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Madurai is a significant metropolitan city in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is the third largest city of the state after Chennai and Coimbatore. The city is famous for historical monuments like Meenakshi Amman Temple and Thirumalai Nayak Palace. It also has many prominent colleges. The city attracts a lot of local and foreign tourists because of its beautiful architecture and numerous festivals. The city has an airport of its own.
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If grand architecture is something that impresses you, Madurai will hold your attention for a longer time. The city is quite hot. The food is hotter. But the city becomes more beautiful and active after the sun sets and you could do some nice shopping for handicrafts and souvenirs.
Madurai is famously called Thonganagaram which means 'The city that never sleeps'. Built around Meenakshi Amman Temple, the city of Madurai is the cultural centre of Tamil Nadu. The city has a number of historical monuments that attract a lot of foreign tourists. It is also one of the prominent academic hubs in South India. Academic centres to learn Tamil culture, literature, art, music and dance are present all around the city.
Built in 1636, Thirumalai Nayak Palace is one of the major tourist attractions in Madurai. In the palace, sound and light shows featuring the virtues of King Thirumalai and the attributes of the palace are held. The Gandhi Memorial Museum in Madurai has a fragment of the blood-stained garment worn by Mahatma Gandhi when he was assassinated. Apart from this, Madurai has The Eco park, Rajaji Chidren's Park and a Theme Park, Athisayam. The city also celebrates a number of traditonal festivals including Meenakshi Tirukkalyanam, the Chittirai Festival and the Car Festival.
The city is located 101 metres(330 ft) above mean sea level.
The city has very hot summers, slightly pleasant winters and experiences heavy rains during the monsoon.
During winter between December and February.
By Air
Madurai has an airport of its own which is about 15 kilometres away from the centre of the city. The airport has frequent flights from Chennai and few direct flights from other cities in India. Outside India, it is only connected to Colombo and Dubai.
By Train
The Madurai Railway Station is at a central location in the city. It is well-connected to other cities in India. From the station, you can take a taxi or auto to reach your hotel.
By Road
Private and state-run buses are available from all major parts of Tamil Nadu and some cities from the neighbouring states of Karnataka and Kerala. The city is connected with National Highways NH-7, NH-45B, and NH-49.
The city is famous for its unique and exclusive food varieties like Paruthi Paal, Jigarthanda, Panangkarkandu Paal and Chettinadu varieties like Appam and Kuzhi Paniyaram. Rice-based snacks like paniyaram (savoury snack shallow fried in a special mould) and idiyappam (string hoppers), kuzhambu (spicy stew) and a wide variety of meat dishes that include chicken, mutton, crab and rabbit are also famous.
