Madurai - The temple city

Madurai, more than 2500 years old ancient city, situated on the banks of the river Vaigai. It 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 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 (Malik Kafur). During the 16th and 18th centuries, Madurai was ruled by the Nayak Emperors, the foremost of whom was Tirumalai Nayakar. Madurai was the seat of the Tamil Sangam or Academy of learning. The entire city of Madurai, is built around the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple – the temple par excellence. Concentric rectangular streets surround the temple, symbolizing the structure of the cosmos.

Now after India's independence, Madurai is one of the major districts of Tamilnadu State. Later on Madurai district was bifurcated into two districts namely Madurai and Dindugul Districts. In Madurai District, there are 15 State Assembly constituencies and two parliament constituencies.

After Noon visit Tirumalai Nayak Mahal - this Indo-Saracenic building was constructed in 1523.Sound and light show on the life of the Tirumalai Nayak and the story of the Silapathikaram are conduced daily. Later visit to Vaniyur Mariamman Teppakulam. Meenakshi Temple, is the city's main attraction. This temple is nearly 2000 years old placed in the heart of the old town - a splendid example of Dravidian architecture. The present temple was designed in 1560 by Vishwanatha Nayak and subsequently built during the reign of Tirumalai Nayak. There are four entrances to the temple with an area of six hectares. Each of its 12 towers has the height of 45 to 50 meters. Visit of 1000 pillar Mandapan (hall). Each pillar got different sculpture

Places of Interest

Tirumalai Nayak Mahal

About 1 km from the Meenakshi Temple lies the palace of Tirumalai Nayak. There is no other building in Madurai which can better illustrate the architectural styleof the Nayaks. Constructed in 1523, this Indo-Saracenic building was originally four times as large as it is today. Swarga Vilasam, which served as the audience hall, is the most remarkable part of this palace. Its dome, which lies beyond a huge courtyard and rises to a height of 20 metres without any support, is a magnificent example of the engineering skills of its builders. You can also watch the sound and light shows on the life of Tirumalai Nayak and the story of Silappathikaram (a Tamil classic) here.

The most remarkable part of this palace is the Swarga Vilasam which served as the audience hall. Its dome which lies beyond a huge courtyard is a magnificent example of the engineering skill of its builders, rising as it does to a height of 20m without support of any kind.

Vandiyur Mariamman Teepakulam

Five kilometres east of the Meenakshi temple is a tank called Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam. At the centre of the tank is an idol of Lord Vinayaka or Vigneshwara installed on a platform. The tank was built by Tirumalai Nayak in 1646 and is connected to the Vaigai River by underground channels. The tank is also the site of the annual Teppakulam float festival conducted in the month of January-February.

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Meenakshi Temple

One of the most important places of Hindu pilgrimage, the Meenakshi-Sundareswarar temple is located at the heart of the city and is the hub of the religious and cultural life of the city. Thousands of Pilgrims visit the Meenakshi Temple everyday. The soaring high gopurams of the temple stand as landmarks of the city. The gopurams are adorned by colourful icons of gods, goddesses, animals and mythical figures. The temple has four entrances and occupies an area of around six hectors. The Parvati sanctum is not accessible to men-Hindus. The museum called the Temple Art Gallery is located within the complex containing stone and brass images.

Built by Kulasekara Pandya in the pre-Christian era, the temple was in ruins before it was rebuilt by Tirumalai Nayak. Spread over six hectares, the temple is an outstanding example of Vijayanagar temple architecture. The temple has four entrances to it and its gopurams (large gateways) and mandapams (multi-pillared halls) are covered from top to bottom in a profusion of multi-coloured images of gods, goddesses, animals and mythical figures. The southern gopuram, which is about 48.4-metre-high is the most spectacular of all gopurams, and has over 1,500 sculptures. You can even climb the gopuram to get a panoramic view of the city. The sculpted pillars in the Ashta Shakti Mandapam inside the Meenakshi temple tell the story of the beautiful princess of Madurai and her marriage to Lord Shiva. Legend has it that the princess was actually an incarnation of Parvati who came to earth to honour a promise. Shiva came to Madurai as Sundareswarar to marry Meenakshi, and the two ruled over the kingdom for many years. The spot from where they left for their heavenly abode is where the temple now stands. It is believed that the Sangam litterateurs decided the merit of the literary works presented to them at Portamaraikulam (literally, the golden lotus tank). The manuscripts that sank in the tank were dismissed while those that floated were considered great works of literature. The two presiding deities are seated at Oonjal Mandapam on the western end of this tank. The deities are worshipped every Friday on a swing. Next to this is the Kilikootu Mandapam (hall of parrots) where some beautiful sculptures as well as parrots that chant the name of Meenakshi can be seen. The shrine dedicated to the goddess is just beyond this hall and entry is restricted only to Hindus. Within the temple is located an art gallery. The gallery contains beautiful stone and brass images and some fine examples of South Indian scripts and friezes.