Madurai Culture,Places to visit in Madurai,Food in Madurai,Where to eat in Madurai, Where to stay in Madurai, Festivals in Madurai.

2. MEENAKSHI AMMAN TEMPLE
Hindu Temple : Ancient, walled,
Hindu place of worship with
sacred water tank and colourful,
sculpted gate towers.
Address : Madurai Main,
Madurai, Tamil Nadu 625001,
India
Phone : +91 452 234 4360
Meenakshi Amman Temple is a historic Tamil Hindu temple located on the
southern bank of the Vaigai River in the temple city of Madurai, Tamil
Nadu, India. It is dedicated to Parvati, known as Meenakshi, and her
consort, Shiva, here named Sundareswarar. The temple forms the heart and
lifeline of the 2,500-year-old city of Madurai and is a significant symbol for
the Tamil people, mentioned since antiquity in Tamil literature. Though most of
the present structure was built between 1623 and 1655 CE.[ It is said that the
temple was originally built in the 6th century BC by survivors of the Kumari
Kandam.

3. Must see in Meenakshi Amman Temple
The Thousand Pillar Temple or
Rudreshwara Swamy Temple[1] is a
historic Hindu temple located in the town of
Hanamakonda, Telangana State, India.[2]
It is dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Surya.
Thousand Pillar Temple, along with
"Warangal Fort" and "Ramappa Temple"
are added to the tentative list of World
Heritage sites recognised by UNESCO.[3]
The area of this tank is 1 acre. It's length is
240' and breadth 165'. The salient feature of
this tank is that it is older than the temple. It is
said that the "Moola Lingam" was found in
this tank by Dhananjaya. Statues of
Dhananjeya and Kulasekara Pandiya are
carved on the pillar in the northern side of the
tank. Since, the Petals of the Lotus Flowers in
the tank appeared gold, this tank was named
as "Potramarai Kulam" (which means Golden
Lotus Tank).

4. GANDHI MUSEUM
Gandhi Memorial Museum,
established in 1959, is a memorial
museum for Gandhi located in the
city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, India.
Known as Gandhi Museum, it is now
one of the five Gandhi Sanghralayas
in the country.
Address : Tallakulam, Madurai,Tamil Nadu 625020, India
Opening Time : 10AM–1PM, 2–5:45PM
Phone : +91 452 253 1060
Visual Biography of Gandhiji contains 124 rare photographs depicting various
phases of Gandhi from his childhood days until being taken to
the crematorium. The pictures displayed here are carefully selected making
viewers remember the importance of a national leader, who lived his life as an
example to all.

5. ALAGARKOIL TEMPLE
Alagar koyil is a village in Madurai district in the South Indian state of Tamil
Nadu. The history and living of the village is centered around Kallazhagar
Temple. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is
glorified in the Divya Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil canon of
the Azhwar saints from the 6th–9th centuries AD. It is one of the
108 Divyadesam dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Kallazhagar and
his consort Lakshmi as Thirumamagal.

6. THIRUMALAI NAYAKAR MAHAL
Thirumalai Nayak Palace is a 17th-century
palace erected in 1636 AD by
King Thirumalai Nayak, a king of Madurai's
Nayaka dynasty who ruled Madurai from
1623–59, in the city of Madurai, India. This
Palace is a classic fusion of Dravidian and
Rajput styles. The building, which can be
seen today, was the main Palace, in which
the king lived. In its heyday, Tirumalai
Nayak Palace at Madurai was considered
to be one of the wonders of the South. This
palace is situated 2 km south east of
the Meenakshi Amman Temple. The
Palace is located in the eastern side of the
city, around 1.2 km South East of
the Meenakshi Amman Temple in the city
of Madurai. Madurai being a popular tourist
center is well connected by railways and
has daily flights to Colombo (Sri
Lanka), Mumbai Banglore and Chennai.

7. General information about MAHAL
Architectural style Dravidian
Town or city Madurai
Country India
Coordinates 9.914881°N
78.124326°ECoordinates: 9.914881°N
78.124326°E
Construction started circa 1620's
Client King Thirumalai Nayak of Madurai
Owner Archaeological Survey of India, Government of
Tamil Nadu
Technical details
Structural system Indo Saracenic Dravidian Architecture.
Design and construction
Architect Italian Architect hired

8. SAMANAR HILLS – JAIN BEDS
A geographic coordinate system is a
coordinate system used in geography that
enables every location on Earth to be
specified by a set of numbers, letters or
symbols.[n 1] The coordinates are often
chosen such that one of the numbers
represents a vertical position, and two or
three of the numbers represent a horizontal
position.
Common baselines
Common height baselines include
The surface of the datum ellipsoid, resulting in an ellipsoidal height
The mean sea level as described by the gravity geoid, yielding the orthometric
height
A vertical datum yielding a dynamic height relative to a known reference height.
Along with the latitude ϕ {displaystyle phi } and longitude λ {displaystyle
lambda } , the height h {displaystyle h} provides the three-dimensional
geodetic coordinates or geographic coordinates for a location.

9. Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam
Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam is
the pond located near to Vandiyur
Mariamman Temple and situated at a
distance of about 2 km from the
Meenakshi Amman Temple. Literally,
Teppakulam means temple pond
mainly used for devotional festivals.
The tank is connected to Vaigai River through an ingenious system
of underground Channels. It has total of 12 long stairs (steps) made
of granite on all four sides. The temple as well as the stairs was
built by the King Thirumalai Nayak. In the centre of the tank there
is a Madapam called Maiya Mandapam (Central Mandapam) with
Vinayakar temple and garden.

10. Festivals in Madurai.
Pongal ( Harvest festival)
Jallikattu(Taming the Bull)
Chithirai Festival.
Avanimoolam Festival.
Navarathri ( Nine nights) festival.
Vinayagar Chathurthi
Diwali
Christmas

11. Madurai Culture
Madurai CultureMadurai is an example of cultural diversity. Owing to its glorious past,
the richness of its culture is visible in everything. This includes its architectural
majesty, customs and traditions, religious sanctity, magnificent art work, handicrafts,
ballads, folk dances, dramas, songs, festivals and ceremonies. The city has very-well
blended its ancient cultural heritage, with the fast paced technological advancements.
Madurai is expanding rapidly and is one the major commercial centers of South India.
The growing number of educational institutions and industries in Madurai are live
examples of its progress.
Religion
The major religion of the people of Madurai is Hinduism. There is also an evident
number of Jains, Muslims and Christians in the city. Madurai is an ideal example of
unity in diversity. With people following different religions there is no clash amongst
communities.
Language
The main language spoken by the people of Madurai is Tamil. It is spoken in its pure
form. The Sourashtra language is spoken by the people of Sourashtra community,
which is significantly present in the city. People also speak a host of other regional
languages like Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and Urdu. English, being an important
international language, is widely spoken by the educated people of Madurai.

12. How to reach Madurai
Madurai’s recorded history goes
back to the 3rd century BC. It is
mentioned by Megasthenes, the
Greek ambassador to India as
well as Kautilya. The Meenakshi
Sundareswarar Temple is the
geographical center and the
fulcrum around which the daily life
of the locals revolve. The original
temple was ransacked by the
Muslim invader Malik Kafur in
1310 and the present structure is
believed to have been built
between 1623 and 1655 CE.
With motorcycle major TVS group, IT and IT-enabled services majors like
Satyam, textile industries and industrial units connected with automobiles
located here, Madurai is far more than just a temple town. The city also exports
its famed jasmine flowers known as Madurai Malligai.

13. BEST PLACES TO STAY & EAT IN MADURAI
Madurai has accommodation for all
budgets. Most of the budget hotels
are located close to the railway station,
some are located close to the Meenakshi
temple. Being a small city, travel should not
be a concern. Most of the mid-range and
luxury hotels are located within a 10 km
radius of the airport. Summers tend to be
hot so it is advisable to book air
conditioned rooms.

14. BEST FOODS TO EAT IN MADURAI
Living up to its sobriquet, the city that never
sleeps, hotels, shops and markets in
Madurai are open 24×7. The city offers
some unique flavored drinks like
Jigarthanda and Paruthi Pal. Unlike in
several pilgrimage towns, restaurants in
Madurai also serve non-vegetarian food.
But sample non-vegetarian dishes at your
own risk because they tend to be very
spicy.
Vegetarians need not despair. Eateries
serving authentic Iyengar style meals and
breakfast can also be found easily in the
city. Some restaurants also offer
Rajasthani thalis. Chinese, Continental and
Chettinad cuisine can be savored in
addition to the ubiquitous south Indian
specialties.

15. ST.MARY’S CATHEDRAL
St. Mary’s Cathedral Church is located on
the East Veli Street in Madurai. Situated
within 2 km towards south-east direction
of Madurai Railway Station, this church is
one of the oldest Roman Catholic churches
in India. It attracts lots of tourists owing to
its European and Continental style
architecture.
The church encompasses bell towers which
are Roman in style and are 42 m high.
Furthermore, it was found in the year 1840
and dedicated to Viagulamatha, who was
known as Viagulamatha Koil. The church
was rebuilt again in 1916 and in 1938 the
bishop’s throne was installed. The church
was elevated to the status of cathedral in
1969.
Address: East Veli St,
Mahalipatti, Balarengapuram,
Madurai, Tamil Nadu 625001,
India
Phone: +91 452 233 2832

16. KUTLADAMPATTI FALLS
Kutladampatti Falls is a waterfall located in
the village of Kutladampatti near Vadipatti
in Madurai district about 30 km (19 mi)
northwest of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India.[1]
The waterfallfall is in a reserve forest
managed by the Tamil Nadu Forest
Department.[2] The water falls from a
height of about 27 metres (89 ft).[2]
Tourists from Madurai can take a direct bus from the Periyar bus stand. Tourists
may also come via Vadipatti, travelling by bus number 71. The falls are 8 km
(5.0 mi) from Vadipatti. State Mini bus services are available from the Vadipatti
bus stand. The number of tourist visits peaks from September to February.
Public transportation was instituted following some serious media coverage in
the early 2000s. Construction of pavement and steps leading to the falls was
undertaken by the local administration. Many Maduraites spend their weekends
at the falls

17. ATHISAYAM WATER THEME PARK
Address: Paravai, Madurai -
Dindigul Main Road,
Madurai, Tamil Nadu
625402, India
Phone: +91 452 246 3850
Opening Time : 10:30AM–
6:30PM
Excitement on land and adventure in water.
Athisayam, the ultimate in family fun, is a several
acre Water Amusement Park located in Madurai,
TamilNadu, India. Athisayam has grown over the
last five years to become the largest in the area
(Athisayam was born on 2000). The Waterpark
has sports rides for everyone from the thrill
seeker in you to the more relaxed family
attractions. Athisayam is just 20 minutes
drive from Madurai (to keep peoples in peace and
away from city pollution and noise) . The fun
begins at 10:00 AM when the gates open and you
enter the "Queen of Indian Theme Parks". You
will enjoy the wide variety of water games and
rides. Visit our exciting Madurai Courtallam to
experience the fun. Bring your camera fully
loaded as there is enough food for your cameras
in our park.

18. NO – 7 , KAMARAJAR NAGAR 3RD STREET
CHINNACHOKKIKULAM
MADURAI - 625002