Madurai is Known as Athens of the East, Madurai is a place of
great historical and cultural importance. It is the oldest city in
Tamil Nadu and Madurai lies on the banks of the River Vaigai.
Madurai is one of the liveliest cities in South India it was
originally known as Kadambavanam or the "forest of Kadamba" or the
Nauclea kadamba.
Legend says that Lord Shiva appeared in the dream on the king,
Kulasekhara Pandya. The king was amazed to see drops of nectar or
madhu falling down of earth from Lord Shiva's matted hair. The "madhu"
was so sweet that the place where it fell came to be known as
Madhurapuri, which in course of time became "Madurai."
Tamil and Greek documents record its existence from the 4th century
B.C. Being in the heart of Tamil Nadu, Madurai has fostered an
essentially Dravidian and Tamil culture. Famous for its cultural and
scholarly pursuits, the city had an academy consisting of critics,
poets and savants highly esteemed both by kings and commoners. It
was in Madurai that three successful conferences of Tamil scholars
called sangams flourished under benevolent royal support.
Madurai is famous for housing one of the five traditional dance
halls where Lord Siva, in his form as the Silver Hall or the Velli
Ambalam. It is situated within the Meenakshi Temple.
Madurai was the capital of the dynasty. The Meenakshi-Sundareswarar
Shrine is its central glory. The Muslims invaded Madurai in the 14th
Century. Later it came under the rule of the Nayaks, and the rule of
Thirumalai Nayak, who is remembered as the maker of modern Madurai,
was an eventful one.
Madurai was known to be the centre of learning and pilgrimage for
centuries. Today, Madurai is a modern commercial and industrial
city, with a vast University campus and is renowned for its weaving
mills and dyeing industry. The chungadi cotton sarees are the
speciality of this city with its colourful tie and dye motifs.
Handicrafts, brassware, bronze items and the famous wooden toys of
Madurai are some of the notable artefacts.Madurai is 450 kms from
Chennai.
Thirumalai Nayak Mahal
Thirumalai Nayak Mahal About 1.5kms from the Meenakshi temple is
this palace that was built in 1636 by the ruler whose named it
bears. The imposing edifice is famous for the stuccowork on its
domes and impressive arches. The Sorga Vilasam or the Celestial
Pavilion, measuring 75mx52m, is constructed entirely of brick and
mortar without the support of a single rafter or girder. It is a
marvel of Indo Saracenic architectural style. Among the other
striking features of the palace are the massive white pillars,
several of which line the corridor that runs along the courtyard.
Connected by well-decorated arches, these pillars measure 20m in
height and have a circumference of 4m.
Elsewhere, there are polished black stone pillars of varying
heights. It was King Thirumalai Nayak's grandson who demolished much
of the fine structure and removed most of the jewels and
woodcarvings in order to build his own palace in Thiruchirapalli.
That his dream never came true is another story. Thanks to Lord
Napier, the then Governor of Madras, who partially restored the
palace in 1866-72, and the subsequent restoration works carried out
several years ago, today, we get to see the Entrance Gate, the Main
Hall and the Dance Hall. These are worth seeing too.
Gandhi Museum
Gandhi Museum Housed in the old Palace of Rani Mangammal, the
Gandhi Museum depicts the highlights of the freedom struggle and
contains a picture gallery of the Gandhian movement.
Also to be seen are a gallery of relics, and the khadi and village
industries section and south Indian handicrafts section.
Sri Meenakshi-Sundareswarar Temple
Sri Meenakshi-Sundareswarar Temple Synonymous with Madurai is the
Meenakshi Sundareswarar twin-temple. It is the pivot around which
the city has evolved. The Meenakshi Temple complex is literally a
city on its own. It is one of the largest of its kind in India and
undoubtedly one of the oldest too. The temple grew bigger with the
contributions of each dynasty and victorious monarchs, into an
enormous complex extending over an area of 65000 sq. metres.
The temple was first built 2000 years ago and was substantially
expanded during the reign of Thirumalai Nayak between the years
(1623-55 AD).
Lord Siva in his incarnation as Sundareswarar and his spouse
Meenakshi, are enshrined in this twin temple. She is called
Meenakshi because it is believed that her eyes are shaped like that
of a fish. The name is made up of two words - meen for fish and
askshi for the eye. There are four massive gateways enclosing these
two shrines. Visitors are fascinated by the many paintings and
sculptures that adorn this temple.
A striking feature of the temple is the astonishing structure known
as Ayiramkaal mandapam or the Hall of a thousand pillars in the
outermost corridor. The hall has 985 pillars and each pillar
features high, ornate, bold sculptures that look life- like. Viewed
from any angle these pillars appear to be in a straight line it is
an architectural masterpiece indeed. In the outermost corridors are
situated the matchless musical pillars carved out of stone. When
tapped, each pillar produces a different musical note and the hall
resonates with the sound of this note.
Azhagar Temple
Azhagar temple This ancient and acclaimed Vaishnavite temple is
noted for its remarkable architectural and sculptural magnificence.
The Lord here is in the sitting or asana, standing or sthanaka and
reclining or sayana postures, all enshrined in one vertical plane.
