The Beautiful City of Madurai
Madurai, the third largest populated city of the state Tamil Nadu has a significant ancient background. This place has many historical monuments and is also one of the major educational and industrial hubs of the Tamil Nadu state. There are many famous educational institutes here which include Madurai Medical College, Homeopathic Medical College, Law College, Agricultural College and Research Institute. The city of Madurai is famous for its beautiful Meenakshi temple.
The History of Madurai
Madurai has a huge historical background as the city was inhabited since the 3rd century. Many empires and rulers have ruled here, which include the Pandyas, Kalabhra dynasty, Cholas, Vijaynagri Empire, Nayak Rule, Madurai Sultanate, Carnatic Kingdom and The British. The world famous Meenakshi temple situated here was built by the government of British rulers. N.M.R Subbaraman and Mohammad Ismail Sahil were the leaders of Independence movement from this city. The municipality of this city was formed in the year 1866.
The culture of the city
Madurai is a city that never sleeps. The native language of this place is Thoonga Nagaram. The major festivals of this city are the Meenakshi Tirukkalyanam, the Chittirai festival and the car festival which are celebrated with the abundance of joy and happiness. The richness of this city is seen in every single thing like the magnificent artworks, handicrafts, ballads, folk dances, songs, festivals and much more. The religion followed by the natives of Madurai is Hinduism but the language spoken by them is Tamil. The other languages used by the people of this city include Malayalam, Urdu, Telugu, English, and Hindi. This alluring city is an ideal example of unity in diversity.
The Natural Resources
The major part of the town is largely occupied with agriculture. Madurai city rests on the flat and fertile plain of the river ‘Vaigai’. Paddy is the crop that is majorly grown here. The other crops grown here are sugarcane, oilseeds, cotton, and pulses. The minerals found from this city include granite, graphite, limestone, silica sand, barites, and tungsten. These minerals are also exported to the other parts of the country. The state of Tamil Nadu contributes 70% of tanned leather and 28% of leather footwear to the whole nation. Bananas, Mangoes, Rubber, Sugarcane, Tapioca, and good quality of flowers are available in this city.
Tour in the City
Madurai is very famous for its rich and regal heritage. A few must-visit places are:
- Sri Meenakshi Amman Temple: This temple is a prime attraction of this place. The temple has a mystic architecture where the halls have more than 1000 pillars. There are a few halls where the worshipping goes on for the whole day. The temple also has beautiful historic things.
- Samanar Hills: This is a place where one can get to see the beauty of nature and find peace. From the top of this place, you can have a look of the whole city of Madurai. The place has some caves and sculptures which is one of the major tourist attraction here. Also, there is a cool and picturesque spot where there is a beautiful waterfall.
The other places to visit around this place include Gandhi Memorial Museum, Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal, and Alagar Koyil which fascinates the people who visit this city.
Madurai has a well facilitated international/domestic airport which has direct flights for Sri Lanka and Dubai. The closest metro city from Madurai is Chennai. The other way to reach here is railways which are connected to almost all the major metro cities of India. The local transportation in the city includes the cab, buses, and auto rickshaws.
Political and Economic Scenario
Madurai is administered by the Municipal Corporation of Madurai. After Chennai, it is the second oldest Municipal Corporation of the state. General, Engineering, Revenue, Public Health, Town planning and the Computer Wing are the six departmental parts of the Municipality. The commissioner supervises all these departments. To contribute the economy of Madurai the cotton crop and paddy rice are grown here. The supplementary income of farmers includes pottery, brick-making, poultry farming and carpentry. There are more than 2000 farmers who sell flowers in the city of Madurai on daily basis. The city is well known for its Jasmine plantations called Madurai Malli by the locality. There are a few rubber and automobile industries here. With the passage of time, few IT and software companies have started flourishing.
Tourism at this destination
This place is almost 3,500 years old and is one of the most beautiful and adorable places in Tamil Nadu. People visit this place throughout the year from different parts of the country and outside country to see the beauty of this place. There is a huge historic importance of this place and magnificent culture and heritage. The famous Meenakshi temple and its glory for which it is considered to be the world-famous tourist attraction, Phutu Mandapam a market full of jewelry, vessels, handicrafts, fabrics, a number of palaces, are the major attractions here in Madurai. Another famous market here is of bananas which have various kinds and categories of bananas. Also, there is a great museum of Gandhiji who helped with getting independence at this place. Here people can experience the rich taste of south-Indian cuisine. It is a perfect place for family, kids, and friends for having fun and peace.
A popular place to see in Madurai, Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam is associated with the Vandiyur Mariamman Temple. A temple pond complex with a man-made island in the middle, it is primarily used for religious purposes. Located only 2 km from the famous Meenakshi Sundareswara Temple, it also attracts hordes of devotees. Considered as one of the largest temple tanks not only in Tamil Nadu but in South India, this temple tanks receives its water from the River Vaigai.
Built in 1645 AD during the rule of Thirumalai Nayak, this temple pond is surrounded by granite steps on all the four sides while in the middle a Vigneshwara Temple is located, which is dedicated to Lord Vinayaka/ Lord Ganesha. These long stairs around the pond along with the temple were built by King Thirumalai Nayak.
There is a legend behind Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam. According to the legend, to build Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal sand was dug out of this tank to get the soil for creating bricks. Owing to this the palace is considered to be a blessed one. During the digging process, an idol of Lord Ganesh was unearthed. The same idol has been enshrined in the temple. This area was later turned into Teppakulam, which is connected to River Vaigai through underground channels.
This place gain a livelier aura filled with spirituality during the month of January or February when the temple festival, Teppoothsavam / float festival is celebrated. This festival is said to have been celebrated since the reign of King Thirumalai Nayak. This festival is organized to celebrate the birthday of King Thirumalai Nayak. During the festival the temple is lit with thousands of lamps. It is celebrated on a full moon night. The site of this beautiful temple glittering with lights, reflection of lights on the water with deities arriving at the tank to participate in the festival is incomparable. Idols of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar are also brought here during the festival. Devotees from all across the country come for a Madurai tour during this time to witness this mesmerizing scene here.
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