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MADURAI
Madurai,
situated in southern Tamil Nadu, is a district with its headquarters in Madurai
city, on the banks of Vaigai river. Madurai is the second largest city in Tamil
Nadu. It is more than 2,500 year old and is an important cultural and commercial
centre, Madurai, once the seat of Tamil learning and still the place where Tamil
Language is spoken in its purest form, is an ancient city planned in the shape
of a lotus.
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Madurai Airport is 11 km from
the city centre. Madurai is well connected by Indian Airlines with Chennai and
Mumbai.
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Madurai is connected to all
major centres in the country by express trains. Some important trains touching
Madurai are : Vagai Express from Chennai, Pandyan Express from
Chennai, Nellai Express Tirunelvili - Madurai - Chennai, and Tirupati-Maurai
Express.
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Good motorable roads connect
Madurai with Chennai, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Kanyakumar, Rameshwaram,
Pondicherry etc.
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Some
important road distances from Madurai
| CHENNAI |
447 km |
BANGALORE |
427 km |
| COIMBATORE |
227 km |
KANYAKUMARI |
242
km
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| RAMESHWARAM
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167 km |
PONDICHERRY
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326 km |
Sri
Meenakshi Temple,
Madurai is synonymous with the Ssri Meenakshi Temple, dedicated
to Sir Meenakshi, the consort of Lord Shiva. The temple complex,
the main attraction at Madurai, is one of the biggest in India.
The five gopurams that surround the temple are
know for stucco work, and the 48.8 metre high southern gopuram
is the tallest. Legend has it that when the last Tamil Sangam
(Academy) met here, literary works were thrown into the temple
tank. Those that floated were deemed to be outstanding
literature, It is believed that the Kadasma tree under which
Lord Shiva meditated was the only one that covered this area,
Exquisite sculptures are to be found throughout the complex.
The
hall of thousand pillars is a museum of icons, photographs and
illustrations. Apart from being a very sacred spot for the
Hindus, the Meenakshi temple is one of the country's most
important tourist landmarks.
Thirumalai
Nayakar Mahal, It
is 1 km from Meenakshi Temple. The main attraction here are the
musical pillars and the pathway. A sound and light show is held
here every day depicting the Tamil classic of Silappathikaram.
The
Temple Art Museum,
This is located in the famous 'Ayirangal Mandapam'
(1000 pillared hall) and contains a good collection of objects
relating to the temple art and architecture.
Gandhi
Museum,
This museum is dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi's life and work and
is housed in the 300 year old Mangammal Palace. It has a
collection of Gandhi's personal memorabilia, books and letters,
a fine exhibition of South Indian village industries,
handicrafts and a huge open air theatre.
Koodal
Alagar Temple, The temple
devoted to Lord Vishnu is as old as Madurai itself with the Lord
represented in three type of poses - sitting, standing and
dancing one above the other, This is an unique feature in
temples construction.
Mariamman
Theppakulam, This was built in
1636. This huge temple tank is 5 km east of the Meenakshi
Temple. The mandapam enshrines Lord Vigneshwara. It is almost
equal in area to that of the Meenakshi Temple.
Shri
Satguru Sangeeta Samajam, The
temple was built in 1952. Lakshmi Sundaram Hall is a landmark in
Madurai both for architecture and drama, dance, music and other
performances.
Thiruparangundram,
This rockcut temple is one of the six abodes of Lord Subramanian
( the second son of Lord Shiva). Lord Subramanian is said to
have married Indira's daughter on this hill.
Alagarkoil,
Situated at 21 km away from Madurai. It is at the foot of Alagar
Hills. This is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
The
main markets are all located around Meenakshi Temple, that is, on Chithirai,
Avanimoola and Masi streets. Popular items include silk and cotton sarees,
jewellery and wood carvings.
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HERITAGE |
STANDARD |
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Taj
Garden Retreat |
Madurai
Sangam |
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Madura
Park Inn |
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For
further information and reservation please contact
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