Madurai
You must add a |reason= parameter to this Cleanup template – replace it with {{Cleanup|reason=<Fill reason here>}}, or remove the Cleanup template.
| Classification | City |
| Country | India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District | Madurai |
| Language | Tamil, English, Sourashtra |
| Time zone | GMT+5:30 |
| Importance | 2nd largest city in Tamil Nadu state |
| Population |
- Total: 1,194,665 (2001)[1] |
| Literacy Rate | |
| Area | 22 km2 |
| Latitude Longitude |
9.92°N 78.12°E |
| Altitude | 100.58 metres |
| Temperature (° C) |
Madurai (மதுைர in Tamil language) is situated on the banks of river Vaigai in Tamil Nadu a state in southern India. It is the second largest city of Tamil Nadu and has a population in excess of 1.1 million people. It is well known for the Meenakshi temple situated at the heart of the town which attracts both tourists and pilgrims. Madurai has a rich cultural heritage passed on from the great Tamil era more than 2500 years old and has been an important commercial centre even as early as 550 AD. Madurai was the capital city of the great Pandya kings of South India.
The Pandya King Kulasekaran built a great temple and created a lotus shaped city around the temple. There is a story that on the day the city was to be named, as Lord Shiva blessed the land and its people, divine nectar (Madhu) was showered on the city from his matted locks. This city was henceforth known as Madhurapuri. Actually, the name Madurai is a transformation of the Tamil word Marudhai (மருதை), which means "fertile agricultural land with alluvial soil". Many natives still refer to the city as Marudhai. Madurai is also famous for Jasmine flowers. The city is sometimes called the Athens of the East because of its great temple architecture, comparable to that of the Greek capital.
Inside the Meenakshi Temple - Solar and Spiritual Power
History
Madurai is one of the oldest cities of India, with a history dating all the way back to the Sangam period of the pre-Christian era. The glory of Madurai returned, although in a diminished form, in the earlier part of this millennium; it later on came under the rule of the Vijayanagar kingdom after its ransack by the ravaging armies of Delhi. During the 16th and 18th centuries, Madurai was ruled by the Nayak Emperors, the foremost of whom was Thirumalai Nayakar. The Sangam period poet Nakkeerar is associated with some of the Thiruvilayaadal episodes of Sundareswarar that are enacted as a part of temple festival traditions even today.
The Sangam age or the Golden age of Tamil literature – produced masterpieces way back in the pre christian era and in early 1st millennium . Madurai was the seat of the Tamil Sangam or The academy of learning.
The entire city of Madurai, is built around the Meenakshi temple. Concentric rectangular streets surround the temple, symbolizing the structure of the cosmos. And that structure is still preserved (as of year 2004) in the city.
As early as the 3rd century BC, Megasthanes, the great Greek traveller visited Madurai. Later many people from Rome and Greece visited Madurai and established trade with the Pandya kings. Madurai flourished till 10th century AD when it was captured by Chola kings, the arch rivals of the Pandya kings.
The Chola kings ruled Madurai from 920 AD till the beginning of the 13th century. In 1223 AD Pandya kings regained their kingdom and once again become prosperous. Pandya kings patronised Tamil language in a great way. During their period, many master-pieces of Tamil literature were created.
Silapathikaram, the great epic in Tamil was written based on the story of Kannagi who burnt Madurai as a result of the injustice caused to her husband Kovalan.
In April 1311, Malik Kafur, the general of Alauddin Khilji who was then the ruler of Delhi, reached Madurai and raided and robbed the city for precious stones, jewels, and other rare treasures. This led to the subsequent raids by other Muslim Sultans. In 1323, the Pandya kingdom including Madurai became a province of the Delhi empire, under the Tughlak dynasty.
The 1371, the Vijayanagar empire of Hampi captured Madurai and it became part of the Vijayanagar empire. Kings of this dynasty were in habit of leaving the captured land to governors called Nayaks. This was done for the efficient management of their empire. The Nayaks paid a fixed amount annually to the Vijayanagar empire. After the death of Krishna Deva Raya, King of Vijayanagar empire in 1530 AD, the Nayaks became independent and ruled the territories under their control. Among Nayaks, Thirumalai Nayak (1623-1659 AD) was very popular; he is popular among people to this day, since he had contributed to the creation of many magnificent structures and architectural landmarks in and around Madurai. The Raja Gopuram (The Main Tower) of the Meenakshi temple, Pudhu Mandapam (The New Mansion) and Thirumalai Nayakar's Palace are living monuments to his artistic fervor.
Madurai started slipping into the hands of the British East India Company. In 1781, the British East India Company appointed their representatives to administer Madurai. George Procter became the first collector of Madurai.
In the post-Independence era, Madurai is one of the major districts of Tamilnadu State. Later on Madurai district was split into two districts namely Madurai and Dindigul Districts. In Madurai District, there are 15 State Assembly constituencies and two parliamentary constituencies.
Temples
Madurai is famous for its temples. The Aappudaiyaar temple and the Koodalazhagar temple are the most important temples. In the vicinity of Madurai are Thirupparam Kundram and Pazhamuthir Cholai, two of the 6 temple shrines of Lord Murugan (a Hindu God, well known and worshipped in southern India). Also in the vicinity of Madurai is Alagar Kovil, one of the prominent Vaishnavite temples.