Situated on the banks of river Vaigai, Madurai has a rich cultural heritage passed on from the great Tamil era more than 2500 years old. Madurai was an important cultural and commercial centre even as early as 550 AD. It was the capital city for the great Pandya kings. The city is constructed in the form of a lotus and is known as lotus city too.
Chennai may be the capital of Tamil Nadu, but Madurai claims its soul. Madurai is Tamil born and Tamil rooted, one of the oldest cities in India, a metropolis that traded with ancient Rome and was a great capital long before Chennai was even dreamed of. The place has a great cultural heritage and strong mythological history to be passed on to the coming generations.
Madurai is known by several names such as Koodal nagaram (City of Junctions), Malligai maanagar (City of Jasmine), Koil maanagar (Temple city), Thoonga nagaram (City that never sleeps) and Naanmada koodal (junction of four towers that refers here to the four major temples that Madurai was known for) among others. Madurai’s recorded history goes back to the 3 rd century BC. It is mentioned by Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador to India as well as Kautilya.
Most of the famous tourist places in the city includes temples. Cab booking in Madurai is extremely convenient and will ferry you around this beautiful city. Some of the popular tourist attractions are as follows-
Madurai Temple
Meenakshi Amman Temple – This is a historic Hindu temple located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River, Madurai, Tamil Nadu. It is primarily dedicated to Goddess Parvati, known as Goddess Meenakshi, and her spouse, Lord Shiva. That makes this temple different than the others is the fact that both God and Goddess are worshipped together. The wonderful architecture of the place is amongst the Seven Wonders of the World and the construction is highly minute with great art pieces incorporated in the walls and pillars of the temple.
Alagar Koil
Alagar Koil is an exquisite temple situated in the north east of Madurai. The temple is the rest place of Lord Vishnu and is the sacred place for several followers of Lord Vishnu in the region.
Gandhi Museum
Gandhi Museum houses Gandhi’s blood stained dhoti and some other artefacts. Those who wish to know more about the freedom struggle, though, will be interested in the extensive text housed here.
Pazhamudhir Solai
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Pazhamudhir Solai is a beautiful temple created in the memory of Lord Subramaniya who is worshipped by several people in southern India. It has great sculptures of Lord Subramaniya carved in wood and marble and is a wonderful temple with giant steps in the front of it.
Thirumalai Nayak Mahal
Thirumalai Nayak Mahal was constructed way back in the 17 th century. Several buildings and temples had been constructed by him in the region and they have all been splendid both in terms of construction location and spirituality.
Although the city is extremely beautiful by itself one might want to visit the outskirts or other nearby cities. Madurai outstation cabs would drive you to the nearby cities and can be easily booked with one call. One of the most popular get away is Rameshwaram. One can avail Madurai to Rameshwaram taxi with ease to travel the 170 km distance.
Rameshwaram is located on a beautiful island in the lower side of India. Lord Shiva too is worshipped in this place. Renowned for its magnificent prakaras with massive sculptured pillars on either side, The Ramanathaswamy Temple houses the longest corridor in the world. Agniteertham is famous for its sacred waters and Pilgrims perform poojas in honour of their ancestors at this seashore. The Five faced Lord Hanuman Temple holds the floating stone which was used to build the bridge between India and Sri Lanka.