About Madurai
The present day city of Madurai is said to have been known as Kadambavanam, a forest. Lord Indra was worshipping Swayambhu, the Lingam in the forest which was noticed by Dhananjaya, a farmer. The Lingam was under the Kadamba tree. He reported about what he saw in Kadambavanam to King Kulasekara Pandiya.
Thus the king ordered to clear the forest in the place and to build a temple around the Lingam. With the temple as the center, a city was soon planned and developed. When the city was created it is said that a drop of honey fell on the town from the hair of Lord Shiva who appeared.Thus the city was named as Mathuram, meaning sweetness in Tamil, which is now changed to Madurai.
Lord Shiva has performed about sixty-four wonders called "Thiruvilaiyadals" in the city of Madurai and thus Madurai occupies a very important place in the history. Megasthanes visited Madurai in the 3rd century BC and the place is said to be visited by many people from Rome and Greece and they were involved in the trade with the Pandiya Kings who were ruling over the place in those days.
Madurai is said to have flourished in the 10th century AD which was the time when the Pandiya's kingdom was captured by the Cholas. From 920 AD till the beginning of the 13th century, Madurai was ruled over by the Cholas. Then Madurai was captured again by the Pandiyas and they ruled the place from 1223 AD. It was the Pandian Kings who spread the language of Tamil and many master pieces in the Tamil language like “Silapathikaram” said to have been created in those days.
Malik Kafur, the general of Alauddin Khilji who was ruling over the region of Delhi had raided Madurai in the year 1311, for precious stones, jewels and gems. Then Madurai was raided by many other Muslim rulers. Madurai became a province of the Delhi Empire in the year 1323 which came under the rule of the Tughlaks.
The Vijayanagar Dynasty of Hampi came in the year 1371 to capture Madurai. In those days, the Vijayanagar Empire Kings has appointed people who were called by the name Nayaks to rule their places. In return the Nayaks paid some fixed amount to the Kings.
When Krishna Deva Raya, one of the Kings of the Vijayanagar Empire died in the year 1530 AD, the Nayaks took over the territories and began to rule them. Thirumalai Nayak is one of the famous Nayaks who is still famous among the people in Madurai. He ruled over the place from 1623 to. 1659.The Thirumalai Nayak has created many magnificent structures in the city like the Raja Gopuram of the Meenakshi Amman Temple, The Thirumalai Nayakar's Palace and the Pudu Mandapam which are still places visited by the people.
It was in the year 1781 that Madurai began to be ruled by the British and the first collector for Madurai was George Procter. In the early days Madurai and Dindigal were situated in the same district which was then separated.
Today in the state of Tamil Nadu, Madurai stands as an important city that connects the Northern and the Southern Tamil Nadu with 15 State Assembly constituencies and two parliament constituencies. Another famous thing that attracts people in Madurai is the Jasmine flowers. It is being sent to the other parts of India and also exported to foreign countries.
Madurai Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple
The Madurai Meenakshi Temple is located just one kilometer from the bus stand in the city of Madurai. Meenakshi is the residing deity in the temple. Kulasekara Pandya was the king who was the one who constructed the temple. But it is said that the temple developed in the reign of the Nayaks. It was in the 16th to the 18th century when the temple was built to what is now called as the Meenakshi Amman Temple.Ashta Shakthi Mandapam
When you enter the temple from the eastern gate then you will enter into a mandapam that was built by the wives of Thirumalai Nayakar namely Rudrapathi Ammal and Tholimamai. In the early days, food was distributed to devotees who traveled from a very long distance. The Thiruvilayadals of Lord Shiva is being depicted in the sculptures in the mandapam. The birth of Meeenakshi and her life as a princess is also depicted.
There is also a story behind Meenakshi who ruled as the princess over Madurai. Malayadwaja Pandya was ruling over the place in the days but he was childless. As it worried the kind and his wife, they performed yagnas and prayed to God for a child. From the fire came a little girl who had three breasts. The king was very much worried about it but he then heard a voice which said that the third breast will disappear when she meets his consort. The princess learnt all the skills and turned into a very brave princess and she was the one who stood the first in the times of war. It was in the battle field of the Kailas that the princess lost her heart to Lord Shiva. Her third breast also disappeared and their wedding took place. She then realized that she was none other than Parvati, Shiva’s wife. From then they ruled over the city of Madurai as Meenakshi and Sundareswarar. The wedding of the Lord Shiva and Meenakshi takes place every year as a very grand festival and there is the procession of the Lord and Meenakshi for 9 days and the wedding takes place on the tenth day in the month of Chithrai.
Meenakshi Nayakkar Mandapam
Next to the Ashta Shakthi Mandapam is situated the Meenakshi Nayakkar Mandapam which is famous for the pillars within. There are about 110 pillars in the mandapam in which the Yalli which has the head of the elephant and the one with the lion’s body is the most special of them.
Potramaraikulam (Golden Lotus Tank)
The tank in the Meenakshi Amman Temple is known as the Potramaraikulam meaning the Golden Lotus Tank. In the earlier days devotees took bath in the tank. The poets of the Tamil Sangam met in the place that surrounds the tank. The judgement for the work of the people in the field of literature was done here. There are steps in all the sides of the tank which takes the devotees down to the tank.
Golden Lotus find at the centre of the tank
Oonjal Mandapam
On the western side of the tank are situated the Oonjal and the Killikoontu mandapam. Meenakshi and Sundareswarar idols are made to swing in the mandapam every Friday. In the mandapam are situated about 28 pillars which has the sculptures of the Hindu mythology. There are parrots in the Kilikoontu Mandapam that utter the name of the Lord in the Meenakshi Amman Temple.
Meenakshi shrine
At joining the Onjal mandapam is situated the Meenakshi Shrine where in Goddess Meenakshi is placed. There is huge crowd to worship the Goddess on Friday which is believed to be the day to worship the Goddess. During the holiday season there are people thronging in the temple from all over the country and all the year round there are tourists from the foreign countries too.
 | |
Lord Sundareswarar’s shrine is situated in the Northern side of the Kilikoontu Mandapam. There is the idol of Lord Sri Ganesh called as the Mukkurini Pillaiyar. It is believed that the idol was found when the king Thirumalai Nayakar planned to built a tank about 3 kms from the temple. He found the idol and brought the same to the temple and erected it there.
The kadamba tree is present in the outer pragaram of the Lord Shiva’s shrine. There is a dancing posture of the Lord present in the Shrine called as the velli ambalam which is covered with Silver all over. This is the one of the idol of Nataraja which is called as the Velli Sabhai. There is many Sabhai’s present in the temples of Lord Shiva all over the state.
The Thousand Pillar Mandapam
The hall with 1000 pillars can be seen when one enters the temple from the eastern entrance. Today there are only 985 pillars in the hall. One will also be able to see the musical pillars in the temple. The tourist will able to see in front the history that covers about 1200 years in the form of icons, photographs and drawings and sculptures.
Vasanta Mandapam
Today Vasanta Mandapam is known as Pudhu Manadapam for the people in the city. There are various sculptures within that depict the wedding of the Lord and Meenakshi.
Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam
It is situated at Madurai that is about 5 kms from the Meenakshi Amman Temple . There is a huge tank and in the middle is situated a Vinayakar temple. There is a temple located with the tank. The water supply for the tank is from the Vaigai River.
There is a float festival organized in the month of Thai which is celebrated to commemorate the birthday of King Thirumalai Nayak who was born on the day of Poosa Day, a special day in the Tamil month of Thai. The tank is decorated with lights and tourists from all the surrounding areas attend the festival.
Thirumalai Nayakar Mahal
It is one of the important tourist attractions in Madurai situated very near to the temple. It was built by the King in the year 1636. An Italian architect built the palace for the king. The king and family resided in the palace. The Swargavilasa and Rangavilasa are the two parts in the palace. There are various other places in the palace where the tourists are allowed to go.
The tourist can visit the palace for an entrance fee. It is said that during the British rule in India the place was used for administrative purposes. Now the Archaeological Department of the country has declared the palace as a national monument and now the palaces has been renovated and open for public. In the evenings, the Light and sound show takes place in the palace in which the life history of the king and rule in Madurai is being told with sound and light effect.
Gandhi Museium
Madurai stands as the living monument of the “Father of the Nation” Mahatma Gandhi. The Gandhi Memorial Trust came into existence after the assassination of Gandhi in the year 1948, through funds raised by public contribution. The trust allocated a huge amount to set up Gandhi Memorial Museums in seven places in the country associated with the life of Gandhi.
Madurai was selected as one among the seven places for setting up the memorial as several important decisions were made by Gandhi during his visit to Madurai. It was during his visit to Madurai in the year 1921, he made up his mind to wear a small towel like dhothi around the waist as his dress after seeing the poor people dressed in scarce clothes. He was mentally agitated and took up a firm decision to give up his rich dressing pattern. Still, one can find a firm proof at the residence where Gandhi started his simple mode of dressing. Also Gandhi visited Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple in the year 1946 when Harijans were allowed for the first time into the temple.
The palace of Rani Mangammal of Nayak dynasty with about 13 acres of land which was later occupied by the Nawabs and East Indian Company was gifted by the State Government for the construction of Gandhi Memorial Museum in the year 1955. Gandhi Memorial Museum stands as a living legend exhibiting the value of life, work and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.
One can divide the Gandhi Memorial Museum into various sections such as exhibition, pictorial gallery, Khadi and Village Industries Section, open air theatre and library.
The exhibition on “India Fights for Freedom” includes 265 depicts, illustrating the history of freedom movement. This is followed by an exhibit on handicrafts. Then is the picture gallery presenting a visual biography of Mahatma Gandhi through photos, sculptures, paintings, quotations, manuscripts and some original articles.
This is followed by the Khadi and Village Industries Section exhibiting some of the village industries. Gandhi museum includes a big open air theatre where weekly film shows, cultural programs and public meetings are held on special occasions. The library in the museum contains books on Gandhiji, cultural background of India and allied literatures. The library protects about 27,000 letters of Gandhiji and 62 reels of micro-films. The library includes a research section with a meeting hall. Book review meetings are held periodically. Also a science park is up for the benefits of the children.
Gandhi Memorial Museum at Madurai serves on broader prospective conducting exhibitions, study circle meetings, seminars, fine arts training courses, summer camps, group discussions, classes on Yogasana and Naturopathy. Besides these, the museum conducts educational program for college and high school students of Madurai City. The program would be held for a day including class room study with film projection, slide show and museum gallery tour.
A committee including gandhian leaders, social workers, educationalists and representatives from the State and the Central Governments are administering the Gandhi Memorial Museum at Madurai.
Gandhiji's Belongings
Azhagar Kovil
About 21 kms from the city of Madurai is situated the beautiful temple of Azhagar Koil . It is a temple that has the residing deity as Vishnu. The Lord here is known by the name Azhagar. He is the brother of Goddess Meenakshi and when the wedding of the Lord and Goddess takes place in the month of Chithrai, Azhagar travels from here to Madurai to witness the wedding of the Lord.
Palamudhircholai
One of the six abodes of Lord Subramanya, Palamudhirsolai is situated above Azhagar Koil in the hills about 4 kms away. At the top of the hill is situated the natural spring Nuburagangai where the pilgrims take bath which is at Sri Raakachi Amman Temple. Thiruparamkundram
It is one of the six abodes of Lord Muruga, stands 10km south from Madurai . It serves as the best among the Arupadai Veedu of Lord Muruga, attracting rolling crowds all the year. Thirupparankundram, the place where Lord Muruga was married with Devayanai, is considered as a sacred place for marriages. This rock cut temple has separate shrines for Lord Ganapathy, Shiva, Durgai, Vishnu and other deities. The entrance of the temple is built with 48 Nayaka period pillars with artistic carvings engraved on them. The speciality of Thirupparankundram temple is that the innermost shrine is carved from a single rock.
Another interesting fact about the Thirupparankundram temple is the presence of subsidiary cave shrines excavated in the rock, with idols arranged so orderly like a military session. These small cave shrines can be approached through narrow dark passages. It is quite difficult to find similar group of cave shrines elsewhere.
Art & Culture
The people of Madurai, are polite, good natured, cordial, friendly and harmonious. They have good respect for tradition. They prefer wearing traditional clothes like Saree and Dhavani. The streets in Madurai are alive through 24 hours. People of Madurai are hard working, sportive and cultured. They entertain themselves with movies and amusement parks. Madurai portrays both traditional and modern aspects. Madurai is famous for its traditional sport called “Jallikattu”, which is fiercer than “bull fight” - the favorite sport of Latin natives in Europe and South America. Along with powerful Jallikattu, Madurai has rich heritage for its village ballads, folk dance, dramas and songs. Age old folklore, religious festivals and rituals have helped Madurai to design and develop handicrafts which are used and worn on special occasion. The wide range of products include household utilities like, metalwork, pottery, carvings in wood and stones, leather goods, carpets and patch work. Madurai Handloom textiles both cotton and silk sarees and men’s wear are globally appreciated.
Madurai is place were “Muthamil Sangam” was created and preserved. It is popularly called as “Sangam Vaithu Tamil Valartha Madurai”. It is known for Iyal (Literature), Isai (Music) and Nadagam (Drama), which had their roots in the rural folk dances. The various types of folk dances include Karagattam, Theru Koothu, Devaraattam, Kummi, Kavadiattam, Poikkal Kudhirai attam, Kai Silambu attam, Puli Attam, Mayilattam, Thappaattam, Kollatam, Kazhai Kottu, Chakkai attam, Bommalattam or Puppet Show, Bagavatha Nadanam, Oyilattam, Urummi Attam, Kamandi or Kaman Pandigai, Kali Attam, Sevai Attam, Villu Pattu.
Madurai is famous for Bharatha Nattiyam and Carnatic music. It has yielded number of famous personalities in music and Bharatha Nattiyam, who are shining all over the world. Some of the famous Carnatic singers include M.S. Subbulakhsmi, Madurai Mani Iyer, T. N. Seshagopalan, Madurai N. Krishnan, and so on. One of the famous Bharatha Nattiyam dancer’s from Madurai is Rukmini Devi Arudale. Hundreds of personalities have developed and are spreading the Indian culture and tradition all over the world. One of the famous ballad often delivered in Madurai is the ballad Desingu Rajan Kadhai.
good to see. Welcome to SM Technologies
ReplyDelete