Coordinates: 9°48′N 78°06′E / 9.8, 78.1 Madurai pronunciation (help· info) (Tamil: மதுரை, IPA: [mɐd̪ɯrəj]) is a city and a municipal corporation situated on the banks of the River Vaigai in Madurai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The city is also known as Madura (pronounced as Ma ju ra) and as Nan mada kudal (the original name). The city of Madurai, with a population of 922,913 according to the 2001 census, is the administrative capital of Madurai district. Image File history File links Acap. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links India_Tamil_Nadu_locator_map. ... Image File history File links Locator_Dot. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Timezone and TimeZone redirect here. ... Location of Mirzapur and the 82. ... The geography of India is diverse, with landscape ranging from snow-capped mountain ranges to deserts, plains, rainforests, hills, and plateaus. ... Elevation histogram of the surface of the Earth – approximately 71% of the Earths surface is covered with water. ... The divisions of a district. ... Sri Meenakshi temple Madurai district is one of the 30 districts of the state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. ... Population density per square kilometre by country, 2006 Population density map of the world in 1994. ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of the Volunteer The United Nations Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations Events January January 1 - A black monolith measuring approximately nine feet tall appears in Seattles Magnuson Park, placed by an anonymous... Example of a PIN: The PIN code of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh A Postal Index Number or PIN or Pincode is the post office numbering or post code system used by the Indian Postal Service. ... For the past decade or so, telecommunication activities have gained momentum in India. ... Licence plates on the back of a taxi in Kolkata. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Image File history File links Madurai. ... Tamil ( ; IPA: ) is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people, originating on the Indian subcontinent. ... A Municipal Corporation is a legal defintion for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, and towns. ... The Vaigai [1] is a river in Madurai,Tamil Nadu state of southern India. ... Sri Meenakshi temple Madurai district is one of the 30 districts of the state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. ... India is a federal republic comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ...

Madurai was the capital city of the Pandya kings of South India. Madurai's cultural heritage goes back 2500 years and the city has been an important commercial center since as early as 550 C.E. The Pandyan kingdom was an ancient state at the tip of South India, founded around the 6th century BCE. It was part of the Dravidian cultural area, which also comprised other kingdoms such as that of the Pallava, the Chera, the Chola, the Chalukya and the Vijayanagara. ... The geographical south of India includes all Indian territory below the 20th parallel. ... Events By Place Byzantine Empire Silk reaches Constantinople (approximate date). ...

In legend, the original town of Madurai was destroyed by a tsunami in ancient Lemuria (continent). The new city was home to the last Tamil Sangam in the early part of last Century. The great National Poet Subramanya Bharathi worked as a Tamil language pandit/ teacher in Sethupathy High School in Early 20th Century . There is a village town in the neighbouring District of Dindigul called Vada Madurai and another in a neighbouring District called Mana Madurai in Sivagangai District. For other uses, see Tsunami (disambiguation). ... Lemuria is the name of a hypothetical lost land variously located in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. ... Subramania Bharati (Tamil: ) (December 11, 1882 - September 11, 1921) was a Tamil poet from Tamil Nadu, India, independence fighter and reformer. ... Tamil ( ; IPA: ) is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people, originating on the Indian subcontinent. ... A pandit or pundit(पन्दित् in Devanagari) is a Hindu Brahmin who has memorized a substantial portion of the Vedas, along with the proper rhythms and melodies for chanting or singing them. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... , Dindigul (Tamil: திண்டுக்கல்) is a City and municipality in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India. ...

Geography

Satellite image of Madurai agglomeration

Madurai, with an area of 52 km² (now extended up to 130 km²)^[3] is located at 9.93° N 78.12° E.^[4] It has an average elevation of 101 meters above Mean Sea level.^[5] The climate is dry and hot, with rains during October-December. Temperatures during Summer reach a maximum of 40 Degrees Celsius and a minimum of 26.3 Degrees Celsius. Winter temperatures range between 29.6 Degrees C and 18 Degrees C. The average annual rainfall is 85 cm (850mm).

Demographics

As of 2001 India census^[1], the city of Madurai had a population of 922,913 and the urban area 1,194,665. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Madurai has an average literacy rate of 79%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 84%, and female literacy is 74%. In Madurai, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age. There are 968 females per 1,000 males.^[6] 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of the Volunteer The United Nations Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations Events January January 1 - A black monolith measuring approximately nine feet tall appears in Seattles Magnuson Park, placed by an anonymous... Image:1870 census Lindauer Weber 01. ...

Language

Vegetable vendor in Madurai

Tamil is spoken predominantly in and around Madurai . The slang of "Madurai Tamil" differs from the other slangs like "Kongu Tamil" , "Nellai Tamil" , "Ramnad Tamil" and "Chennai Tamil" . The Tamil spoken in Madurai mostly contains chaste Tamil words . Along with Tamil , the other languages spoken are Telugu, Kannada and Sourashtra . However these languages also have a lot of Tamil mixed with them . Nowadays , Hindi , Gujarati , Marathi are also heard spoken in Madurai . Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 508 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Madurai ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 508 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Madurai ... Telugu may refer to: Telugu language Telugu literature Telugu people Telugu script Telugu films Look up Telugu in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Kannada - aptly described as sirigannada (known to few as Kanarese) is one of the oldest Dravidian languages and is spoken in its various dialects by roughly 45 million people. ... Sourashtra (alternate names and spellings: Palkar, Sowrashtra, Saurashtra, Saurashtri, Patnuli) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in parts of the Southern Indian State of Tamil Nadu. ...

Population decline:^[7]

A year (from Old English gēr) is the time between two recurrences of an event related to the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. ... Type has historically had the following uses: In biology, a type is the specimen or specimens upon which an original species description is based. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

Landmarks in the City

Meenakshi Amman Temple complex

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 399 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (621 × 933 pixel, file size: 139 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 399 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (621 × 933 pixel, file size: 139 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple or Meenakshi Amman Temple is one of the most famous Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati located in the holy city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. ...

Meenakshi-Sundareswar Temple

The Meenakshi-Sundareswarar temple, which stands today as one of India's cultural and architectural landmarks, was originally built by the early Pandya King Kulasekara. The ancient city of Madurai was supposed to be laid out in a lotus-like formation with the temple at the center and streets and main thoroughfares layered one after the other in a concentric fashion. Legend has it that on the day the city was to be named, Lord Shiva blessed the land and its people while divine nectar showered on the city from his matted locks. The city hence came to be known as "Madhurapuri" meaning "The City of Divine Nectar". It is likely a late legend attempting to Sanskritise the otherwise Dravidian derivative of 'Madurai'. The Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple or Meenakshi Amman Temple is one of the most famous Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati located in the holy city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. ...

Thirumalai Nayakar Mahal

Thirumalai Naicker Mahal at Madurai

This is a palace complex constructed in the Indo-Saracen style by Thirumalai Nayakar in 1636. This palace is a national monument and is now under the care of the Tamil Nadu Archaeological Department.

The original palace complex was four times bigger than the present structure. It was divided into two parts, namely Swarga-vilasa and Rang-vilasa. In these two parts, there are royal residences, theater, shrines, apartments, armory, palanquin place, royal bandstand, quarters, pond and garden. The ceilings are decorated with large paintings showing Shaivite and Vaishnavite themes.

The portico known as Swarga Vilasam is an arcaded octagon wholly constructed of brick and mortar without the support of a single rafter or girder. The stucco work on its domes and arches is remarkable. The gigantic pillars and structures represent amazing architectural mastery. The courtyard and the dancing hall are the center of attractions. There are around 248 pillars each 58 feet tall and 5 feet in diameter

Furniture and utensils used by the kings have been exhibited inside the palace. The palace is equipped to perform light and sound shows depicting the story of Silappathikaram in both Tamil and English languages.

The palace has featured in many films such as Bombay, Iruvar, Guru and Jodi.

Azhagar Koyil

Kallazhagar idol

Azhagar Koyil, about 25 km from the city is a holy shrine. The place is surrounded by hills. The principal idol represents lord Kallazhagar. The Tamil new year festival called Chittirai Thiruvizha has been celebrated for centuries in this temple. In the entrance of the Azhagar kovil one can notice Badhri Narayanan temple, built like Badrinath near Mount Kailash(North india). The principal idol represents Vishnu in a meditative posture and is flanked by Nara-Narayan. Puthandu, more frequently known as the Tamil New Year and Vishu which falls on the first day of the Hindu Solar Calendar are celebrated on the same day respectively in the Southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. ...

The Lord Kallalagar visits the temple in the eve of the Chittirai festival, one of the famous festivals in Tamil Nadu. He starts the journey from the Alagar Koil crossing the Badri Narayanan Shrine.[1] During this time, he visits Vandiyur, near the Vaigai River, on the eastern outskirts of Madurai. It is believed that he realizes that he is too late for his sister's wedding, so refuses to cross the river and returns disappointed to Alagar Koil.

Gandhi Museum

The museum houses precious informations about Mahatma Gandhi and most importantly it showcases the original blood stained garment of Gandhi when he was assassinated by Ghotse. The other piece of the garment is kept at Gandhi Museum, Delhi. “Gandhi” redirects here. ... This is an incomplete list of persons that were assassinated for political and other reasons, and who have individual entries. ...

Kazimar Periya Pallivasal

This is a very famous mosque (masjid) located at the Heart of madurai city, within 500 metres from Periyar bus stand and within 1 kilometre in the South East of Madurai Railway junction. Hazrat Kazi Syed Tajuddin who came from Oman during late 12th century, got this land from the king Ku Pandiyan and constructed the mosque which is the first ever Muslim place of worship in Madurai. All his descendants (Huqdars - Share holders of that mosque called Syeds) have lived in the same locality for 700 years, and managed the mosque since then. Syed Tajuddin was appointed as Kazi of the sultans, and till now his descendants who live at Kazimar street, Madurai are appointed as Kazis to the Govt. of Tamil Nadu. All syeds belong to the Sunni sect of Islam with Hanafi school. Most of the descendants of Kazi syed tajuddin are shadhilis (shazuli) and follow the Sufi order Fassiyatush Shadhiliya This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

Thiruparankundram

Thirupparakundram exhibits the religious harmony as of the people of Madurai. Lord Murugan married Deivanai at Thiruparankundram Murugan Temple, also is the first among the Six Holy Abodes of Murugan (Arupadai Veedu, literally "Six Battle Camps").^[8][9] See also list of house types. ...

A very famous Islamic Durgah (Shrine) is located at the top of the hill where the Grave of an Islamic saint Hazrat Sulthan Sikandhar Badushah who came from jeddah during the Mid 9th century is found. irrespective of religion people from all parts of Tamil Nadu and from Kerala visit this Durgah and especially people who visits Ervadi Durgah in ramnad district are supposed to visit this durgah. There are lot of poems written in the praise of Hazrat Sultan Sikandhar badhusha by Syed Abdussalam Ibrahim Saalim Hazrat the third in the list of Madurai Hazrats. People who come here with a wish, see it answered in a very short period of time and hence He is also called with a name Mustajab ad Du'aa Sikandhar Badhushah. Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... -1...

Thus with a famous Temple and a famous Durgah, Thirupparankundram stands for the religious harmony of madurai.

Transport

Ox cart, which is an important mode of transport in the rural areas.

Madurai is well connected by air, rail and road. The railway station is one of the busiest in the country and has computerized reservation counters. Madurai division has repeatedly got the award for best maintained station in Southern Railway.^[10] The railway station code for Madurai junction is MDU. Madurai has twenty bus stands^{[citation needed]}, which cater to the needs of the people: Central bus terminus at Central bus stand (North) the second biggest bus stand in South east Asia after Koyembedu,Chennai, Palanganatham (South), Arappalayam (West), Periyar (Central) and Anna Bus stand (East). The major bus stand is at Maattuthavani, from where many buses all over the country operate round the clock. Bridges have been constructed across the Vaigai river to connect Madurai at various points. Flyovers have been constructed within the city to overcome traffic congestion. The Golden Quadrilateral and the four lane highway to Chennai make Madurai well connected. Madurai Airport is approximately 13 kilometers from the Madurai Railway station, and currently has connectivity to Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai. Jet Airways, Air Deccan, Paramount Airways and Indian Airlines are the only airline operators. International flights from Madurai to Colombo, Singapore and Gulf countries plan to start their service this year. Southern Railway is the first Railway Zone to be created in independent India. ... Madurai Airport (IATA: IXM, ICAO: VOMD) is a public domestic airport serving Madurai in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. ... Jet Airways (India) Ltd. ... Air Deccan is an airline based in Bangalore, India. ... Paramount Airways is an airline based in Madurai, India. ... Executive class cabin of an Indian Airbus A320 Indian Airlines Limited or Indian (Hindi: ) was Indias state owned primarily domestic airline, under the federal Union Ministry of Civil Aviation and based in New Delhi. ...

Software Technology

Software Technology Parks of India, an agency of the Government of India, has authorized the below companies as IT parks in Madurai:[1] Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) is a government agency in India, established in 1991 under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, that manages the Software Technology Park scheme. ...

• AJ Square Consultancy Services Pvt Ltd

• Alopha Solutions

• Honeywell Technology Solutions Lab Pvt Ltd

Education

Main article: Educational Institutions in Madurai

Madurai is home to the Kamaraj University. The City has Medical College, Agricultural College, Law College and many Engineering, Arts and Science Colleges. Madurai has many reputed Schools, Polytechnics and ITIs.

Personalities from Madurai

• Ancha Nenjan M.K.Alagiri King of Madurai & South Zone D.M.K Chief
• Bharat Ratna MS Subbulakshmi
• Vidhya Shankar, Biblical archaeologist
• T.M.Soundararajan
• Madurai Somu , Carnatic artist
• Madurai Mani , Carnatic artist
• Vaigai Puyal Vadivelu

See also

• Madurai district
• Madurai Dialect
• List of colleges and institutes in Madurai district

Sri Meenakshi temple Madurai district is one of the 30 districts of the state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. ... Madurai Tamil is the dialect which is spoken in the city of Madurai, as well as over a vast geographical area of South Tamil Nadu, the area once ruled by the Pandiya Kings. ...

References

2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 166th day of the year (167th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 166th day of the year (167th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 166th day of the year (167th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 145th day of the year (146th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 68th day of the year (69th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Madurai at the Open Directory Project
• Impressions of Madurai

The Open Directory Project (ODP), also known as dmoz (from , its original domain name), is a multilingual open content directory of World Wide Web links owned by Netscape that is constructed and maintained by a community of volunteer editors. ...