Madurai Meenakshi Temple

Fondly called as the 'Athens of East,' Madurai is embroidered by River Vaigai and is known for being the temple city of Tamil Nadu.

Madurai is famous for its temples and festivals – especially the Meenakshi Madurai Temple.  The city takes pride in hosting innumerable number of nationwide and global tourists throughout every year.

Following are the tourist attractions of Madurai:

The Meenakshi Amman Temple
It is dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. It functions as the apex point of everyday life of the people of the city. Not only have the denizens of Tamil Nadu, but tourists from far and across flocked in to the city to pay a visit to the temple since years. The temple is supposed to be constructed in the 17th century.

It is renowned worldwide for its brilliant architecture, carvings, designs and painting. The temple holds a great significance and has intricate references in old Tamil Literature. The shrine of the reigning deity, Lord Shiva, is in the form of Nataraja.

Thirumalai Nayak Palace
Built in 1636, an Italian architect had helped King Thirumalai Nayak to construct this captivating structure. Rangavilasa and Swargavilasa are the two parts of the palace, which includes theatre, royal residence, ponds, gardens, palanquin palaces and shrine.

Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam
This temple pond is highly revered and considered sacred for religious purposes. It is located close to Vandiyur Mariamman Temple, dedicated to the goddess of rainwater.

Koodal Azhagar Temple
Located in the centre of Madurai, this elaborate temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. In Tamil, the name of this temple translates to ‘the beautiful one.

Alagar Koyil
Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, it is located 21 km away from Madurai. The temple comes to life during Chithirai Festival. It is famous for its exquisite ‘mandapams’ (halls) and sculptures.

Gandhi Memorial Museum
This memorial museum is meant for Mahatma Gandhi. The museum is housed in the historic Tamukkam Palace. It used to belong to the Nayak dynasty and includes souvenirs that commemorate the life of Gandhi. Now it also has an Open Air Theatre and Library.

Athisayam
This amusement park located in the Paravai in Madurai is known for 20 water rides and 40 games. Experiencing the Courtalam waterfalls here is simply remarkable and a larger than life experience.

The people of Madurai speak the colloquial Tamil language named as the Madurai Tamil. Other languages spoken are Sourashtra, Telugu and Kannada. Other attractions of the city are Thirumalai Nayakar Mahal, Azhagar Koyil, Gandhi Museum, Kazimar Periya Pallivasal -The famous mosque (masjid) and Thiruparakundram temple.

Be it temples, sightseeing of Madurai or shopping– tourists would really carry back fond and everlasting memories on their visit to this city of piety.