, a rock cut temple carved out of a mountain,
just 8-km from the city.
Azhagar Koil
This temple is dedicated to Lord
Vishnu and is located 18-km northeast of Madurai on
a picturesque hilltop. The gold image of Azhagar travels
for the Celestial marriage during the Chithirai festival.
Pazhamudhirsolai
On the same hills of Azhagar Koilthis
is again one of the six abodes of Lord Subramanya.
EXCURSIONS
Vaigai Dam
Vaigai dam is surrounded by well-manicured
gardens and has come up as a popular picnic spots, just
70-km from Madurai.
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Kodaikkanal
One of the best hill stations in India and one of the
few in South India, Kodaikkanal or Kodai is a very beautiful
place near Madurai. It takes just 121-km of travel to
reach Kodai. Kodai is located 2,130 m above the sea
level in the Western Ghats.
Periyar
Wildlife Sanctuary
One of the well-known wildlife sanctuaries in the south,
Periyar sanctuary attracts a large number of nature
lovers every year. Also called the Tekkadi wildlife
sanctuary, this place is appropriate to watch and observe
the animals in their natural habitat. The forest of
this sanctuary slope into the man made lake at the bottom
of the hill
Megamalai
The tea estates on the slopes of the Western Ghats nestles
Megamalai. This lovely place is bound to capture your
imagination. Good place to stay and enjoy a lovely surrounding.
One can also watch the animals roaming in the forest,
which are close to Megamalai, Just 130-km from Madurai.
Suruli
Falls
123-km from Madurai city is Suruli falls, which are
located in a picturesque area. It is an ideal spot and
an excellent picnic spot to spend one day.
Courtallam
Courtallam is located about 167-km on the Western Ghats
and is an excellent health resort in this part of the
country. This place is also known as the 'Spa of the
South'. Courtallam is located just 160-km from Madurai.
This place has got nine splendid waterfalls, which attracts
a large number of visitors. TTDC offers here a boathouse
accommodation apart from the restaurant.
Palani
118-km from Madurai is the temple dedicated to Lord
Subramanyam. The temple is located on top of a hill
180 meter high. The temple attracts many devotees and
people coming to Madurai do not miss visiting Palani.
From the hill top one gets an excellent view of the
nearby area.
Viraganur
Dam
This ideal picnic spot is located just 8-km from Madurai.
Kumbakkarai Water
Falls
This place serves as the base camp for the trekkers
who venture in the hills of Kodai. Kumbakkarai Water
Falls are 105-km from Madurai and form an excellent
picnic spot. Waterfall surrounded by forests combined
with the pristine beauty of the hills creates a very
soothing atmosphere.
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| HOW TO GET THERE
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Air:
Madurai has its own airport and there are flights, which
connect the city with Chennai, Tiruchirappalli. The
airline services have at least one flight daily from
Madurai to Chennai. From there one can take flight to
anywhere in India.
Rail:
Madurai has one of the major railway junctions of South
India. It is connected with the all the major tourist
as well as religious places in Tamil Nadu. Though there
are not many trains, which connect the city with major
cities of India such as, Madurai is easily accessible
from any part of the nation.
Road:
There are good motorable roads, which connect this,
second largest city of Tamil Nadu with other parts of
the state as well as other places in India. Madurai
has five bus stands, which cater to the needs of the
people. |
| CLIMATE |
The climate
of Madurai is warm. The temperature seldom comes below
20° C even during the winters. The rainfall is very
frequent and spread throughout the year, just like the
flow of pilgrims and tourists is the same during the
year. |
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