A burst of vivid, bright colors meets your eyes as the tingle and chime of temple bells takes over your senses. Vibrant, mythical, chaotic and soulful, Madurai is like no other city in India. The ancient structures of temples and palaces adorning the cityscape would make sky-scrappers fade in comparison. Decked with marvelous edifices dating back centuries, the city has its own rhythm. Unhurried, tranquil and graceful, lose yourself in the streets of this beautiful city to discover the divine. While the rest of the country paces ahead at break-neck speed, here you can slow down to enjoy the gentle breeze, the music of devotional hymns and the fragrance of ritualistic flowers. Amidst all the chaos of technology and development, the whispers of mythological legends continue to circulate in this prosperous medieval city.
The city of Madurai is a live manifestation of the prosperous Tamil culture, its traditions, customs, colors and beliefs. An ancient city and the seat of the mighty Pandya and Nayaka dynasties, Madurai has been thriving since the medieval era. Visit Madurai and be charmed by the magic that continues to reign here.
Madurai with its many charms has a store of experiences to make your stay here memorable. Experience the divine power as you traipse through the city visiting its many temples most of them with hundreds of years behind them. Having been the seat of royalty for centuries, Madurai boasts of several palaces and castles that you can visit. Or you may simply choose to explore the city’s rich culture by exploring the small alleys and narrow streets of the city. With the number of temples and religious sites in the city, it is natural that festivals and celebrations are celebrated with joy in Madurai. The coronation festival of the patron Goddess Meenakshi, known as Meenakshi Thirukalyanam is celebrated in a 12-day extravaganza during the month of April. Another important celebration is that of her wedding to Lord Shiva in a festival named Chithirai Thiruvizha.
With plenty to offer, the city is a delight for shoppers as well. Madurai specializes in textiles, handicrafts and jewelry. You can buy fine handloom and hand-woven sarees or the popular tie-and-dye sarees known as Sungudi here. Handicrafts and woodcraft items with intricate carvings make for beautiful souvenirs to take home. You can also shop for antiques made from bronze and copper in the street markets. Some of the popular market areas are the North and West Chithirai Roads, the Meenakshi Temple entrance road and so on. The temples themselves are excellent places to buy souvenirs such as earthen idols of deities known as 'Golu Dolls'. The Madurai Malligai variety of fragrant jasmine flowers is very popular and can be bought from the streets.
Auto-rickshaws ply to different parts of the city and are easily available on the streets. The most convenient way of traveling here however is by hiring a private cab. A number of car rentals offer you options in luxury or non-luxury cars as per your convenience. With adequate documents, cars are also available for driving through the city on your own.
On a daily basis there are approximately 24 flights that operate at Madurai Airport.SpiceJet, Air India and SriLankan Airlines are the most popular airline brands that fly frequently to this airport.
Besides flying you can also reach Madurai through train.Madurai Jnis one of the most popular train stations in Madurai.On an average about 98 trains pass through Madurai on a daily basis.Virudhunagar to Madurai, Dindigul to Madurai, Nagercoil to Maduraiare some of the most popular routes to Madurai with 157, 97, 74 trains weekly respectively.
By road Madurai is surrounded by Virudupatti, Sivaganga, Virudhunagar which are 25.15 km, 25.96 km, 27.16 km away respectively. These places are ideal spots for people to plan their short weekend break.
Madurai has a total of 41 hotels.There are 41 hotels in Madurai with the popular ones being Heritage Madurai, The Taj Gateway Hotel Pasumalai, The Madurai Residency, GRT Regency, Fortune Pandiyan, Royal Court etc.
'Perhaps the defining feature of the city, the ancient Sri Meenakshi Temple, is also the most popular temple in Madurai. The temple is named after Goddess Paravati who was known as Meenakshi. The n...
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