Madurai - Athens of the East

Madurai is a place where people often tend to visit. There are many places with national importance. It is also known as temple city. Madurai is situated on the banks of Vaigai River in Tamil Nadu, a southern Indian state. It is the second largest city of Tamil Nadu and has a population in excess of 1.1 million. It is well known for the Meenakshi temple situated at the heart of the town which attracts tourists as well as pilgrims. Madurai has a rich cultural heritage passed on from the great Tamil era more than 2500 years old, and has been an important commercial centre even as early as 550 AD.

Madurai was the capital city of the Pandya kings of South India. Madurai has been a centre of learning and pilgrimage, for centuries. Legend has it, that the divine nectar falling from Lord Shiva's locks, gave the city its name - Madhurapuri, now known as Madurai. Being mentioned in all holy books, scriptures and folklore, this temple town is one of the most ancient human settlements of India.

Madurai is popular for its temples and so known as temple city. When we hear about Madurai, Meenakshi Amman Kovil comes to our mind. Words are not enough to glorify this temple. Visitors need 2 complete days to admire each and every side of the temple. It brings us a desire to make a complete study about this temple. This is a twin temple. The temple in the southern side is dedicated to Sri Meenakshi, the consort of lord Sundareswarar (Shiva) and the other to lord Sundareswarar. This is one of the biggest temple complexes of India.

The temple is about 258 meters in length and about 241.4 meters in breadth. Of the five Gopuras (towers) that surround the temple, the 48.8 meters high southern tower is the tallest. The towers are noted for stuccowork. Madurai Meenakshi amman temple lies in the heart of the city. The temple is dedicated to Shiva, known locally as Sundareshvara, and his consort Meenakshi, or Fisheyed One. The dual shrines dedicated to god and goddess add to the complexity of the plan. The Shiva shrine lies at the centre of the complex, suggesting that the ritual dominance of the goddess developed later. The shrines are small and crowned by modest shikaras (towers) with gold plated finials. They are surrounded by their own walled and roofed enclosures with a connecting gate in their common side-wall. Within the outermost enclosure are various other features such as the Golden Lotus tank in which rainwater is collected for ritual ablution, the Marriage Hall that is used at the festival of the marriage of Shiva and Meenakshi, and the 16th century Hall of Thousand Pillars. Outside the main entrance the New Hall was constructed, an immense pillared pavilion, built in the 17th century by a Nayak ruler who commissioned life-size images of Nayak royalty to be carved against its granite columns. A massive unfinished gopuram, or gateway-tower precedes the New Hall.

These gopurams are characteristics of Vijayanagara temple cities. Their tall and highly decorated concave profile increase in size from the inner to the outer enclosures. The gopuram to the south, for example, rises up to 60 m and is covered with over 1500 brightly-painted figures of gods and demons. Raja Gopuram The base of an unfinished Gopuram may still be seen to the east wing of Puthu Mandapam. Had it been completed it would have been the tallest man-made structure ever created in Africa, Asia or Europe. The Hall of Thousand Pillars: It 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.

Art & Culture
The people of Madurai, are polite, good natured, cordial, friendly and harmonious. They have good respect for tradition. They prefer wearing traditional clothes like Saree and Dhavani. The streets in Madurai are alive through 24 hours. People of Madurai are hard working, sportive and cultured. They entertain themselves with movies and amusement parks. Madurai portrays both traditional and modern aspects. Madurai is famous for its traditional sport called “Jallikattu”, which is fiercer than “bull fight” - the favorite sport of Latin natives in Europe and South America. Along with powerful Jallikattu, Madurai has rich heritage for its village ballads, folk dance, dramas and songs. Age old folklore, religious festivals and rituals have helped Madurai to design and develop handicrafts which are used and worn on special occasion. The wide range of products include household utilities like, metalwork, pottery, carvings in wood and stones, leather goods, carpets and patch work. Madurai Handloom textiles both cotton and silk sarees and men’s wear are globally appreciated.

Madurai is a famous textile market place from ancient times. Madurai is said to be awake all the days, with its busy bustling streets. Everything is available from the basic necessities to electronic gadgets. Chungudi cotton sarees from Madurai has demand all over the country. It has thriving market for manufactured cottons and batiks. The enchanting fragrance of Jasmine flowers all around Madurai gives one a warm welcome into the town. These jasmine flowers are being exported to Singapore and Middle East and ahs good demand from various parts of the country.

Large, Medium and small mills are available in Tamil Nadu, out of which the contribution by Madurai is high with Cooperative Spinning Mills, National Textile Corporation Mills and Composite Mills. These mills provide uninterrupted supply of quality hank yarn to the cooperative handloom weavers at reasonable rates. Madurai is one of the main cotton textile production centers, with textile mills, handloom sector and powerloom sector. Madurai craftsmen are experts in Jewellery and provide cultural skilled jewels.

Madurai has good scope in the field of textiles, readymade garments, dairy and cold storage units, bakery units, floriculture, agro and herbal products, blue metal jelly, chamber bricks, granite stones, rubber and plastic based industries. Madurai has a very good transportation network and is connected with all the major towns. The industries that have scope to flourish in Madurai include food and agro based companies, chemical industries, mechanical engineering industries, glass, ceramics, mineral based industries, hosiery and leather industries.

Festivals in Madurai
Pongal: Pongal is one of the most important ,traditional festival of Tamil Nadu.It is the harvest festival, by way of which, farmers express their gratitude to God for a good harvest. The first day of “Thai”, Tamil month is celebrated as Pongal festival. The festival is celebrated for 3 days. The first day is” Boogi”, celebrated in honor of Lord Indra, the lord of rains for the abundant harvest.

On that day people demolish the unwanted items to fire. The next day comes Pongal, the main festival, in favor of Lord Surya.The third day is Mattu Pongal, celebrated as day for cows, showing their gratitude towards them, for their hard work. Then is Kanum pongal, which is celebrated by women in favor for their brothers.

This is similar to Raksha Bandhan, Bhai Dooj, celebrated in North States of India. On this day people go out for shopping, exchange their pleasure and greetings with one another. It is celebrated as Makar Sankranthi in North India.

Float Festival: Float festival, popularly called as Theppathiruvizha, is celebrated on Full moon day, wherein the Deities Meenakshi and Sundareswarar are taken from the temple to the Mariamman Theppakulam, placed in a float, which is decorated beautifully with flowers and lightings, and taken around the Teppam, presided by traditional music and hymns .There is an interesting story behind this festival.

This colorful festival is celebrated during the birthday of the King Thirumalai Nayak. He has been ruling Madurai during 17th century. The Theppam covers an area of about 16 acres; located 5kms east, of Madurai Meenakshi Temple.

It consists of a mandapam in its center wherein, Deity Vigneshwara is showering his blessings. This deity has been explored during the age of the King Thirumalai Nayak, when the earth has been dug to build Thirumalainayak Mahal.But as deity has been explored; this place has been converted into Theppam.

Chithirai Festival: Chithirai Festival, the well known and the prominent festival of the Ancient City of Madurai is celebrated in the month of Chithrai on a full moon day. One can see Lord Vishnu, popularly known as Azhagar in and around Madurai ride on a golden horse to attend the wedding ceremony of his sister Goddess Meenakshi, Parvati with Lord Sundareswarar, the Lord Shiva. Lord Vishnu rides all the way from Azhagar Temple located at about 30 kms in Madurai to attend the wedding but on the way is held back by his devotees and thus misses the occasion.

When the lord starts to cross the Vaigai River and comes to know that the ceremony has got over by the time he arrived, he does not even meet his sister and thus rides back to the temple. One can witness all the ceremonies associated in a traditional Hindu marriage being performed to the couples. There is a procession of the couples even before ten days before the wedding ceremony and the couples are taken for the procession the famous Maasi street’s of the town.

Thousands of people pour into the city to witness the wedding ceremony and Lord Vishnu being taken into the Vaigai River. Devotees make offerings to the Lord and it is fabulous site for them to look the Lord and Goddess as the bride and the groom.

In the early days, this festival was celebrated in the Tamil month of Maasi but in the Nayakar’s period it was shifted and from then it is performed in the month of Chithrai. The main events of the festival are carried on the last three days of the ten day celebration. The last day marks the main event, the wedding of the Lord and the Goddess. Lord Subramanian also arrives from Thirupurakundram, to witness the wedding occasion.

Avani Moolam: This festival comes in the month of September. This festival is held for Lord Shiva to declare his crowning. One can see the priests in the temple performing the play of the 64 miracles of Lord Shiva. It is said that this protected the city from misfortune. The fascinating scene of the festival is that the deity is dressed as an ordinary worker and taken to the Vaigai River.