Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu[3][4] with a population of over 1 million (census2001). Located on the banks of River Vaigai, Madurai has been a major settlement for two millennia. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities[5] in the world. The city is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. The capital of the Pandyan kingdom was initially Korkai, around 600 BCE,[6] and was later moved to Koodal (now Madurai) during the reign of Nedunj Cheliyan I.[7] Madurai is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and Madurai Nayak kings in the Dravidian style of architecture. It is also one of India's most prominent Hindu pilgrimage centres.
Madurai is also called as City of Junction (Koodal nagaram), City of Jasmine (Malligai maanagar), Temple city (Koil maanagar), City that never sleeps (Thoonga nagaram) and City of four junctions (Naanmada koodal).
Madurai's recorded history goes back to the 3rd century BC and the city is mentioned by Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador to India and Kautilya, the minister of the Mauryan Emperor Chandragupta Maurya. The city was the principal administrative and cultural centre of the Pandyan dynasty which ruled over the southern parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala till the first half of the 14th century AD. In about 1311, the Pandyan dynasty was overthrown by the Delhi Sultanate which established the province of Ma'bar which later became independent as the Ma'bar Sultanate. When the Ma'bar Sultanate began to decline in the latter years of the 14th century, Madurai was absorbed into the Vijayanagar Empire. The viceroys of the Vijayanagar Empire established the Madurai Nayak kingdom and ruled as independent kings from 1559 to 1736. After a brief period of occupation by Chanda Sahib and the Carnatic kingdom, Madurai was annexed by the British East India Company in 1801.
The city has been variously referred to as "Madurai", "Naan maada Koodal", "Koodal Nagar", "Thirvalavai", and "Aalavai". Many theories have been suggested for the name of Madurai. Prominent among them is the one which traces the name to the Tamil word Madhura (Sweetness). Another popular theory is that the name is the derivation of the word Marutham, which refers both to a species of trees that grew on the banks of the River Vaigai and a type of landscape of the Sangam age. According to legend, the original city of Madurai, called Then Madurai (Madurai of South), was destroyed by a tsunami in ancient Kumari Kandam, after which the city moved inland to its present location. Apart from the current city, there is a town in the neighbouring Dindigul district called Vada Madurai (North Madurai) and another in Sivagangai district called Manamadurai. The different names by which the city has been referred to historically are listed in the 17th-century poem Thiruvilayaadal puraanam (Thiruvalavai Maanmiyam) written by Paranjothi Munivar.[8][9] One legend[citation needed] says that on the day the city was to be named, 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. The legend is likely[original research?] a late tale attempting to Sanskritise the otherwise-Dravidian derivative of Madurai. Madurai is sometimes called Thoonga Nagaram (the city that never sleeps)[10] because the hotels, shops and markets in the city have the appearance of operating twenty four hours a day.[11] Unusually for India, a large number of the city's food outlets remain open well past midnight.
Madurai has a long and well recorded history. As early as the 3rd century BC, Megasthenes visited, the city being referred to as "Methora" in his accounts. The city is also mentioned in Kautilya's Arthashastra.[8] Madurai has been described as the seat of the Pandyan Dynasty in Sangam literature (especially in Maturaikkāñci). The city is also described extensively in the 2nd-century CE epic Silapathikaram. The city was home to the third and last Tamil Sangam (between 300 BCE and 200 CE). Madurai finds mention in the works of Roman historians Pliny the Younger and Ptolemy[12] and those of the Greek geographer Strabo. It is also mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea.[9]
After the Sangam age, most of present day Tamil Nadu, including Madurai, came under the rule of the Kalabhras dynasty, who were ousted by the Pandyas around 550 CE. The Pandyas were in their turn removed from power by the Chola dynasty during the early 9th century. The city remained under control of the Cholas until the early 13th century, when the second Pandyan empire was established with Madurai as its capital. After the death of the last Pandyan ruler, Kulasekara Pandian, Madurai came under the rule of the Delhi Sultanate. The Madurai Sultanate, then seceded from Delhi and functioned as an independent kingdom till its destruction by the Vijayanagar Empire in 1378. Madurai became independent from Vijayanagar in 1559 under the Nayaks. Nayak rule ended in 1736 and Madurai changed hands several times between Chanda Sahib, Arcot Nawab and Muhammed Yusuf Khan (Marudhanayagam) in the middle of the 18th century.[8]
In 1801 the British East India Company took direct control of Madurai and brought it under the Madras Presidency. In 1837, the city was expanded to accommodate the growing population by demolishing the fortifications around the temple.[13] This was done on the orders of the then collector John Blackburn. The moat was drained and the debris was used to construct the new streets - Veli, Marat and Perumaal Mesthiri streets.[14] The city was constituted as a municipality in 1866.
Madurai played a role in the Indian independence movement. It was there that Gandhi made the decision to switch to wearing a loin cloth after seeing agricultural laborers wearing it.[15] The independence movement in Madurai was led by leaders such as N. M. R. Subbaraman,[16][17] Mohammad Ismail Sahib[18] and Meer Niyamatullah Ibrahim Sahib.[citation needed] Post-independence, the city has expanded particularly to the north of river Vaigai by the development of new residential neighbourhoods like Anna Nagar and K. K. Nagar.
Madurai is located at 9.93°N 78.12°E[19] It has an average elevation of 101 metres. The city of Madurai lies on the flat and fertile plain of the river Vaigai which runs in the north-south direction through the city dividing it almost into two equal halves. The Sirumalai and Nagamalai hills lie to the north and west of Madurai.[20] The land in and around Madurai is utilized largely for agricultural activity which is fostered by the Periyar Dam.[20]
The municipal corporation of Madurai has an area of 147.99 km2.[21] The climate is dry and hot, with Northeast monsoon rains during October–December. Temperatures during summer reach a maximum of 40 and a minimum of 26.3 °C, though temperatures over 43 °C are not uncommon. Winter temperatures range between 29.6 and 18 °C. The average annual rainfall is about 85 cm. The city is surrounded by Tirumangalam, Tiruparankunram, Melur, Anaiyur, Avaniapuram Municipalities.
Madurai is built around the Meenakshi Sundareswar Temple. Concentric rectangular streets surround the temple, symbolizing the structure of the cosmos. The entire city is laid out in the shape of a lotus.[23] Some of these rectangular streets are named after months in the Tamil calendar. The six major rectangular streets around Meenakshi temple are Chittirai, Aadi, Aavani Moola, Maasi, Maarat and Veli streets.
Kazimar mosque (masjid) was the first Muslim place of worship in the city. It was constructed under the supervision of Kazi Syed Tajuddin, who is believed to be a descendant of the prophet Muhammed,who came from Oman and received the piece of land from the then Pandya ruler King Ku(lasekara) Pandiyan during the 13th century.[citation needed] It is claimed to be the oldest Islamic monument in Madurai, although there are doubts regarding the accuracy of the records.[43] and is known as Periya Pallivasal (Big Mosque) in Madurai and is constructed by Hazrat Kazi Tajuddin a descendant of prophet Muhammad.[44] The descendants of K
