General Information
India with its traditional and diversified culture stands unique in the south of Asia and attracts many visitors from abroad. Nearly 19 languages are spoken in India. Though Hinduism is the main religion, others like Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Christianity, Islam and Judaism are also practiced. India has the second largest population in the world, which recently crossed the 1 billion mark. There are numerous places of interest in India. India saturates the senses, from the tropical backwaters to the towering Himalayan peaks.

Tamil Nadu, situated in Southern India is the home of Dravidian art and culture, characterized by the amazingly ornate temples with their soaring towers known as gopurams. Chennai, (Madras)‘The Gateway to South’, is the state capital.

About Madurai
One of South India's well-known temple towns, Madurai is synonymous with the celebrated Meenakshi Temple. Situated on the banks of river Vaigai, Madurai has a rich cultural heritage passed on from the great Tamil era more than 2500 years ago. Madurai was an important cultural and commercial centre even as early as 550 AD. Its origin and name emerge from the myths of a lovely legend. In a forest near the lotus pond, Indra, King of Gods, worshipped Lord Siva as a Swayambu Lingam. At this hallowed spot the Pandiyan monarch, Kulasekhra, built a great temple and by clearing the forest, created a lotus-shaped city around the temple. On the day the city was to be named, as Lord Shiva blessed the land and its people, divine nectar (Madhu) was showered on the city from his matted locks. This city was henceforth known as Madhurapuri. Madhurapuri grew and prospered to become the capital of the Pandiyan Kingdom. It is referred to in the Ramayana and in Kautila’s Arthasashtra. Foreign travelers of ancient times also had heard of it. Madurai lies on the banks of the river Vaigai, andis famous today for the Meenakshi temple and the sweet smelling jasmine flowers. The temple and the old city are on the southern bank, while modern Madurai with its textile mills; engineering colleges and large university sprawl around.

Places of Interest in and around Madurai

In Madurai
In Madurai there are interesting places like the Meenakshi Amman Temple, Gandhi Museum, and other places nearby to be visited at weekends or evenings. Local travel agents can organize short trips, for example to Rameshwaram or Alagarkoil Temple. There are also periodic special events and festivals, which are announced by the Tamil Nadu Tourist Office or local newspapers, for example Jallikattu – Alanganallur, Pongal and classical dance or music concerts.

Meenakshi Amman Temple

Tirumalai Nayak Mahal

Gandhi Museum
Located at just a 10 minute walk from the Aravind Eye Hospital is the Gandhi Museum. The beautiful building in which the Gandhi Museum is now located has an historical background. The building was known as 'Tamukkam Bungalow' among the local people. The term 'Tamakkumu' or ' Tamagamu' is a telugu word meaning a 'summer house' or a building having a high roof supported by pillars without walls. The drawing room of the Tamukkam Bungalow which is constructed on the top of a square mound of earth about 5 metres high with a masonry dome of about 7 metres diameter was a great building. It is accepted as a building probably constructed by the Nayak Queen Rani Mangammal. This assumption is based on evidence in a letter written to her in 1700AD. Soon after the assassination of the "Father of the Nation", Mahatma Gandhi, in the year 1948, an appeal was issued to the public to raise funds to erect a suitable memorial to the Mahatma. The rich and poor vied with each other in contributing their mite and this made Gandhi Memorial Trust, New Delhi come into being.

The Gandhi Memorial Trust has allocated Ten Million Rupees for the purpose of setting up a Gandhi Memorial Museum in seven selected places in India, associated with the life of the Mahatma.

The Gandhi Memorial Museum at Madurai has been built and set up by Gandhi Smarak Nidhi. There are many places in South India that are important in relation to Gandhiji. He has visited Tamil Nadu 14 times, and Madurai city has a distinct place of its own. It was in Madurai in the year 1921, that Gandhiji adopted for the first time, the loin cloth as his mode of dress, which made him known throughout the world as "The Naked Fakir". It was in Madurai again that the doors of the great Meenakshi Amman Temple were thrown open to Harijans, thus winning a historic battle against "Untouchability". Gandhiji visited the Temple in the year 1946 along with Harijans as a triumph for the cause of Harijan Temple entry.

The building that houses the Gandhi Memorial Museum, Madurai is the historic Tamukkam Palace of Rani Mangammal of the Nayak dynasty, built about 1670 A.D. Later, this was occupied by the Nawab of Carnatic, the East India Company and a few others. Finally, the palace had remained for many years as the official residence of the District Collector of Madurai. It was in the year 1955 that the palace with about 13 acres of land was gifted by the Tamil Nadu State Government, to the Gandhi Smarak Nidhi for the purpose of housing the Gandhi Memorial Museum. Besides major renovation to the original building, a complete new wing was constructed for the library as also several other buildings and an open air theatre. This museum is worth seeing and gives a clear history of the independence of India.

Mariamman Teppakulam Tank
This is a huge temple tank about 5 kms east of the Meenakshi Temple. The mandapam in the centre has an idol of Vigneshwara (Vinayaka). This tank was said to have been dug by Tirumala Nayaka. It is the biggest tank of its kind in Tamil Nadu and one of the most imposing sights of Madurai when it is full of water. The Vinayaka idol was found when the earth was being dug out from here to build the Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal. So, the place attained sanctity and was converted into a teppakulam (tank). This enormous temple tank is fed by water brought from the Vagai through an ingenious system of underground Channels. King Thirumalai Nayak was born under the 'Poosa' Star Hence, in commemorating the birth of the king, Float Festival (Teppam) is held in this tank, in the Tamil Month 'Thai' (Jan/Feb). This festival is very colourful, and attracts thousands of tourists.

Azhagar Koil
This is a Vishnu temple located 21 kms north of Madurai on a picturesque wooded hill. Here, Vishnu presides as Meenakshi’s brother “Azhagar”. During the Chithirai festival in April/May, when the marriage of Meenakshi to Sundereshwarar is celebrated, Azhagar travels to Madurai for the wedding ritual.

Thiruparankundram
Thirupparankundram, 6 kms southwest of Madurai, is a small town known for its sacred granite hill. It is regarded as one of the six abodes of Lord Subramaniya.

It is a cave temple . Here Lord Muruga was wedded to Devayanai, daughter of Indra, after annihilating Surapadman.

There is a Rock cut temple here, built by the Pandyas in the 8th century. The temple is approached through a series of 17th and 18th century mandapas, at ascending levels, linked by stone steps.

In the temple there are separate shrines dedicated to Shiva, Ganapathy, Durga, Vishnu and other deities. At the entrance to the temple there are 48 pillars with artistic carvings. The mandapa at the entrance has typical Nayaka period pillars with horse and yalli riders, while portraits of Nayaka rulers are carved on the columns. The Rock-cut Temple of Subramaniya here is thronged with pilgrims on all days of special worship. Its innermost shrine is cut out of a solid rock.

The 14-day temple festival, in March/April, celebrates the victory of Murugan over the demon Suran, his coronation, and his subsequent marriage to Devayani.

Located 8 kms south of Madurai Junction, the temple here is one of the six abodes of Lord Subramanya. Its innermost shrine is cut out of solid rock.

Athisayam Theme Park
Located at a distance of 12 kms from Madurai (Dindigul road, Paravai). Athisayam theme park, the only one of its kind in this part of the region, promises you non-stop fun. World-class water sports offer plenty of exciting entertainment.

Around Madurai

Vaigai Dam
This is a popular picnic spot 70 kms from Madurai. Well laid out gardens on one side of dam is a prime attraction. On Sundays the dam is illuminated with an array of coloured lights.

Kanyakumari
It is known as “The Land’s End” of India, where the Bay of Bengal meets the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. This is a good place to watch the sunrise, sunset and the moonrise over the ocean. It also has a temple, a striking memorial to Gandhi and a good museum on Swami Vivekananda’s life. You could either travel by train or by hiring a taxi.

Coimbatore
Coimbatore is between 41/2 to 6 hours travel by train from Madurai. It has a very big ‘Landmark’ bookstore with a vast collection of children and adult books as well as Indian Print Stationery.

Kodaikanal
Kodai is an enchanting hill station 2130 m above sea level on the Western Ghats and 120kms from Madurai. Travel time is 3-4 hours. For trekking, Kodaikanal is an ideal place.

Ooty
A hill station bigger than Kodaikanal with an influx of new, modern development surrounding it, the old Ooty still manages to retain its charm and appeal. At an elevation of 2333 meters, Ooty makes for a great escape from the heat of the plains below. Hiking, horseback riding and rowing are the main attractions. There is also a beautiful botanical garden on the edge of the town, and peaceful St. Stephen’s Church that has views out over the town. The best way to get to Ooty is on the toy train (Blue Mountain Express) from Mettupalayam, which is 40 minutes from Coimbatore.

Thekkadi (Kerala)
Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is 155kms from Madurai. Situated in Kerala, the forest of this beautiful sanctuary slopes down to a manmade lake. From on-board motor launches one can view wildlife in their natural habitat. Elephant, gaur, sambhar, bear, even tgers and leopards come down to drink the water of the lake.

Cochin (Kerala)
The fascinating city of Cochin has a plethora of things to see including churches, winding streets crammed with 500 year old Portuguese homes, Chinese fishing nets, a Jewish community whose roots go back to the diaspora, a 16th century synagogue and a palace built by the Portuguese. The best way to get there is by hiring a taxi, which may cost you around Rs.3000 (US $70).

Backwaters Trip (Kerala)
Kerala is a labyrinth of lazily meandering backwaters. Sprinkled with traditional houseboats, country crafts, rural lifestyles and tranquility. It’s an intricate network of innumerable lagoons, lakes, canals, estuaries and the deltas of forty-four rivers that drain into the Arabian Sea. Kerala lives along these backwaters. They snake over the state physique, bestowing paddy fields with good harvests, and provide the whole village with drinking water and other facilities. The backwaters refer to the large inland lakes of Kerala. Today these backwaters act as vital water ways for the transport of people and produce. There are tourist cruises available from Allepey or Kollom running daily and you can choose to go one way only or return to where you started. A more expensive option is to hire a houseboat, but it is definitely worth the cost.

Ayurvedic Resort (Kerala)
A real treat for your body and mind is a trip to the Ayurvedic resort – An Indian style health place. Ayurveda (meaning life knowledge) is the traditional health science of India. At the resort you can have a variety of treatments including a general massage, various hot oil treatments, a medicated steam bath and a facial. There are also 7 to 28-day treatment packages designed for different illnesses or for general health care. Yoga classes are also held. One such resort is the somatheeram Ayurvedic Beach Resort located south of Kovalam. Set upon the hill overlooking a wide beach and the Arabian Sea are traditional style Kerala housing with Western amenities. A private beach and excellent restaurant with superb service are also available.

Megamalai
130 kms from Madurai, Megamalai lies 1500 m above sea level. One has to climb up from the Chinnamanur side. There are many cardomon estates and tea plantations in the hills. Wild animals like sambhar, elephant, tiger, cheetah, gaur and spotted deer are found amidst thick vegetation.

Coutrallam
Coutrallam the spa of the south is situated at an elevation of about 167 m on the Western Ghats in Tirunelveli Kattabomman District, 160 kms from Madurai. It has nine waterfalls. The water as it gushes through different herbs of the mountain absorbs their medicinal properties. A shower in the falls makes one’s body and spirit hale and healthy.

Rameswaram
Known as the ‘Varanasi of the South’, Rameswaram is a major pilgrim site for Hindus. With temples, shrines, and an incredible beach, it makes for a nice day or an overnight trip from Madurai. Bus tours leave at 7.00 am and return in the evening at 7.00 pm. Hiring a car and driver is also a good option. It takes four hours to get there and the drive itself is picturesque.