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Madurai
Madurai
city
Map
Government
 • MayorThenmozhi Gopinathan[2]
Population
 (2001)
 • Total
922,913
Websitemadurai.nic.in

Madurai pronunciationⓘ (Template:Lang-ta and IPA: [mɐd̪ɯrəj]), is the oldest inhabited city in the Indian peninsula[3]. It is the third largest city and a municipal corporation situated on the banks of the River Vaigai in Madurai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The city is also referred to as the Temple town[3]. With a population of 922,913 according to the 2001 census, is the administrative capital of Madurai district.

Madurai was built by the Pandyan king Kulasekhara and was the capital city of the great Pandya kings of South India. Madurai's cultural heritage goes back 2500 years, and the city has been an important commercial center and has conducted trade as far as Rome and Greece since as early as 550 C.E.[4][3].

History

Madurai is the oldest continually inhabited city in the Indian peninsula[3], with a history dating all the way back to the Sangam period of the pre Christian era. It was the seat of power of the Pandyan empire. 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[5]. 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.

In legend, the original town of Madurai was destroyed by a tsunami in ancient Lemuria (continent)[citation needed]. The new city was home to the last Tamil Sangam in the early part of last Century. The great national poet Subramanya Bharathi worked as a Tamil language pandit / teacher in Sethupathy High School during the early 20th century. There is a village town in the neighbouring district of Dindigul called Vada Madurai, and another in the neighbouring district of Sivagangai called Manamadurai.

Madurai flourished till 10th century AD when it was captured by Cholas the arch rivals of the Pandyas[5]. 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 and Madurai was ruled by the Nayak Emperors, the foremost of whom was Tirumalai Nayakar[5].

Architecture

The entire city of Madurai is built around the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple. Concentric rectangular streets surround the temple, symbolizing the structure of the cosmos[5].

Geography

Satellite image of Madurai urban area

Madurai is the third largest city in Tamil Nadu. Madurai city has an area of 52 km², within an urban area now extending over as much as 130 km²[6], and it is located at 9°56′N 78°07′E / 9.93°N 78.12°E / 9.93; 78.12.[7] It has an average elevation of 101 meters above mean sea level.[8] The climate is dry and hot, with rains during October-December. Temperatures during summer reach a maximum of 40 and a minimum of 26.3 degrees celsius. Winter temperatures range between 29.6 and 18 degrees celsius. The average annual rainfall is about 85 cm.

Demographics

As of the 2001 India census[1], the city of Madurai had a population of 922,913 and the urban area 1,194,665. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Madurai has an average literacy rate of 79%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 84%, and female literacy is 74%. In Madurai, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age. There are 968 females per 1,000 males.[9]

Language

Tamil is spoken predominantly in and around Madurai. The dialect of "Madurai Tamil" differs from others such as "Kongu Tamil", "Nellai Tamil", "Ramnad Tamil" and "Chennai Tamil". Along with Tamil, other languages spoken are English,Telugu, Malayalam,Kannada and Sourashtra. However the words of these languages have Tamil words mixed in with them. Nowadays Hindi, Gujarati and Marathi also are being spoken in the city with the influx of north Indian traders.

Population decline: [10]

Year Population Type Source
1991 940,989 census official
2001 922,913 census official
2007 1,300,998 calculation

Tourism and Landmarks

Madurai is a fascinating city, a place of pilgrimage, joy and in many ways the embodiment of Tamil Nadu's temple culture. Certainly the labyrinthine Meenakshi Temple celebrating the love of the Meenakshi goddess and her groom, Sundareswarar(the Handsome God) - an avatar of Lord Shiva is world renown[3].

Meenakshi-Sundareswar Temple

Madurai's Meenakshi-Sundareswarar temple, which stands today as one of the India's greatest cultural and architectural landmarks, was originally built by the early Pandya King Kulasekara. The ancient city of Madurai supposedly was laid out in a lotus-like formation, with the temple at the center and streets and main thoroughfares layered one after the other concentrically, outward from the center. One legend says that on the day the city was to be named, Lord Shiva blessed the land and its people while divine nectar showered on the city from his matted locks. The city hence came to be known as Madhurapuri meaning The City of Divine Nectar. The legend is likely a late tale attempting to Sanskritise the otherwise-Dravidian derivative of Madurai. This the place where Lord Natarajar performed the dance raising his right leg . (Kal maariya Aadiya natarajar). Lord shiva was very happy with the temple constuction and performed a different dance. This is the temple which survived after Kannagi burnt the complete city.

Thirumalai Nayakar Mahal

Thirumalai Naicker Mahal at Madurai

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.

The portico known as Swarga Vilasam is an arcaded octagon wholly constructed of bricks and mortar without the support of a single rafter or girder. The stucco work on its domes and arches is remarkable. The gigantic pillars and structures represent architectural mastery. The courtyard and the dancing hall are central attractions for visitors. There are 248 pillars, each 58 feet tall and 5 feet in diameter.

Furniture and utensils used by the kings is on exhibit inside the palace. The palace is equipped to perform light and sound shows depicting the story of Silappathikaram, in both Tamil and English languages.

The palace has been featured in many indian films, such as Bombay, Iruvar, Guru and Jodi.

Azhagar Temple

Kallazhagar idol

Azhagar Kovil, located about 25 km from the city, is a vishnu shrine. The location is surrounded by hills. The principal idol of the shrine is that of Lord Kallazhagar. The Tamil new year festival called Chittirai Thiruvizha has been celebrated for centuries in this temple. In the entrance of the Azhagar kovil one can view the Badhri Narayanan temple, built similar to Badrinath near Mount Kailash in northern India: the principal idol in this shrine represents Vishnu in a meditative posture, flanked by Nara-Narayan.

The Lord Kallalagar is said to visit the temple on the eve of the Chittirai festival, one of the famous festivals in Tamil Nadu. He starts the journey from the Alagar Koil, crossing the Badri Narayanan Shrine.[1] During this time, he visits Vandiyur, near the Vaigai River, on the eastern outskirts of Madurai. It is believed that he realizes he is too late for his sister's wedding, so refuses to cross the river, and returns disappointed to Alagar Koil.

On the top of the hills, is a shrine of Lord Muruga, popularly known as Pazhamudircholai. This is the last of Murugan's arupadai veedu and he is seen along with his consorts, Deivanai and Valli

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.

Kazimar Big Mosque (Periya Pallivasal)

This famous mosque (masjid) is 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 railway junction. Hazrat Kazi Syed Tajuddin, who came from Oman during late 12th century, received this land from the king, Koon Pandiyan, and constructed the mosque which is the earliest Muslim place of worship in Madurai. All of his descendants (Huqdars - shareholders of that mosque are called Syeds) have lived in the same locality for 700 years, and have managed the mosque since then. Syed Tajuddin was appointed as Kazi of the sultans, and still his descendants who live at Kazimar street, Madurai, are appointed as Kazis to the Government of Tamil Nadu. All Syeds belong to the Sunni sect of Islam, its Hanafi school. Most of the descendants of Kazi Syed Tajuddin are shadhilis (shazuli) and follow the Sufi order Fassiyatush Shadhiliya.

Thiruparankundram

The Thiruparankundram temple is about 8km or 5 miles from the Madurai city center[3], but very much part of the continuous sprawl of the temple town. This evocative cave temple is much older and has a more sacred atmosphere than the Meenakshi temple, particularly on Fridays, when women place candles or sit around the temple floor and create kolams or rangoli patterns on the ground using coloured poweders, ash and flowers as an offering to goddess Durga[3].

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").[11][12]

A famous Islamic Durgah (shrine) also is located at the top of the hill, where the grave of an Islamic saint Hazrat Sultan Sikandhar Badushah shaheed Radiyallah Ta'al anhu, who came from Jeddah during the mid 9th century, is found. Irrespective of religion, people from all parts of Tamil Nadu and from Kerala visit this durgah -- people who visit Ervadi Durgah in Ramnad district, particularly, are supposed to visit this durgah. Many poems were written in praise of Hazrat Sultan Sikandhar Badhusha, by Syed Abdussalam Ibrahim Saalim Hazrat, the third in the list of Madurai Hazrats. It is believed that people who come here with a wish see it answered in a very short time, and so he is also called Mustajab ad Du'aa Sikandhar Badhushah.

St. Mary’s Cathedral

St. Mary’s Cathedral in Madurai is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madurai. One of the oldest Roman Catholic church situated at 2 km South East of Madurai Railway station and only 200 meters from the Thirumalai Nayak Mahal.

Kudal Azhagar Koil

A beautiful vishnu temple which has Navagraham also(Usually Navagraham is found only in shivan temple).There is a hayagrivar temple close to this temple where hayagrivar (kurma avataram) is the main deity. Most of the students do their regular prayer here as hayagrivar is the one who brought the epic fallen into water back to the earth. This is one of the temple found in center of city...

Transport

Ellis nagar bridge near periyar bus stand

Madurai is well-connected by air, rail and road.

The railway station is one of the busiest in the country and has computerized reservation counters. Madurai division repeatedly has received the award for being the best-maintained station in the Southern Railway.[13] The railway station code for Madurai junction is MDU. It is connected to major indian cities like Chennai,Coimbatore,Trichy,Bangalore (by Mysore exp & mumbai CST exp),Trivandrum,Mumbai (by mumbai CST exp),Pune (by lokmanya tt exp),Delhi (by sampark kranti exp),and Kolkata(by cape howrah exp) [1].

Madurai has several major bus stands: Madurai Integrated Bus Terminus (MIBT) at Maattuthavani (North), Palanganatham (South), Arapalayam (West), Periyar (Central) and Anna Bus stand (East). From MIBT, many buses to locations all over the south India operate round the clock.

Madurai is connected by the following major National Highways

NH 7  : (North-south Corridor Expressway) Bangalore – Salem – Dindigul – Madurai – Tirunelveli – Kanyakumari

NH 45B  : Tiruchy – Madurai – Tuticorin

NH 49  : Madurai – Rameswaram

NH 49 Extn : Madurai – Theni – Bodi – Cochin

Bridges have been constructed across the Vaigai river to connect Madurai at various points. Flyovers have been constructed within the city to overcome traffic congestion. The Golden Quadrilateral and the four lane highway to Chennai make Madurai well-connected by road.

Madurai Airport is approximately 9 kilometers from the Madurai Railway station, and currently it offers flights to major Indian cities like Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune , Mumbai,Ahmedabad etc. Jet Airways, Air Deccan, Paramount Airways and Indian Airlines are the airlines available. International flights from Madurai to Colombo, Singapore and Gulf countries are planned to begin service this year. The nearest international airport is in Trichy , which is 130km from Madurai.

Airline-From Madurai Service to
Indian Chennai, Mumbai
Paramount Airways Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Goa, Cochin, Trivandrum, Pune, Hyderabad
Jet Airways Chennai
Air Deccan (Kingfisher) Chennai, Bangalore

Entertainment

Apart from the fact that Madurai acts as a tourism hub of south Tamilnadu because of it's strategic location , the city houses the following weekend spots also.

  • Athisayam water theme park [2]:

The park situated on the outskirts of Madurai (20 km from the city) attracts people of all age groups and from different places in and around Madurai. Several high-tech entertainment games offer mind-blowing experience to the visitors. The park is scientifically designed and just perfect during the summer heat.

  • Eco park:

The park situated near city corporation building where the lighting and fountain arrangements are impressive and the illuminated optic fiber trees add luster to the beauty.

  • Rajaji children park

City hosts several radio stations like Radio mirchi ,Hello FM, Suryan FM,.

It also has places to shop like spencers daily,mega mart,cafe day[3],etc. Now the city is going under a mass construction of shopping malls like Milenum mall, Vishal mall ,Reliance fresh hypermarkets and big bazaars.

Software Technology

Honeywell office at Thirupparankundram

Software Technology Parks of India, an agency of the Government of India, has authorized several companies in Madurai to receive benefits under its national information technology development program.

Education

Velammal College of Engineering and Technology during the First College Day Celebration
Main article: Educational Institutions in Madurai

Madurai Kamaraj University is situated in Madurai. It pioneered the concept of Distance Education throughout India. The city has a Medical College, Madurai Medical College (established in the year 1954), an Agricultural College and Research Institute, a Law College, and many Engineering and Arts & Science Colleges. Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai (established in the year 1957) is one of the premier institutions in Tamilnadu.Madurai has many well-reputed Schools, Polytechnics and Industrial training institutes (ITIs) as well. The American College in Madurai is one of the oldest colleges present in India. It was founded in 1881 by American Christian missionaries. Thiagarajar School of Management (well-known as TSM in South India, founded in 1962) is a premier institute for Management Studies.Other notable colleges include K.L.N. Engineering College,Raja Engineering college and recently started Velammal College of Engineering and Technology ,P.T.R College of Engineering and Technology

Personalities from Madurai

Politics

References

  1. ^ a b Indian Census
  2. ^ "First woman Mayor for Madurai". The Hindu. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Frommer's India By Pippa deBruyn, Keith Bain, Niloufer Venkatraman, Shonar Joshi
  4. ^ http://www.madurai.com/madurai.htm
  5. ^ a b c d http://www.madurai.com/history.htm
  6. ^ "Madurai General Information". Retrieved 2008-06-15.
  7. ^ "Maps, Weather, and Airports for Madurai, India". Falling Rain Genomics, Inc. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
  8. ^ "Madurai Corporation - History". Madurai Corporation, Government of India. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
  9. ^ "Women Development" (PDF).
  10. ^ World-gazetteer.com
  11. ^ "Tirupparankundram". Retrieved 2007-05-26.
  12. ^ "The first Aru Padai Veedu". Retrieved 2007-05-25.
  13. ^ "Elegant ambience". The Hindu. October 16, 2004. Retrieved 2007-03-09.

See also

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