Witness the Cultural Legacy and Resplendent Architecture on Madurai Travel

Adorning the state of Tamil Nadu, Madurai boasts of its rich cultural heritage. Madurai is among the most important cities of India. Famous for being the oldest inhabited city, Madurai tourism is a big hit with tourists. It holds the recognition for producing generations of creative people like artists and inventors.

History

According to legends, when the city was about to get a name, Lord Shiva blessed the city and its dwellers. On the propitious occasion, few drops of divine nectar fell from the tangled locks of Shiva and thus, the city got recognition as 'Madhurapuri'. On your Madurai travel, you will come to know several other legends related to the city. This holy town of South attracts many devotees from all across the world.

Temples in Madurai

Popularly referred as the 'Temple City' since the beginning of its name, Madurai is a cultural hub of South India. With its splendid architecture and sacred building, Madurai temple offers you tranquility during your visit. It is also the second largest city in Tamil Nadu.

Meenakshi Temple

Dedicated to goddess Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva, the Meenakshi Amman Temple is an important landmark of the city. Originally built by Kulasekara Pandya, the credit of building this temple goes to the Nayak dynasty. This is a twin temple, one is dedicated to Meenakshi and another to Lord Sundareswarar (Shiva).

Graced by 12 towers, which are known as 'Gopurams', this famous Madurai temple looks just spectacular. Rising to a height of 49 m, the Southern gopuram is the tallest one. The thousand-pillared hall boasts of the beautiful sculptures that leave the visitors fascinated.

Sprawled over an area of 45 acres, the temple also houses a hall, 'Kalyana Mandapa'. This is the place where the marriage celebration of Lord Shiva and the Goddess Parvati happens every year in April. Celebrated as a festival, called Meenakshi Thirukalyanam, the event beckons a large crowd of devotees to the temple. On your Madurai tour, do not forget to skip a visit to the temple.

Other Attractions

A famous Vishnu temple, called Koodal Azhagar Temple is another popular attraction of Madurai travel guide. Thirumalai Nayak Mahal is a magnificent palace that enables you to come across shrine, theater, armory, quarters, pond and garden while visiting this spectacular palace. Gandhi Museum is the most distinguished tourist attractions in Madurai. Here you can see paintings, manuscripts, photos and sculptures, used by Gandhiji. Known for the Pandyan rock-cut shrines, Thirupparankunram is another place to see on your Madurai tour.