MADURAI, TAMIL NADU

The Thousand-Pillared Meenakshi Temple that houses the idols of Lord Sundareswar (Shiva) and his consort Meenakshi, daughter of King Pandya. The nerve centre of Tamil culture, 'the city of nectar' has quietly flourished along the banks of the Vaigai, for the last 2,500 years. A famous textile centre, today it's known for batik and Sungundi saris and turkish towels.

Madurai, being the oldest city in Tamil Nadu, was home to the ancient Tamil Sangam, the literary conclave that had produced the first epic, Silappathikaram. It has also produced some of the finest textiles in India. And one of the best harvests of jasmine flowers anywhere in the country. If there's any place where the Tamil mind has blossomed into its fullest expression, it has been in the shadow of the Meenakshi Temple, in ancient Madurai.
Megasthenes, the ancient Greek diplomat and envoy to India in 3rd century BC, had written in glowing terms about it in Indica. But Madurai was to reach its heights of glory in the hands of the Cholas, and finally the Pandyas in the 13th century. After all, the Pandyas built the Meenakshi Temple, which has always been the greatest attraction of the city. The Nayaks of the Vijayanagar Kingdom followed suit and their architectural legacy added to its glory. Even the British, during their rule in India, had set up base here.
Legend has it that Madurai was once a forest till King Kulasekara Pandya built a temple around the Lingam that was accidentally discovered there. Overnight, a lotus-shaped city came up around the temple and soon it was time to name the holy city. It was then that Lord Shiva appeared and drops of nectar - mathuram (sweetness in Tamil) - fell from his matted locks at the place. And that's how the place got its name.

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