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Madurai : An Introduction |
| Madurai is the second largest city in Tamil Nadu, after Chennai and is one of the oldest cities in India, over 2,500 years old. Madurai is situated on the banks of the Vaigai River. The city evokes the glory of a bygone era. A land so soaked in history that every sculpture in every temple tells a story. A city with marvellous monuments, places of worship and a fine blend of tradition and modernity.Come to Madurai to travel down the stream of time. Reference to Madurai is made in the Indian epic Ramayana and Kautilya's, Arthasastra, making it one of the oldest cities in the country. Like many other places in Tamil Nadu, Madurai has a legend. It is said that the Pandya king Kulasekara built a great temple in a big city for Lord Shiva.
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Places of Interest in Madurai |
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Meenakshi Amman Temple :Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple or Meenakshi Amman Temple or Tiru-alavai is a historic Hindu temple located in the south side of river Vaigai[3] in the temple city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to Parvati who is known as Meenakshi and her consort, Shiva named here as Sundareswarar(beautiful deity). The temple forms the heart and lifeline of the 2500 year old city of Madurai. The complex houses 14 gopurams (gateway towers) ranging from 45-50m in height, the tallest being the southern tower, 51.9 metres (170 ft) high, and two golden sculptured vimana (shrine) over sanctum of the main deities. |
| Maqbara :In Madurai, South Tamilnadu, the term Maqbara generally refers to the Dargahs of three saints: Meer Ahmad Ibrahim Waliyullah Al Kabir, Meer Amjad Ibrahim Waliyullah As Saghir, and Syed Abdus Salaam Ibrahim Saalim Waliyullah.The graves of all three sheikhs are located in the Kazimar big mosque (Periya Pallivasal) in the heart of Madurai city, which is the cultural capital of Tamilnadu in South India. |
| Kazimar Big Mosque :Kazimar Periya Pallivasal or Kazimar Big Mosque is a famous mosque (masjid) located at the heart of Madurai city, within 500 metres of the Periyar (Central) bus stand and within 1 kilometre South East of the Madurai Junction and 800 meters south west of the Meenakshi Temple. His Holiness Hazrat Kazi Syed Tajuddin (a descendant of Prophet Muhammad) who came from Oman during 13th century, received this land from the then Pandiya king, Kulasekara Ku(n) Pandiyan, and constructed the mosque which is the first Muslims' place of worship in Madurai. The mosque can accommodate around 2500 people. |
| Gandhi Museum :The museum displays information about Mahatma Gandhi, and most importantly it showcases the original blood-stained garment of Gandhi when he was assassinated by Nathuram Godse. The other piece of the garment is kept at the Gandhi Museum in Delhi. This museum, is one of the 5 museums in India (others are at Mumbai, Barrackpore, Sabarmati and Patna) known as Gandhi Sanghralayas. Also lot of pictures taken during the Life time of Gandhi with various leaders all around the world and also during various incidents of freedom struggle is kept. Martin Luther King Jr. |
| Thiruparankundram :Thiruparankundram is 8 kms. or 5 miles from the Madurai city center. Thiruparakundram temple has become a symbol of the religious harmony as of the people of Madurai. The traditional legend is that Lord Murugan married Deivanai at Thiruparankundram Murugan Temple, which also is the first among the Six Holy Abodes of Murugan (Arupadai Veedu, literally "Six Battle Camps"). This evocative cave temple is much older and has a more sacred atmosphere than the Meenakshi temple.
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| Thirumalai Nayakar Mahal :This palace complex was constructed in the Indo-Saracen style by Thirumalai Nayakar in 1636. It is a national monument and is now under the care of the Tamil Nadu Archaeological Department. The original palace complex was four times bigger than the present structure. It was divided into two parts, Swarga-vilasa and Ranga-vilasa. In each of these there are royal residences, theater, shrines, apartments, armory, palanquin place, royal bandstand, quarters, pond and garden. The ceilings are decorated with large paintings showing Shaivite and Vaishnavite themes. |
| Mariamman Teppakulam :It is also among one of the many things to watch in Madurai and is located at a distance of 5 km to the east of Meenakshi temple. There is a tank having an idol of Vinayaka which is located on a platform in the centre. It is also a venue of the temple's annual Teppakulam float festival which is celebrated with huge zeal and excitement. |
| Vaigai Dam :The Vaigai Dam is built across the Vaigai River near Andipatti, in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu, southern India. It provides water for irrigation for the Madurai district and the Dindigul district as well as drinking water to Madurai and Andipatti. Near the dam, the Government of Tamil Nadu has constructed an Agricultural Research Station for researching the growing of a variety of crops, including rice, sorghum, blackgram, cowpea and cotton. |
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