Madurai
 | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (February 2008) |
Madurai
Madurai | |
|---|---|
city | |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Thenmozhi Gopinathan[1] |
| Population (2001) | |
| • Total | 922,913 |
| Website | madurai.nic.in |
Madurai (Tamil: மதுரை, IPA: [mɐd̪ɯrəj]) is a city and a municipal corporation with a city population of 922,913 according to 2001 census. It is situated on the banks of River Vaigai in Madurai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Madurai boasts of a cultural heritage that goes back 2500 years and has functioned as an important commercial center as early as 550 AD. Madurai was the capital city of the Pandya kings of South India. Today the city of Madurai is the administrative capital of Madurai district.
Geography
Madurai, with an area of 52 km² (now extened up to 130 km²)[3] is located at 9°56′N 78°07′E / 9.93°N 78.12°E.[4] It has an average elevation of 101 meters above Mean Sea Level.[5] The climate is dry and hot, with rains during October-December. Temperature during the summer reaches a maximum of 40.0 Deg. C. and Minimum of 26.3 Deg. C. During winter the temperature reaches a maximum of 29.6 Deg. C. and a minimum of 18.0 Deg. C. The average annual rainfall is 85 cm (850mm) ][6]
Demographics
As of 2001 India census,[2] 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.[7]
Population decline:[8]
| Year | Population | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 940,989 | census | official |
| 2001 | 922,913 | census | official |
| 2007 | 1,300,998 | calculation |
There is a mosque called Kazimar Periya Pallivasal or Kazimar Big Mosque, located within a kilometer from the temple. Hazrat Kazi Syed Tajuddin who came from Oman during late 12th century, got this land from the king Ku Pandiyan and constructed the mosque which is the first ever Muslim place of worship in Madurai. All his descendants (Huqdars-Share holders of that mosque called Syeds) have lived in the same locality for 700 years, and managed the mosque since then. Syed Tajuddin was appointed as Kazi of the sultans, and till now 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 with Hanafi school. Most of the descendants of Kazi syed tajuddin are shadhilis (shazuli) and follow the Sufi order Fassiyatush Shadhiliya A famous ITI is also being run by the Huqdhars, for more than 25 years in the heart of the city, viz., KAZI TAJUDDIN I.T.I. which serves for the cause of technical education to the down trodden and economically backward Muslims of the locality and the neighboring districts. The Thirumalai Nayakar Mahal is located in Madurai It has been constructed in the Indo-Saracen style by Thirumalai nayakar in 1636. This palace was declared as 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. This palace was divided into two parts, namely Swarga-vilasa and Rang-vilasa. In these two parts, there are royal residence, theater, shrine, 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 brick and mortar without the support of a single rafter or girder, is a standing testimony to the Dravidian skills. The stucco work on its domes and arches is remarkable. The gigantic pillars and structures represents the amazing architectural mastery of Nayak Kings. The courtyard and the dancing hall are being the center of attractions. The stucco work on its domes and arches is remarkable. There are around 248 pillars of each 58 feet toll and 5 feet diameter
Furniture and utensils used by the kings have been exhibited inside the palace. The palace is equipped to perform Light & Sound shows depicting the story of Silappathikaram in both Tamil and English languages.
Recently madurai is becoming a destination for IT industry as well with companies such as Honeywell is setting campus there.
Entry Timings: 9.00 am. To 1.00 pm 2.00 pm. To 5.00 pm. Entrance Fee: Re.1/-per head.
Timings for daily Sound and light show: English at 6.45 pm, Tamil at 8.15 pm. Ticket charges for the Sound and Light show: Adults Rs.10/-, Child Rs.5
The Madurai Collectorate, Madurai District Court, Madurai Bench of Madras High Court, Madurai Corporation Building, Madurai Race Course, Government Offices, and many schools, colleges and companies are located in the northern part of the city.
The Temples in the City
The Meenakshi-Sundareswarar temple, which stands today as one of India's cultural and architectural landmarks, was originally built by the early Pandya King Kulasekara. The ancient city of Madurai was supposed to be laid out in a lotus-like formation with the temple at the center and streets and main thoroughfares layered one after the other in a concentric fashion. Legend has it 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". It is most likely a late legend attempting to Sanskritise the otherwise Dravidian derivative of 'Madurai'. Perplexingly there remains another ancient city in the North by the name of Madura of Krishna fame. Could it be possible that the Southern city found a famous Northern name just as Madura in Indonesia and Ayuthia in Thailand are named after the counterparts in India. The appropriation of sacred geography was nothing novel and was to be repeated in the South's history perhaps most famously in Rajendra Chola's Gangaikondacholapuram.
Alagar koyil, is about 25 km from the city is also a holy shrine. The place being surrounded by hills makes one's mind in the peace nature. The principal idol represents lord Kallalagar. Early mass festival called Chittirai festival is celebrated around centuries in this place. The temple holds hills which also hols some other temples,called palamudhir cholai.
The Badri Narayanan Temple,Alagar kovil
In the entrance of the Alagar kovil one can notice Badhri Narayanan temple[1],built as like Badrinath near kailash(North india).The principal idol represents Vishnu in a meditative posture and is flanked by Nara-Narayan.
Some of the other images include Laxmi (Vishnu's consort), Garuda (Vishnu's mount), Anjineya, and Ganesha.
The Lord Kallalagar visits the temple in the eve of the Chittirai festival, one of the famous festivals in Tamil Nadu. The Kallalagar starts his 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 that he is too late for his sister's wedding, so refuses to cross the river and returns disappointed to Alagar Koil.[2]
Madurai Tamil
Madurai Tamil is known as the standard Tamil [citation needed]. Nowadays, In Pop Culture, The colloquial Tamil spoken by Madurai People is shown as Madurai Tamil
Transport
Madurai is well connected by air, rail and road. The railway station is one of the busiest in World, with trains from every minor city in India,[citation needed] and has computerized reservation counters. Madurai Division has repeatedly got the award for best maintained station in Southern Railway.[9] The railway station code for Madurai Junction is MDU. Madurai has twenty bus stands[citation needed], which cater to the needs of the people: Central Bus terminus at Central Busstand (North)the second biggest bus stand in South east Asia after Koyembedu,chennai, Palanganatham (South), Arappalayam (West), Periyar (Central) and Anna Bus stand (East). The major bus stand is at Maattuthavani, from where many buses all over the country operate round the clock. A sudden importance to infrastructure has been well augmented by construction of bridges 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 Madras makes Madurai one of the most well connected cities in Asia. Madurai Airport is approximately 13 kilometers from the Madurai Railway station, and currently has connectivity to Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai. Jet Airways, Air Deccan, Paramount Airways and Indian Airlines are the only airline operators. International flights from Madurai to Colombo, Singapore and Gulf countries plan to start their service this year. Soon Madurai airport will become busiest airport like Chennai.
| Airline-From Madurai | Service to |
|---|---|
| Indian | Chennai, Mumbai |
| Paramount Airways | Chennai,Bangalore |
| Jet Airways | Chennai |
| Air Deccan (Kingfisher) | Chennai, Bangalore |
Education
Madurai is the home to popular Kamaraj University. The City has Medical College, Agricultural College, Law College and many Engineering, Arts and Science Colleges. Madurai has many reputed Schools, Polytechnics and ITIs.
The Madurai Kamaraj University (1966) situated in Nagamalai Pudukottai, has 18 schools, which in turn is made up of 72 departments. It pioneered the concept of Distance Education throughout India, and its Directorate of Distance Education currently boasts of a student strength of about 130,000. Several other Arts and Science colleges are present in and around the city, affiliated to the Madurai Kamaraj University. It has departments where one could study the traditional beliefs, legends, customs, etc., to Intricate technologies like Geo Informatics, Bio Informatics and beyond. A complete academic pride for Madurai.
Colleges
Madurai is home to some of India's oldest institutions. Colleges include:
- The American College in Madurai (1881)
- Lady Doak College (1948)
- Thiagarajar College of Engineering (1957)
- Raja College of Engineering and Technology Madurai Dt. (1995)
- Vickram College of Engineering (2001)
- Madura College
- Madurai medical college (1954)
Schools
Schools in Madurai are either run by the Tamil Nadu Government or Government aided or are run privately.
CS Ramachary Memorial Matriculation Hr.Sec.School,Arul Malar Matriculation Higher Secondary School,A.P.T. Dorairaj Higher Secondary School, The Sethupathi Higher Secondary School, AV higher sec School, Union Christian Higher Secondary School, Madura College Higher Secondary School, The OCPM Girls Higher Secondary School, Sourashtra Higher Secondary School,St.Mary's Higher Secondary School,Sourashtra Boys higher Secondary School<This school is more than 100 years old>,St.Britto Hr.Sec.School, St.Joseph's Matriculation higher secondary school, Saracens matriculation school, Ayira Vaisya Higher Secondary school, Velliambalam Dolphin Matriculation higher secondary school, Rotary Laharry Mat.hr.sec.school, TV Sundaram Iyengar Higher Secondary School, Laksmipuram, Sivakasi Nadars Matriculation and Hr.Sec. School, Ellis nagar, S.D.H.Jainvidyalaya, SBOA, Seventh Day Adventist, Mary Ann Matriculation Higher Secondary School, VHN Higher Secondary School, TVS Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Jeevana School, Mahatma Montessori Matriculation Higher Secondary School, VMJ Higher Secondary School, Thiagarajar Model Higher Secondary School, TVS Lakshmi School, Sourashtra Girls Higher Secondary School, Prasana Venkatesware Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Nirmala Girls Higher Secondary School,MRR.MAVMM.Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Two Central Schools, one at narimedu (started in 1966) and the other at Thirupparankundram(started in 2004).
See also
References
- ^ "First woman Mayor for Madurai". The Hindu.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Census March 1 2001
- ^ Madurai General Information - www.madurai.com
- ^ http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/25/Madurai.html Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Madurai]
- ^ Madurai Corporation
- ^ Climate of Madurai City
- ^ "Women Development" (PDF).
- ^ World-gazetteer.com
- ^ duonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2004/10/16/stories/2004101600330100.htm "Elegant ambience". The Hindu. October 16, 2004. Retrieved 2007-03-09.
{{cite news}}: Check|url=value (help)
External links
Template:Hindu Holy Cities in India Template:Largest TN cities
