Madurai ( and ), is the oldest inhabited city in
the
Indian peninsula.
It is an ancient and
prestigious city in the Indian state of
Tamil
Nadu
,situated on the banks of the River Vaigai
in Madurai district
.
The city is widely known as the
Temple city , and
is often also referred to as Koodal Maanagar, Cultural Capital of
Tamil Nadu (Kalaachaara thalainagar), Malligai Maanagar (City of
Jasmine), Thoonga Nagaram (Sleepless City), and
Athens of
the East. With a population of 1,203,095 according to the
2001 Census, it is the third largest city in Tamil Nadu.
Madurai was the capital city of ancient Southern civilization.
Madurai's cultural heritage goes back 2,500 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 B.C.E..
History
Madurai has history dating all the way back to the Sangam period of
the pre-Christian era. It was the seat of power of the ancient
Pandyan empire of
Tamilakam. 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.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, traditionally called
ThenMadurai or
Madurai of South was destroyed by
a
tsunami in ancient
Kumari Kandam. 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. The glory of Madurai
returned in a diminished form in the earlier part of this
millennium as it later came under the rule of the Vijayanagar
kingdom and Madurai was ruled by the Nayak Emperors, the foremost
of whom was Tirumalai Nayakar.
Geography and Climate
Satellite image of Madurai urban
area
Madurai city has an area of 52 km², within an urban area now
extending over as much as 130 km², and it is located at . It
has an average elevation of 101 meters above mean sea level. The
climate is dry and hot, with
North
East Monsoon rains during October-December. Temperatures during
summer reach a maximum of 40 and a minimum of 26.3 degrees
celsius,though temperatures over 43 degrees celsius are not
uncommon. Winter temperatures range between 29.6 and 18 degrees
Celsius. The average annual rainfall is about 85 cm.
Language
Tamil is spoken predominantly in and
around Madurai. The
Madurai Tamil
differs slightly from other
Tamil
dialects such as
Kongu Tamil and
Nellai Tamil. Along with Tamil, other
languages spoken are
English,
Telugu,
Saurashtra,
Urdu,. However the
words of some of these languages have Tamil words mixed in with
them.
Demographics
As of the 2001 India
census, the city of
Madurai had a population of 928,869 within the municipal
corporation limit 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.
Architecture
Madurai is built around the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple.
Concentric rectangular streets surround the temple, symbolizing the
structure of the cosmos. The entire city is laid out in the shape
of the
lotus. Some of these
rectangular streets are named after Tamil months. The six major
rectangular streets around Meenakshi temple are Aadi, Chithirai,
Aavani Moola, Maasi, Maarat and Veli streets.
Civic administration
The entire Madurai district comes under the dirct control of the
Madurai District collector and the corporation limits within it is
administered by the Madurai
Municipal Corporation. This was the
second corporation formed in 1971 next to chennai . The corporation
has received several National awards in the year 2008 for
implementing development works . The mayor is responsible for the
day-to-day running of the municipal school board, the city bus
service, the municipal hospital, and the city library.
The city serves as the
headquarters of Madurai
district and as the
seat of the Madurai bench of Madras High Court
.
The High
Court Bench started functioning with effect from 24-07-2004 with
the jurisdiction of the Districts of Kanniyakumari
, Tirunelveli
, Thoothukudi
, Madurai, Dindigul, Ramanathapuram
, Virudhunagar
, Sivaganga
, Pudukkottai
, Thanjavur
, Tiruchirappalli
and Karur
.
The city has pass port office and districts Madurai, Theni,
Sivaganga, Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli,
Kanyakumari & Dindugul come under its jurisdiction .
Also the
city has employment office where educated people from Madurai
district register
their educational qualifications for employment opportunities from
Tamil Nadu government. This office also serves as a place for
registration of post graduates and professional degree holders from
all southern and some of the western districts in Tamil nadu
.
Religious Heads in Madurai
Being the oldest inhabited city, madurai is famous for its diverse
culture and religious harmony. The three religious heads famously
called as
Mummadha Thalaivargal (Leaders
of The Three religion) strive to keep madurai in peace.
The Aadheenam
This is one of the oldest
mutt in India
constituted during the period of
Thirugnana Sambanthar.There are lot of
immovable properties donated for this mutt, right from the day of
its origin. The tradition of madurai Aadinam goes back to
1300 years and
Thirugnana Sambanthar being the 1st
Maga Sannidhaanam The Madurai Aadheenam. The mutt is headed by the
Guru Maga Sannidaanam, The Aadinam of Madurai. Though being a
saiva, the Aadheenam is considered as the religious head of all
Saiva and Vaishanava Hindus of Madurai.
The Guru maga
sannidanam, Arunachalam Swamy is the present Aadinam and
he is 292nd Aadinam in their genealogy. The present Aadeenam is
very well versed in the Knowledge of Vedas, Quraan and Bible. The
aadinam takes parts in all major festivals of madurai connected
with
Hindu religion and also in religious
harmony meetings.
Kumbhabishekams, Meenkshi-Shokkar marriage,
Azhagar's entry into Vaigai
and other
Hindu festivals in the city are headed by the Aadinam. The
sitting Aadinam, during his life time appoints his junior, who
succeeds him after his death.
The Kaziyar
Kazi, the
jury and religious head of Muslims, in
Madurai is appointed by Govt. of Tamil Nadu. The tradition of Kazis in madurai goes back
to
750 years. Syed Tajuddin was the 1st Kazi to
the then Govt of Sultans.
Till today, His descendants are appointed as
Kazis to the Govt. of Tamil
Nadu in Madurai. Hazrat Moulana Moulvi, Meer
Ahamad Ibrahim Rahmatullahi Alaihi (the first of Madurai
Maqbara Hazrats), Moulana Syed Abdul Qadir Ibrahim,
Moulvi, Syed Amjad Ahmad Ibrahim and Moulvi, Syed Abdus Salaam
Ibrahim Saahib Hazrat are remarkable Kazis to the Govt. during
their tenure. Syed Abdus Salaam Ibrahim, the 19th Kaziyar of
Madurai,
who was fondly called by the people as Town Kaziyar, Kazisaab, Town
Kazisaab etc., is remembered for his simplicity and hardwork
towards literal and economical empowerment of Muslims in the city.
The present Kajiyar of Madurai
Moulvi.A.Syed Kaja
Mueenuddeen is 20th in the genealogy of Kaziyars in
Madurai, who is well known for his hard work towards religious
harmony in Madurai together with, The Aadinam, Kundrakkudi
Adigalaar and the Arch Bishop. Apart from working for religious
harmony, the present Kaziyar also strives for political empowerment
of Muslims of the locality. Kaziyar heads the prayers in Arasaradi,
Edgah grounds on
Eid ul-Fitr and
Eid al-Adha. Also,the Kaziyar heads the
23 days congregation of
Aashura with sunni
faith, during the
Islamic month of
Muharram. Almost all Muslim marriages in madurai
are solemnized by the Kaziyar and disputes arising if any
thereafter are solved by him. Most of the zikr majlis and urus
festivals in reliable darghas are headed by Kaziyar or any other
Moulvi from the Kaziyars family.
The Arch Bishop
The tradition of the Archdiocese of Madura goes back
70
years and the Archbishop of Madurai is considered the head
of
Roman Catholic Christians in Madurai. The archdiocese of Madura
was erected in the year 1938, and was renamed as the Archdiocese of
Madurai in the year 1950.
The Suffragan Dioceses of Dindigul, Kottar
, Palayamkottai
, Sivagangai
, Tiruchirapalli
and Tuticorin
come under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of
Madurai . Bishop John Peter Leonard was the 1st archbishop
of Madurai with whom the genealogy of the Archdiocese of Madurai
starts. Bishop Marianus Arokiasamy, the 4th Archbishop of Madurai,
is well remembered for his works towards the religious harmony
along with The Aadheenam and The Kaziyar to keep Madurai in peace
when south Tamil Nadu was burning due to communal riots in late
1990s. Bishop Peter Fernanado is the 5th Archbishop of Madurai.
Bishop Christopher Asir, who is the Archbishop of Madurai-Ramnad
Diocese of CSI, is the head of C.S.I. Christians in Madurai.
Transport
Rail
Madurai Junction
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
. The railway station code for Madurai
junction is
MDU.
It is connected to Indian cities and
towns including Chennai
, Nagercoil
, Kanyakumari
, Tiruchendur
, Villupuram
, Coimbatore
, Tenkasi
, Rameswaram
, Thoothukudi, Bangalore
(by Mysore exp & Mumbai CST exp), Mysore
, Trivandrum
, Mumbai
(by Mumbai
CST exp), Pune
(by
Lokmanya tilak exp), Ahmedabad
, Tirupathi, Hyderabad
(by RMM OKHA EXPRES), Delhi
(by
Thirukkural and Tamil Nadu Sampark Kranti Express), and Kolkata
(by Cape Howrah exp).
Road
Ellis Nagar bridge
Madurai has several major bus stands: Madurai Integrated Bus
Terminus (MIBT) at Maattuthavani (North), Palanganatham (South),
Arappalayam (West), Periyar (Central)
and Anna Bus stand (East). From MIBT, many buses to locations all
over the south India operate round the clock.
From Arapalayam bus
stand, buses to places of western Tamil Nadu like Theni, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode, Salem
operate and Periyar bus stand is where only city
buses and private buses to major cities operate. Anna bus
stand and Palanganatham are not in operation currently.
Apart fom city buses, three-wheeled, black and yellow
auto-rickshaws, referred to as autos, are
available for travel with in the city. MIBT has pre-paid auto
counter where commuters can pay fixed auto-fare depends on
destination and hire.
Madurai is connected by the following major National
Highways:
NH 7 :
(North-south Corridor Expressway) Bangalore – Salem – Dindigul – Madurai – Tirunelveli – Kanyakumari
NH 45B :
Trichy
– Madurai –
Thoothukudi
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.
Four lane express
highways to Chennai and Bangalore make Madurai well-connected by road.
Air
Madurai
Airport
is approximately 9 kilometers from the Madurai
railway station, and it offers 11 daily flights to major Indian cities like
Chennai, Mumbai and
Bangalore. It also offers flights to Hyderabad
, Pune, Goa
and
Ahmedabad through Chennai. Airlines that serve the
Madurai
Airport are
Jet Airways,
Air Deccan,
Paramount Airways,
Star Aviation (upcoming) and
Indian Airlines.
International flights
from Madurai to Colombo
, Singapore
and Gulf countries are proposed in the
future. The nearest international airport is in
Tiruchirapalli International
Airport
, which is 130 km from Madurai. The
airport code for Madurai is IXM.
| Airline-From Madurai |
Service to |
| Indian airlines |
Chennai, Mumbai |
| Paramount Airways |
Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmadabad, Goa, Cochin, Thiruvananthapuram,
Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Delhi |
| Jet Airways / Jet Konnect |
Chennai |
| Air Deccan (Kingfisher) |
Chennai, Bangalore |
| Star Aviation (upcoming) |
Chennai |
Education
Thiagarajar College of Engineering,
Madurai.
Madurai has a literacy rate and human development index above the
state average.
Madurai
Kamaraj University is situated in Madurai.
It pioneered the
concept of Distance education throughout India
.
The University was accorded the status of "University with
Potential for Excellence" . 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.
The Aravind Eye
Research Institute which has started Ph.D programme in the
areas of Genetics,immunology,ophthalmology, biomedical sciences, Humanities and
social sciences as well as bio-technology in affiliation with
universities like Madurai Kamaraj university,Dr. MGR Medical
University and Indian Institute of Technology
Madras
. It has research collaborators from London
and
USA
.
Thiagarajar College of
Engineering, Madurai (established in the year 1957) is one of
the premier institutions in Tamil Nadu. Madurai has many reputed Schools,
Polytechnics and
Industrial training
institutes (ITIs) as well. Madura College is 120 years old and
was started as a Zilla school in 1856.
The American College in
Madurai is one of the oldest colleges in India. It was founded
in 1881 by American Christian missionaries. Thiagarajar college of
Arts and Science (founded in 1949) is also an another older
institution.
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, Sethu Engineering College,
Vickram College of
Engineering, SACS M.A.V.M.M Engineering College, Velammal
College of Engineering and Technology and P.T.R College of
Engineering and Technology. M.S.S.Wakf Board college, K.K.Nagar and
S.V.N College Nagamalai are among the reputed institutions in
Madurai since 1965. There are significant number of Hotel
Management & Catering institutes in the city.The Madura College
(Autonomous) is one of the ancient colleges in Madurai.
Thiagarajar College
of Engineering,
Vickram College of
Engineering and KLN College of Engineering are in the forefront
in developing research facilities and have forged coordination with
multinational corporations like National Instruments, Intel,
OracleIBM and leading industry organisations within the country
like HCL. In recent years, the city is a witness to campus
interviews by leading industry organisations and successful
placement programmes organised by the University. Industry
estimates put that about 15 to 20 per cent of manpower working in
IT industries in metros are from Madurai and surrounding districts
. Other reputed educational institutions are Ma Foi and VETA.
A new but upcoming centre of innovative education is in Pulloothu.
It is Tata-Dhan Academy having a two year unique program in
Development Management. It is widely accalimed as a pioneer
institute in this field and is supported by Dhan foundation and Sir
Ratan Tata Trust.
Healthcare
In addition to Government Rajaji Hospital, many private hospitals
such as Aravind Eye Hospital, Apollo Specialty Hospital, Meenakshi
Mission Hospital and Research Center, Vadamalayan Hospital and
Quality Care Hospital, make the city a destination for health care
combined with heritage tourism at an affordable cost .
Aravind Eye Hospital at Anna
nagar
Madurai is a home to
Aravind Eye Care System founded in 1976 by Dr.
Govindappa Venkataswamy. Today it is
one of the finest eye hospitals in the world .
Today, in addition to
the hospital in Madurai, there are four other Aravind Eye Hospitals
in Theni, Tirunelveli, Coimbatore, and Puducherry
with a total of 3,590 beds. Aravind Eye
Hospitals has gained national and international reputation for its
service orientation, modern ophthalmic techniques and its
community-based outreach activities which deliver quality eye care
to the rural masses . 2,313,398 outpatient visits were handled and
270,444 surgeries were performed at the Aravind Eye Hospitals in
2006. Two-third of the outpatient visits and three-fourth of the
surgeries were serviced to the poor, free of cost.
Apollo Specialty Hospitals, Madurai was founded in 1997. The
hospital has an overall success rate of 98% and sees an average of
15,000 patients a year. A 24-hour panel of super-specialists are
present at the hospital. The hospital has first Intensive Care Unit
for Nephrology and first Renal Artery Angioplasty in South India.
It is the No. 1 Centre in India and 5th in the world to perform
Laparoscopic Renal Transplantation (Donor Nephrectomy). The Apollo
group Hospitals spread across various Indian cities and today
Apollo Hospitals is not just one of the country's premier health
care providers and had also played a pioneering role in helping
India become as center-of-excellence in global health care.
Economy
Madurai district houses reputed organizations in the private sector
which are engaged in the production of variety of goods such as
tyres, industrial rubber products, machinery, textiles, conveyor
belts, chemicals etc. Madurai is a home to TVS group .
Automobile
In manufacturing and automobile sector, Tractors and Farm Equipment
Limited (TAFE) (one among the top five tractor manufacturers in the
world),
Fenner (India) Ltd (Industrial and Automotive
V-Belts, Oilseals and Power Transmission Accessories), Hi-Tech Arai
Ltd (oil seals and automobile components), George oakes ltd, ZF
Electronics TVS (India) Private Limited (Switch manufacturing,
joint venture between TVS Group, India and Zf Electronics
Corporation, USA), Sundaram Fasteners Ltd (manufacturer of high
tensile fasteners),
Firestone TVS Private Ltd(manufacturer of air
spring),
MADRAS
SUSPENSIONS LIMITED, TVS Sewing Needles Limted, TV Sundram
Iyengar & Sons Limited (distributor of Heavy Duty Commercial
Vehicles, Jeeps and Cars) and Susee group (sales, service, parts,
finance of automobiles across Tamil Nadu) are notable companies.
All automobile majors, including General Motors, Ford, Toyota and
Honda, are regular buyers of automobile components produced in the
city. The
state government
is planning to develop industrial estate in Madurai which is to
come up on 2,000 acres and would focus on the manufacturing
industry, especially on automobile component manufacturers.
Rubber
TVS Srichakra(tyre manufacturing), Sundaram Industries Limited
(Rubber Division, Coach division) and LANXESS India Private Limited
are some of the rubber based industries. Bharath Rubber India
Limited (BRIL) is one of the leading producers of v-belts and fan
belts and sells all over India in the brand name VEEHOLD.Because of
city's proximity to rubber producing centers, it has had rubber as
a traditional industry. Besides gloves, sports goods, mats and
other utility products, Madurai contributes to the production of
automobile components made of rubber in a big way.Rubber goods
worth about Rs.1,000 crore are produced here annually. The rubber
industry, industrialists feel, has a rich potential to transform
Madurai economy. The anticipated growth in this industry, triggered
by a boom in automobile sector, will have a cascading effect on
other wings of the local economy. Despite being an industry with
potential to cause pollution, the manufacturers are taking “special
care” to adopt environment-friendly processes. The city is planned
to have a rubber cluster soon. A memorandum of understanding (MoU)
was signed between Madurai District Tiny and Small Scale
Industries’ Association (MADITSSIA) and Rubber Park (Madurai)
Limited . Some of the on-going industrial projects are BHEL
ancillary units and Caparo Engineering India Pvt Ltd .
IT and ITES
Honeywell office at
Thirupparankundram
Over the recent years the
IT
industry has made a mark in the economy of Madurai.
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. City houses MNCs like
Honeywell Technologies India.
Due to work culture, low attrition rates and the presence of
educational institutions, the city attracts IT majors like
HCL,
Satyam, Oracle and Sutherland
Global Services. Tamil Nadu government has proposed two IT-
Special Economic Zone (SEZ)s
in Madurai and they have been fully occupied by various IT
companies .The work on provision of infrastructure is in progress
in Information Technology parks . Considering the high growth rate
of Quality
Human resource in and
around madurai India's No.2 IT major
Infosys
is eyeing Madurai for its expansion and to open its development
centre..The list of various software companies operating from and
contributing to the revenue of Madurai can be viewed here
Software companies in
Madurai.
Textile
Some of the existing textile/chemical industries are Thiagarajar
Mills (P) Limited (one of the largest manufacturer and exporter of
100% Indian Cotton Yarn), Kasim Textile Mills,Sundaram Textiles
Limited, Madura Coats Pvt. Ltd, Paramount Mills (P) Ltd,Weaves
India (P) Ltd, First Garment Manufacturing Company (India) Pvt Ltd,
Vaigai Group (chemicals, edible oils, textiles, construction),
Alaya Dhoties, Sarathi Dhoties and SLM International.
Granite
There are also few Granite industries like PRP Exports (one of
India's largest granite processors and exporters) Madurai Arkay
Rock, P.R.Granites, Duniterocks private limited (Granite gangsaw
slabs) and Arkay Glenrock. There is a proposal to set up a granite
industry near Melur, and a polishing factory in Madurai.
Electronics
TVS Interconnect Systems Ltd is a manufacturer of low end
components like electronic connectors, RF (Radio frequency)
connectors, cable assemblies, Fiber optic products & other
accessories for telecommunication, consumer electronics and
automobile industries.
Retail
Retail industry is booming in the city. This is evident from
existing super markets like Reliance Super, Spencer's Daily, A.K.
Ahmad Co., and on-going malls construction like Milan-em mall, Big
Bazaar and Madurai City Center. In line with the ancient
architecture of the city, the business set up in the city is
grouped and number of shops selling the same products can alone be
seen in Madurai.East Gate is crowded with Household utensils stores
like Manimaran stores, P.S.Gunasekaran Metals and Anantha. East
Masi Street is fully stuffed with thousands of groceries shops,
West Masi Street with Electrical and Plumbing goods, Garments and
Textiles in South Masi Street, Goods Transports and Friut Godowns
in North Masi Street, Electronic goods in Town Hall Road,
Automobile spare parts in North Veli street and Mobile show rooms
in Krishna Rayar tank street, Pharmas in Nayakkar new steet,
Jewelleries in Gold bazaar street, Printing and Hotels in West
Perumal Maistry Street, Books and Note Books in New Mandapam. There
are separate wide streets having the retail shops for decorative
articles, Bangles, Gift Articles, Gold and Ornaments, Chemicals and
Pharmas etc. Madurai is the only city in India, with this kind of
set up where hundreds of same shops being clustered in one
road.
There are cinema halls or multiplexes for all classes of people.
Apart from Tamil movies, some of Hindi and English movies also run
in the city. Aparna Towers in Bye Pass Road and Kaziyar Complex in
S.S.Colony form the major landmarks for the retail business outlets
in madurai city. There are other shopping places like
Naidu Hall (Naihaa),Pothys, Mega Mart, British
bakery, Cafe Coffee day, etc.There are jewellery markets for gold,
diamonds, and platinum merchants in the Jewellery Bazar and large
scale sellers like Thanga mayil, Alukkas, Joy Alukkas,Bhima and
Lalitha Jewellery.
Media
City hosts several radio stations like
Radio Mirchi ,Hello FM,
Suryan FM and it has two major English dailies
The Hindu and
The New Indian Express. Tamil
language morning dailies include
Dina
Malar,
Dina Thanthi,
Dina Mani and
Dinakaran.
The evening dailies published in Madurai are
Tamil Murasu Malai Murasu and
Malai Malar.
Also one of the famous network in tamilnadu
, the Sun TV Network,
with SUN TV, K TV, Sun
News etc., has its regional office at uththangudi,
madurai. Many other channels like,
Vijay
TV, Raj TV,
Jaya TV,
SS Music etc., have their offices in Madurai for
their speedy coverage of news and other programmes.
Entertainment
The city houses the following weekend spots:
Athisayam water theme park
The water 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 interesting experiences to visitors. The park is
scientifically designed and perfect during the summer heat.
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. The most attractive thing in
the park is the water show with music.
It is located on the Natham road in the outskirts of Madurai. This
place is filled with natural beauty with the hills in the backdrop.
It houses a restaurant and also a go-kart track.
Mariamman theppakkulam (temple
tank)
It is situated in between the Gandhi museum, and the Tamukkam
grounds. It has lots of children play with some hotels like Poonga
Arya bhavan and some other eateries shops. Also there are some
collection of birds and some Light and music play. This park is run
by madurai corporation within its limits.
It is an athletic stadium which has a synthetic track. Several
National Meets are held here and also International Kabadi
Championship was held here.
It is the only cricket stadium in the city.
There is a sacred temple pool called Theppakulam belonging to
Vandiyur Mariyamman temple. It has become quite a picnic spot now.
There is an artificial island at the centre, made of stone. It is
was built sometime around 1500 A.D.
Hospitality
Gateway Hotel(Taj Garden
Retreat)
In the recent years, the city has seen growth in the hospitality
industry. A luxury five star hotel "Heritance Madurai" is one of
the top luxury hotels in India. Some of the other top rated hotels
are
Royal
Court,
Hotel GRT Regency, the Gateway Hotel (Taj
Garden Retreat), Hotel Germanus, North Gate, Madurai Residency,
Hotel Sangam and Hotel Fortune Pandiyan. South Indian, Punjabi,
Mughalai consitituting bulk of Indian variety and also Chinese,
Continental food are available in hotels/restaurants of the city.
Madurai is known for its
idlies which is
available with variety of chutneys in almost all the restaurants.
Murugan
idly shop at west masi street and railway station is famous for its
Idly all over Tamil
Nadu.
Festivals
Lot of festivals are celebrated by Madurai People. Some of the
important festival are, Goddess MeenakshiTirukkalyanam, The
Chittirai Festival, Diwali, Pongal, Thepporchavam, Car Festivel
etc.
Meenakshi Tirukkalyanam & The Chittirai festival
The annual Bhramhotsavam celebrated in the month of Chittirai
(Aries) is the most important one and it ties in the legends
related to the Madurai temple such as the
coronation of Meenakshi, the Divine marriage etc. The
Chittirai festival also coincides with the annual festival at
Tirumaaliruncholai. The Divine marriage involves a
procession of deities from
Tirupparamkunram as well, and hence during this time
the entire area in and around Madurai is transformed into one of a
great celebratory space.
The Chittirai festival begins on the 5th day of the bright half of
the month of Chittirai. The key events fall on the 8th, 9th and the
10th days of the festival. The eighth day of the Chittirai festival
witnesses the coronation of Meenakshi and procession on silver
thrones, while the 9th day is the digvijaya festival. The 10th day
(Chitra Purnima) marks the wedding of Meenakshi and
Sundareswarar.
Legend has it that Vishnu gave his sister away in marriage to
Shiva. In commemoration of this legend, an image of Vishnu is
brought in procession from Tirupparamkunram to Madurai. Since
Subramanya is the presiding deity of the Tirupparamkunram temple,
an image of Subramanya leads the procession. Following the wedding,
images of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar are taken out in a grand
procession on a palanquin and a silver elephant respectively. (It
is to be noted that the Tirukkalyaanam festival is celebrated on
Chitra Pournami in all Shiva temples celebrating the annual
Bhramhotsavam in the month of Chittirai).
During this time, Kallazhagar from Azhagar Koyil
(Tirumaaliruncholai) makes a visit to Vandiyur, near the Vaigai
river, on the eastern outskirts of Madurai. It is believed that
Kallazhagar realizes that he is too late for his sisters wedding,
so refuses to cross the river and returns disappointed to Azhagar
koyil.
Historically, the chittirai festival used to be celebrated in
Maasi, hence the festival processions use the Maasi streets. The
festival apparently was moved to the month of Chittirai in the
period of the Naik kings so that the timing would synchronize with
that of Azhagar Koyil.
The Ther (chariot) festival is celebrated on the 11th day of the
annual festival.
The Santhanakoodu festivals
Santhanakoodu festivals are celebrated in Darghas as a rememberance
of the saints in the respective darghas.Darghas in and around
madurai and their Santhanakoodu festival dates.
Thepporchavam
This festival celebrated in the month of January, on the full moon
day of Tamil Month Thai. The ornamented icons of the goddess
Meenakshi and her consort are taken out in a colourful procession
from the Meenakshi Temple to the Huge Mariamman Teppakulam. The
icons are floated in the tank on a raft decked with flowers and
flickering lamps.
Refere Here
Mattu pongal & The famous Alanganallur Jallikattu
Tourism and Landmarks
Madurai is one of the most important
Hindu
pilgrimage sites of India. The city attracts a large number of
pilgrims and tourists from within the country and abroad. About
4,100,000 tourists visited Madurai in 2007, out of which foreigners
numbered 224,000.
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. It is
also one of the greatest
Shiva Temples of Tamilnadu. The
labyrinthine Meenakshi Temple, celebrating the love of the
Meenakshi goddess and her groom Sundareswarar(the
Handsome
God) is of world renown. The ancient city of Madurai was
supposedly laid out in a lotus-like formation, with the temple at
the center and the 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 is the
place where Lord Natarajar performed the dance raising his right
leg . (Kal maariya Aadiya natarajar). Lord shiva was very happy
with the temple construction and performed a different dance. This
is the temple which survived after
Kannagi
burnt the complete city. All of the towers are currently draped in
scaffolding and opaque coverings obscuring the sculptures at least
until the end of 2009.
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.
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
is in Indian films such as
Bombay,
Iruvar,
Guru and
Jodi.
Kazimar Big Mosque(Periya pallivasal) and Maqbara
Kazimar Big Mosque, Madurai
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, a descendant of Prophet Muhammad who came from Oman
during
13th century, received this land from the then Panidiya king,
Koo(n) Pandiyan, and constructed the mosque
which is the first Muslims' place of worship
in Madurai. Madurai Maqbara
the dargah of famous Madurai
Hazrats (Hazrat Meer Ahamad Ibrahim, Hazrat Meer Amjad
Ibrahim and Hazrat Syed Abdus Salaam Ibrahim Rahmatullahi Alaihim -
Descendants of Prophet Muhammad) is also located
inside the mosque premises. All of
Kazi Syed Thajuddheen's descendants (Huqdars - shareholders of this
mosque called as Syeds) have lived in the
same locality (Kazimar street) for more than 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.
Gandhi Museum
Right
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 in 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.
visited the museum during his tour of India in 1959 and is said to
have got his inspiration to launch a series of peaceful agitations
against racial discrimination .No entry fee for museum
visitors.
Thiruparankundram
Thiruparankundram is 8 km or 5 miles from the Madurai city
center.Thiruparakundram temple has become a symbol of the religious
harmony as of the people of Madurai.
An Islamic Durgah (shrine) 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
along with
Hazrat Sulthan Syed Ibrahim Shaheed Badushah of Madinah
(now in Erwadi
, Ramanathapuram district) during the
early 13th century, is found. Irrespective of
religion, people from all parts of Tamil Nadu and from Kerala
visit this
durgah. People who visit the
Ervadi Durgah in
Ramanathapuram district 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 and his Maternal grandson Syed
Abdus Salaam Ibrahim Saahib Hazrat. It is seen 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.
Mustajab Ad Du'aa in
Arabic means A
saint whose
Supplications are
immediately answered by
Allah. The Anniversary
urus festival of Hazrat Sulthan Sikandar badusha Shaheed is
commomerated on 17th Night of the islamic Month of
Rajab every Hijri year.
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, particularly on Fridays, when
women place candles or sit around the temple floor and create
kolams or
rangoli patterns on the ground using
coloured powders, ash and flowers as an offering to goddess
Durga.
Goripalayam Dargah
Gorippalayam Durgah on Urus.
The name Gorippalayam comes from the
Persian word
Gor
which means
Grave. This area is called as
Goripalayam because the Graves of the two famous saints of
Islam and rulers of Madurai Hazrat Sulthan Alauddin
Badusha (Radiyallah) and Hazrat Sulthan Shamsuddin Badhusha
(Radiyallah) are located here.
A beautiful green coloured tomb can be seen
from the A.V.Bridge madurai, which is the Gorippalayam Dargah
located in the northern banks of vaigai River. It is amazing to see that, the domb which
is 70 feet in diameter and 20 feet in height is made of a single
block of stone which was brought from the Azhaga Hills.
People
from all over Tamil
Nadu come here to seek blessings and go back
fruitfully. The two rulers were brothers who ruled the
northern part of madurai after coming from oman during
13th century to spread Islam. Hazrat
Kazi Syed Tajuddin Radiyallah of Kazimar street
was Govt. Kazi (Islamic Legal advisor and jury) to them. An ancient
Tamil inscription, can be found planted on the outer
campus of the
Maqbara of the dargah campus.
The information found in that
inscription is,
"The
descendants of Sulthan Alauddin Badusha, and Sulthan Shamsuddin
Badusha (called as Sultans of Delhi) purchased
from the then King Koo(n) Pandiyan the land of Gorippalayam Dargah
for a Feet of Gold piece and other six villages (namely Bibi Kulam,
Chokkikulam, Cholikudi, Chirudoor, Kannanendal, Thiruppalai) at the
rate of 14,000 Gold pieces for the maintenance
of Gorippalayam Dargah. During the reign of King Veerappa
nayakkar a dispute arose between the
Huqdars of the Durgah and the employees of the Nayakkar Government
regarding the six villages.
The case was taken to King Veerappa
Nayakkar, who inquired and verified the documents written by King
Koo(n) Pandiyan and gave his verdict in the year 1573 A.D. as the
Six villages and the Dargah land belongs to the Descendants of
Sultans and it should be in their enjoyment till the existence of
Sun and Moon and who violates this will be liable for the sin of
slaughtering a cow in the bank of river Ganga
."
This inscription is considered as one of the evidences to prove the
existence of the Dargah since 13th century.The anniversary urus
festival of this dargah is held on 15th night of the Islamic month
of
Rabi al-awwal on every
hijri year.
Koodal 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 (Horse/"haya"griva
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. This is located 100 mtrs north to the Kazimar Big
Mosque (Periya pallivasal) and to the south of Sunnambukara street.
This
temple is belived to be older than the Meenakshi temple
.
Near by this temple another Siva temple is located and the temple
is called the Nanmai Tharuvar temple. The legend has it that this
temple was build by Shiva himself when he was the king of Madurai.
Still you can find a full grandie statue of Shiva along with
Meenakshi worship Linga in the Karuvari of the temple. Another
notable Vishnu temple found near the Kodal Azhagar temple is the
Madhana Gopalan Temple which is a temple dedicated to lord
Krishna.
St. Mary’s Cathedral Church
St. Mary’s Cathedral in Madurai is the seat of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese
of Madurai.
It is one of the oldest Roman Catholic churches in India and is
situated 2 km South East of Madurai Railway station and 200
meters from the Thirumalai Nayak Mahal.
Politics
State assembly
Madurai is divided into three state assembly constituencies.
Madurai
East,
Madurai
Central and
Madurai West.
After 2009
delimitation,
Madurai North
and
Madurai
South were created. There is a significant amount of support
for left parties such as CPI and CPM, especially in Madurai East.
Usually the left parties have recently allied with DMK or ADMK,
that has led to CPM MLAs in Madurai. But since 1977, ADMK and DMK
have dominated this area, with the exception of
Tamil Maanila Congress, in 1996 and
2001, when they allied with DMK and ADMK respectively. Also
Congress when they have allied with ADMK in 1984 and 1991. Madurai
West is one of the constituents won by actor turned politician
M.G. Ramachandran. He won it during his
reelection in
1980 Tamil Nadu
Assembly election.
Madurai West vote
by alliance in assembly elections
| Year |
AIADMK+ |
DMK+ |
| 2006 |
43.7%
57,208 |
41.0% 53,741 |
| 2001 |
48.1%
48,465 |
47.4% 47,757 |
| 1996 |
17.7% 17,465 |
62.4%
61,723 |
| 1991 |
63.4%
59,586 |
34.7% 32,664 |
| 1989* |
20.3% 20,871 |
44.3%
45,579 |
| 1984 |
47.9% 45,131 |
51.2%
48,247 |
| 1980 |
59.6%
57,019 |
37.6% 35,953 |
| 1977 |
43.1%
32,342 |
21.6% 16,211 |
Madurai Central
by alliance in assembly elections
| Year |
AIADMK+ |
DMK+ |
| 2006 |
38.2% 35,992 |
45.8%
43,185 |
| 2001 |
46.5%
34,393 |
46.3% 34,246 |
| 1996 |
14.6% 11,841 |
46.7%
38,010 |
| 1991 |
62.3%
47,325 |
35.2% 26,717 |
| 1989* |
13.3% 11,243 |
46.0%
33,484 |
| 1984 |
50.8%
41,272 |
48.0% 39,012 |
| 1980 |
58.1%
45,700 |
40.2% 31,566 |
| 1977 |
39.9%
29,399 |
19.9% 14,676 |
Lok Sabha
All five Madurai constituencies are part of
Madurai
Tourist attractions around Madurai
Madurai
acts as a tourism hub of south Tamil Nadu because of its strategic location. There are
various
tourist visiting places around Madurai.
Is located about 25 km from the city, is a Vishnu shrine. The
location is surrounded by hills. The principal god 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 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. 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.
Around 120 km away from Madurai is Kodaikanal, one of the most
beautiful hill stations in India. It is also known as princess of
Hills. Kodai is located 2,130 m above the sea level in the Western
Ghats.
About 70 km from Madurai on the way to Thekkady is Vaigai Dam.
The dam offers a breathtaking sight on weekends when it is
illuminated.
The holy city of Rameswaram lies about 164 kilometres from the
temple city of Madurai.
Situated amidst rich flora and fauna, Suruli Falls serve as a
perfect picnic spot. They lie on the way to Thekkady, at a distance
of 123 km from Madurai.
Thekkady is one of the world's most fascinating natural wildlife
reserves - the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Idukki District of
Kerala. Spread across 777 km², of which 360;km² is thick
evergreen forest, the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary was declared a
Tiger Reserve in 1978. It lies 155 km from Madurai and is home
to many animals and birds.
It lies 160 km from Madurai and is famous for its waterfalls.
Popularly known as the 'Spa of the South', it is blessed with
immense natural beauty.
See also
References
- Frommer's India By Pippa deBruyn, Keith Bain, Niloufer
Venkatraman, Shonar Joshi
-
http://www.thehindu.com/2007/11/27/stories/2007112760020300.htm
- http://www.dhan.org/tda
- http://madurai.nic.in/festivals.html
- http://www.templenet.com/Tamilnadu/Madurai/festival1.html
- http://www.madurai.org.uk/culture/float-festival.html
- http://www.madurai-vacations.com/maduraifestivals.htm
/ Kumily
(near Tirunelveli)
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