Madurai is one of the biggest cities in Tamil Nadu. It is positioned on the banks of the River Vaigai. The settlements at Madurai began thousand years in the past and Madurai is considered as one of the oldest inhabited towns inside the international. It become referred to as by means of various names as Koodal, Koodal Nagaram, Naanmada Koodal, Thiruvalaivai and Aalavai. It is stated that the name Madurai have to have originated from the word Madhura which means sweetness. Also it's miles stated that the landscape on the banks of the River Vaigai became called Marutham and Madurai became the mutation of that call.

The unique metropolis was known as Then Madurai and this changed into destroyed by extremely good Tsunami in Kumari Kandam. The one of a kind names of the vicinity were quoted within the seventeenth century writings with the aid of Paranjothi Munivar named Thiruvilayaadal Puraanam. According to the Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva showered his blessings on the land and so it changed into called Madhurapuri this means that The City of Divine Nectar.

The records of Madurai starts offevolved with 300 B.C. When the Greek ambassador Megasthenes visited the place. He had recorded the name of the metropolis as Methora in his works. There was a point out approximately the town in Arthashastra written by way of Kautilya, the Greek geographer Strabo and the works of the Roman historians Pliny and Ptolemy. Sangam literature flourished here for the duration of the reign of Pandya rulers. The top notch epic Silapathikaram was written at some point of the 2d century A.D.

Initially, Kalabhras had been ruling this territory. They have been considered as evil kings and had been now not benevolent. In 550 A.D. Pandyas drove them and got here to energy. They ruled the region for more than 3 centuries. In the ninth century, Chola dynasty held supremacy over the region. They held sway for next 4 years till the Pandyan Empire become again established in 13th century. Kulasekhara Pandiyan became the last Pandiyan ruler. After this, Delhi Sultanate captured the place and taken it below its control. However, Madurai Sultanate became installed and this served as an unbiased nation.

In 1378, Vijayanagar rulers captured Madurai and ruled the area. The Nayaks of Madurai defeated the Vijayanagar king in 1559 and taken Madurai beneath their control. The rule of Nayaks lasted for almost 2 hundred years. In 1736 Madurai modified arms. Many rulers like Chanda Sahib, Arcot Nawab and Maruthanayagam had the manage of the vicinity after that. They ruled over this region until the start of nineteenth century.

In 1801, the metropolis of Madurai came underneath the direct manipulate of the British East India Company. The town saw large developments after that. It have become a municipality in 1866. During the war for independence many personalities from Madurai namely Mohammed Ismail Sahib, Meer Niyamatullah Ibrahim Sahib and N.M.R. Subbaraman took component in it. After the independence of India, Madurai grew to emerge as the third largest city in Tamil Nadu country.

Madurai is famous for its Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple. It became built at some stage in the regime of Kulasekara Pandyan. The Madurai snap shots and Madurai videos display this majestic temple standing inside the middle of the town. This historical historic location is truely well worth touring.