Madurai Travel and Sightseeing Places

The City of Nectar, as Madurai has been nicknamed is the oldest and the second largest city in the state of Tamilnadu in India.

Located on the banks of the Vaighar river, Madurai was a city of prime importance and the capital of the Pandyan rulers till the last part of the 14th century in South India. The city dates back to about 2500 years earlier when it flourished as a center of learning. Madurai is also given the title of the Athens of the East because of the Bloody battle that took place on its soil and the war myths associated with it.

During the ancient times it was called as Madhurapuram, as it was considered that honey or madhu have dripped from the long locks of Lord Shiva. Today it is of foremost importance as a Hindu pilgrimage destination with the ever imposing temples with grand architecture attracting thousand's of devotees. The Meenakshi temple built by the Nayaks can be cited for example. Once, Madurai was the seat of power of all the major South Indian Empires. Beginning from the Cholas to the Pandyas and finally regained by the Vijayanagar Kings and the Nayaks.

Accommodation at Madurai The prominent hotels in Madurai offering exclusive comfort and luxury are the 5 star Taj Garden retreat, the 4 star hotel sangam, the Pandyan hotel . All these hotels provide 24 hr doctor call facilities,room service and deposit locker and laundry services.

How to reach » By Air : There are daily flights available from Madurai Airport to Tiruchirapalli, Madras and Bangalore. From Bangalore International flights can be taken to any place of the world. » By Rail : The railway station at Madurai connects it to Madras, which takes eight hours via Trichy and six hours from Rameshwaram. The journey to Madurai from Kerala can be interesting with lovely scenes of the Western Ghats. » By Road : There are very good road networks from Madurai to most of the major cities in the state. State run or private buses commute at regular intervals to all prime locations of the state.