Madurai Travel
Location
- Tamil Nadu
Historical Significance - Remained The Capital Of
Pandayan Empire Till 14th Century.
Main Attractions - Meenakshi Temple, Koodal Azhagar
Temple, Thirumalai Nayak Mahal
Festive Attractions - Meenakshi Kalyanam In April-May And
The Teppam Festival
Madurai or the "city of nectar" is the oldest and second largest
city of Tamil Nadu. This city is located on Vaigai River and was the capital
of Pandyan rulers till the 14th century. The Pandyan king, Kulasekhara had
built a gorgeous temple around which he created a lotus shaped city.
Mythology says when city was being named; Lord Shiva blessed the city and
its people. On the auspicious occasion some Divine nectar ("Madhu")
fell from the matted locks of Shiva and hence the city was named "Madhurapuri".
This sacred town of south attracts thousands of pilgrims and visitors from
India as well as abroad.
Madurai's Pilgrimage - Meenakshi Temple :
The life of Madurai revolves around the Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple.
This magnificently carved temple is the main attraction of Madurai and its
huge Gopurams towers over the city. Meenakshi temple has a thousand pillared
'Mandapam'. Precisely there are 985 pillars and each of them is delicately
and exquisitely carved. Among these are the musical pillars, which produce
music when tapped. Surprisingly, these musical pillars are carved out of a
single granite rock. The temple has been a hub of Tamil culture and has been
sponsoring literature, art, music, and dance in the region for a long time.
The temple also has an art museum. The city apart from temple is crammed
with shops, street markets and temples, pilgrims choultries, hotels and
restaurants. Though Madurai is considered as pilgrimage but it has also
developed as a business centre and is famed for its traditional handicrafts
in bronze and brass.
Prime Attractions :
Meenakshi Amman Temple - An excellent example of
Dravidian Architecture, the Meenakshi Temple attracts devotees from all over
India and Tourist from all over the world. One can climb to the southern
Gopuram of the temple to get a great view of the city.
Koodal Azhaar Temple - One of the most ancient temples in
Madurai, Koodal Azhagar temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. In this temple
he is seen in various postures sitting, standing, reclining one over the
other. There are intricate woodcarvings in here, including one of Lord
Rama's coronation.
Vandiyur Kanmoy Tourist Complex - This is an ideal picnic
spot with TTDC providing boathouses restaurants services.
Thirumalai Nayak Mahal - This palace is an excellent
example of Indo-Sarcenic architecture. It was built in 1523 AD and
originally was four times larger than what it is today. The gardens, the
defensive wall all have gone and what remains are the main entrance gate,
the dancing hall and the main hall. Lord Napier renovated the palace in
1866-72 and later further restoration works were carried on. Today, the main
attraction of the palace is light and sound show, which is based on the life
of "Tirumalai Nayak" and "Silapathikaram".
Vanditur Mariamman Teppakulam - This huge tank is covers
an area equal to the six of Meenakshi temple. Tirumalai Nayak built it in
1646. It is said that channels from the Vaigai River connect the tank.
Today, this tank remains empty for most of the year except during the Teppam
Festival.
The Gandhi Museum - The museum was initially the palace
of Rani Mangammal. It gives a clear account of the history of Independence
movement of India. This museum also tells some little known facts about
Gandhiji but the real piece of Gandhi Memorabilia is the blood stained
Dhoti, which he was wearing at the time of his assassination. The local
government museum is also situated over here. The small bookshop offers
plenty of reading material from Gandhiji's works.
Thirupparankundram - This is one of the abodes of Lord
Sundareshwara, a rock cut temple carved out of a mountain, just 8-km from
the city.
Azhagar Koil - This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu
and is located 18-km northeast of Madurai on a picturesque hilltop. The gold
image of Azhagar travels for the Celestial marriage during the Chithirai
festival.
Pazhamudhirsolai - On the same hills of Azhagar Koilthis
is again one of the six abodes of Lord Subramanya.
Excursions
:
Vaigai Dam - Vaigai dam is surrounded by well-manicured
gardens and has come up as a popular picnic spots, just 70-km from Madurai.
Kodaikkanal - One of the best hill stations in India and
one of the few in South India, Kodaikkanal or Kodai is a very beautiful
place near Madurai. It takes just 121-km of travel to reach Kodai. Kodai is
located 2,130 m above the sea level in the Western Ghats.
Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary - One of the well-known
wildlife sanctuaries in the south, Periyar sanctuary attracts a large number
of nature lovers every year. Also called the Tekkadi wildlife sanctuary,
this place is appropriate to watch and observe the animals in their natural
habitat. The forest of this sanctuary slope into the man made lake at the
bottom of the hill
Megamalai - The tea estates on the slopes of the Western
Ghats nestles Megamalai. This lovely place is bound to capture your
imagination. Good place to stay and enjoy a lovely surrounding. One can also
watch the animals roaming in the forest, which are close to Megamalai, Just
130-km from Madurai.
Suruli Falls - 123-km from Madurai city is Suruli falls,
which are located in a picturesque area. It is an ideal spot and an
excellent picnic spot to spend one day.
Courtallam - Courtallam is located about 167-km on the
Western Ghats and is an excellent health resort in this part of the country.
This place is also known as the 'Spa of the South'. Courtallam is located
just 160-km from Madurai. This place has got nine splendid waterfalls, which
attracts a large number of visitors. TTDC offers here a boathouse
accommodation apart from the restaurant.
Palani - 118-km from Madurai is the temple dedicated to
Lord Subramanyam. The temple is located on top of a hill 180 meter high. The
temple attracts many devotees and people coming to Madurai do not miss
visiting Palani. From the hill top one gets an excellent view of the nearby
area.
Viraganur Dam - This ideal picnic spot is located just
8-km from Madurai.
Kumbakkarai Water Falls - This place serves as the base
camp for the trekkers who venture in the hills of Kodai. Kumbakkarai Water
Falls are 105-km from Madurai and form an excellent picnic spot. Waterfall
surrounded by forests combined with the pristine beauty of the hills creates
a very soothing atmosphere.
How to get there ?
Air - Madurai has its own airport and there are flights,
which connect the city with Chennai, Tiruchirappalli. The airline services
have at least one flight daily from Madurai to Chennai. From there one can
take flight to anywhere in India.
Rail - Madurai has one of the major railway junctions of
South India. It is connected with the all the major tourist as well as
religious places in Tamil Nadu. Though there are not many trains, which
connect the city with major cities of India such as, Madurai is easily
accessible from any part of the nation.
Road - There are good motorable roads, which connect
this, second largest city of Tamil Nadu with other parts of the state as
well as other places in India. Madurai has five bus stands, which cater to
the needs of the people.
Madurai has got a wide range of accommodation, varying from reasonable ones
to luxurious that cater for the flocks of pilgrims and tourists. Most of the
reasonable places to stay are located at Town Hall Road and West Perumal
Maistry Street, not far from the railway station.
Other Tourist Info :
Fairs & Festivals - Most important festival of
Madurai is the sacred wedding ceremony of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord
Sundareshwar. This festival is held during March -April. During this
festival the city displays a colourful and joyous mood. Images of the divine
couple are taken around the city in a tastefully decorated chariot, amidst
the presence of a huge gathering of devotees. The notes of Nadaswaram and
drums further aggravate the festive ambience.
The annual float festival marks the images of Meenakshi and her consort
floating on the Mariamman tank on an illuminated raft bedecked with flowers.
As such there are festivals throughout the year in Madurai. All most 11 big
annual festivals are celebrated in Madurai, which are spread through the
year with exception of the monsoon months.
Shopping - Madurai has been a textile center since ages.
The streets and lanes are lines with shops and tailors offering readymade as
well as fabric material manufactured in Madurai. The Puthu Mandapam, an old
pillared hall along the entrance to Meenakshi temple is popular among the
visitors and locals for the cotton fabric and the Batiks. The lovely
Sungundi Sarees are in great demand among Indian women. Collectors are
delighted to have the Brass lamps from Madurai.
Premier shopping areas are Chithirai, Avanimoola, Puthumandapam and
Thevangu Chetty Choultry. The handicrafts Emporiums of the states are also
here, which offer a varied range of handicrafts from all over the India.
Climate - The climate of Madurai is warm. The temperature
seldom comes below 20° C even during the winters. The rainfall is very
frequent and spread throughout the year, just like the flow of pilgrims and
tourists is the same during the year.
Population - About 1.23 Million
Nearby Cities -
» Coimbatore - 227km
» Rameshwara- 173km
» Kanyakumari - 253km
» Tekkadi - 137km
» Courtalam - 160km
» Kodaikkanal - 121km
Mahabalipuram Travel
Temple
Town Of Tamil Nadu :
Located at a distance of 58-km from Chennai, Mahabalipuram has everything
that makes a site memorable; tradition, history, piety, western annals, and
current importance as a centre of tourism.
Name Of The Site :
The proper name of the site is "Mamallapuram", after Mamalla, an
honorific of the Pallava king, Narasimha Varman I (630-668), who created the
earliest of its monuments. But it is popularly called "Mahabalipuram",
or "The city of Bali", whom Lord Vishnu chastised for his pride
and of whom there is a relief in one of the excavated temples here.
About Mahabalipuram :
The history of Mahabalipuram dates back to two thousand years, it contains
nearly forty monuments of different types including an "open air bas
relief" which is the largest in the world, for centuries it has been a
centre of pilgrimage, it figures in the early annals of the British search
for the picturesque in India in the 18th century, today it attracts shoals
of foreigners in search of relaxation and sea bathing, and most strange of
all, it has an atomic power plant for neighbour. A small library has been
written on it. Over its history and that of its monuments a number of
scholarly controversies rage.
Mahabalipuram was already a centre of pilgrimage when, in the 7th century
Mamalla made it a seaport and began to make temples fashioned of rock. It
was through Mahabalipuram that many Indian colonists, who included sages and
artists, migrated to Southeast Asia. Sri Lanka's national chronicle, the "Mahavamsa"
testifies to this fact.
Mahabalipuram - A Classical Site Of Indian Historical
Archaeology
When the first British visitors went to Mahabalipuram in the eighteenth
century, they found the monuments under sand, a few completely so. It must
have fallen into neglect after the fall of the Vijayanagar Empire or, at
least, Vijayanagar authority. It had prospered under the Cholas and their
successors until about the seventeenth century. Europe knew of it as early
as the 13th century when, following Marco Polo's visit, it appears in the
Catalan Map of 1275.
The first European to mention it directly, but with no personal knowledge,
of it, did so in 1582. The first English visitor was William Chambers in
1788. Following this, earnest antiquarians from Madras puzzled over it. One
of them, Colin Mackenzie, dug out some of the monuments from sand and
deputed assistants to collect its traditions and coins. In this way
Mahabalipuram became one of the classical sites of Indian historical
archaeology.
How to get there ?
Air - Chennai (58-km) is the nearest airport with both
domestic and international terminus. Chennai is connected with all the major
places in India through the numerous domestic flights. International flights
operate from various parts of the world to Chennai.
Rail - The nearest railway stations are Chengalpattu
(29-km) and Chennai (58-km). From these stations one has to take road to
reach the Mahabalipuram.
Road - Buses are available from Pondicherry, Kanchipuram,
Chengalpattu and Chennai to Mahabalipuram daily. The road to Mahabalipuram
is good. Tourists can also hire a taxi from Chennai.
