Madurai

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Meenakshi Temple

View of the city

Madurai, the second largest city in Tamil Nadu, is known for its world renowned Meenakshi Temple. This temple is famous for its intricate carvings and scriptures. The city of Madurai is situated at the bank of river Vaigai and boasts of a rich culture and heritage. More than 2,500 years old, it is one of the most ancient cities of India. Once the capital of Pandya kings, Madurai is considered to have been built by Pandyan King Kulasekara, in the 6th century BC.

Madurai is a major city in Tamil Nadu and home to the Meenakshi Temple. It is also known as the Temple City of India. You can find temples in almost every street in Madurai. The city is called "Thoongaa Nagaram", which means Sleepless City. You can find coffee/tea shops open at almost any time of day and night.

Madurai is one of the oldest cities of India and was ruled by Pandya kings over most of its history. The city is famous for is rich heritage and promoting Tamil language through "Sangams".

The city has been in existence since about 4th century B.C and is mentioned in ancient texts of Greeks, Romans and Arabs. The Meenakshi Amman temple situated in the heart of the city is famous, and there are a number of temples in and around the city.

The "Maha Kumbabhishekam" of the temple was performed in April 2009 after the renovation (re-painting) work on the gopurams(towers) of the temple. It is usually performed once every 14 years or more.

There are numerous remarkable sculptures on the gopurams as well as inside the premises of the temple. Look out for the "yaali", a mythical creature similar to a dragon on the pillars in the 'pragaram' of the temple.

Also, keep looking at the ceiling to catch a glimse of the beautiful ancient paintings that adorn them

Madurai is also an important transit point for travelers bound south and also a local commercial hub.


By air :

Madurai has a domestic airport with fairly good facilities. It is served by several domestic airlines including

* Jet Airways
* Indian Airlines
* Kingfisher Red(formerly Air Deccan)
* Paramount Airways
* Madurai Airport

The flights connect mainly to Chennai (Madras).

The airport is about 15 km from the city off National Highway 47. It is best to hire a "pre-paid taxi" from the airport from the counter in the arrival lounge or arrange for someone to meet you at the airport.

Work is in progress to make it an international airport.


By train :

Trains are the major mode of entry into the city. The railway station is centrally located and many facilities are accessible from there. Madurai is well connected by trains to many parts of India like Chennai , Bangalore, Mumbai (Bombay), and Delhi. A train journey from Chennai takes 8 to 10 hours and is the preferred railhead. Train tickets can be booked from Indian Railways' reservation centers or online from IRCTC.


By road :

Madurai is situated on National Highways NH-7, NH-45B, NH-49. Almost all of them are presently being upgraded to multi-lane ways as part of National highway development program. Travel from Chennai and Bangalore will take approximately 8-10 hours.

The city is well connected by buses to all major cities in Tamil Nadu via state government operated and private buses. Buses also ply from important cities in the neighboring states of Kerala (Ernakulam, Trivandram) and Karnataka(Bangalore, Mysore). There are lots of ordinary buses and many luxury ones too.

Madurai has several bus stands. Most inter-state and overnight buses terminate at Mattuthavani Bus stand. Private buses are found closer to the city center near Periyar bus stand. Ticketing and reservation facilities are available at the bus-stands.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Madurai




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