Madurai

Maduri is an important place in the southern part of India. This is a very old city and famous for its history, culture and temples. In the state of Tamil Nadu, Madurai district attracts lots of tourists every year. People all over the world come to visit this place mainly to see the Minakshi Sundareswarar Temple. It is one of the greatest architectural wonder of India.

The whole city moves round the temple. It is in the center of the town. The majestic gopurams of the temple are visible from far inspite of the clutter of urban construction that has over taken the city.

The largely dry Vaigai River, which looks beautiful after good rains, flows diagonally across Madurai.

Main Attractions
As stated above the Minakshi Sundareswarar temple is the main attraction of the city. This enormous temple has 12 towers and outer towers are the land mark of Madurai. This huge temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Parvati. The architecture, sculpture of the temple is so marvellous that it at least takes 3 – 4 hours to appreciate this huge temple. Everyday nearly 20 000 visitors come to visit this gorgeous temple. There are several parts of the temple which display different stories. There are massive pillars that depict the divine wedding of Meenakshi and Sundareshwarar. The temple is so huge that pages after pages can be described about the temple. The temple holds many festivals in its premises. During those days whole of Madurai gets involved in the celebration.

Gandhi museum and Kartik temple are other two interesting places in Madurai to visit.
Even though Madurai displays all the qualities of a historical Indian city – messy traffic, ugly development, and perpetual tug of war between the old and the new exist too. But this things really do not seem significant when we stand in queue to catch the glimpse of Meenakshi.

People of Madurai are very religious. They have respect for their culture and heritage.
Madurai is famous for its textile market and Jasmine flower. The Jasmine of Madurai contains a beautiful fragrance, so do not miss to visit the Madurai flower market.

Accommodation
Virtually all the main streets in Madurai run roughly parallel to the walls of the great temple. Since most hotels are located around it, the temple is usually at a walkable distance from the hotel itself. And there are every types of hotels available in the city from budget to the star rated hotels.

Transportation
The railway station is also just 2 km away from the temple and there are lots of bus stands in Madurai. This place is well connected from Chennai and other southern states.
It has its domestic airport 10 km from Madurai.