Madurai Tamil Nadu Tourist Places, Madurai Tamil Nadu Tourist Attractions, Madurai Tamil Nadu Tourist Destinations, Madurai Tamil Nadu Tourist Spot, Madurai Tamil Nadu Travel Destinations, Madurai Tamil Nadu Travel Places, Madurai Tamil Nadu Tourism

Madurai Tamil Nadu Tourist Attraction and Places

Madurai is a great city for tourism. There are several tourists who visit this city because this city is a very important one in the state. There are several places to visit in this city. This city has its own share of attractions and these attractions magnetize several people to visit these attractions.
There are several tourists arriving to this city every year. Madurai tourist attractions are some of the greatest in the world. The Madurai tourist attractions, India are liked by most of the tourists. The serenity and sanctity of the temples can be felt.

Madurai is characterized by the famous Meenakshi temple. This city is situated in the banks of the River Vaigai. The city has a rich cultural heritage that is the result of its continuous tradition and its practices. The Madurai tourist attractions have several tourists visiting them.

Madurai has a huge reputation in the world for being a tourist destination of great class. Madurai was the center of economical activities as early as 550 A.D. The Madurai tourist attractions, India are frequently visited by the people of the city as well as by the people who reside in the nearby cities. There are many tourists who arrive from different parts of the world.

Madurai tourist attractions, India is frequented by visitors as there are numerous flights to Madurai from Bangalore, Chennai, Trichirapalli and Coimbatore. Madurai is a junction well connected to major cities such as Chennai and Tirunelveli. Excellent roads connect to Madurai from all south Indian parts and the significant thing is Madurai has 5 major bus stands.

Madurai tourist attractions pull tourists from various parts of the world and are a famous attraction. The temple consists of 986 sculptured pillars forming Thousand Pillar Mandapam hall and is a center of Tamil music, dance and art.

Madurai tourist attractions are regarded with great interest by the visitors. The Teppakulam is of great attraction. Thirupparakundram is a sacred granite hill and is viewed as one of the dwellings of Lord Subramaniyam. This is a cave temple constructed in the 8the century by the Pandyas.
Besides this attraction, Thekkadi wildlife sanctuary, Munnar and Palani hills are places of attraction around Madurai. Madurai tourist attractions, India is a favorable spot for many tourists owing to various facilities. The accommodations available here ensure the visitors of a comfortable stay and the foods are available in varieties and standard quality.

Religious Spots

Sri Meenakshi - Sundareswarar Temple

Madurai is synonymous with the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, known here as Sundareshvara and his consort Parvati or Meenakshi. The temple was originally built by the Pandyas (7th – 10th centuries) but extensively added by the successive rulers between the 14th and 18th centuries.

The temple complex consists of high walled enclosures inside which the sanctums for Meenakshi and Sundareshvara are kept surrounded by other smaller shrines. The most impressive are the 12 gopuras. Their soaring towers rise from solid granite bases and are decorated with figures of deities, mythical animals and flowers, painted in vivid colors.

The temple remains open on all days. Non-Hindus are not allowed inside the sanctum. There is also a museum open to the public without any charges. Two festivals viz. Chitirai and Avanimoolam are celebrated here with great enthusiasm.

Thirupparankundram Temple


Just 7 kms southwest of Madurai, is a small town known for its sacred granite hill. The site is regarded as one of the six sacred abodes of Murugan, son of Lord Shiva. This is the place where he married to Devyani, daughter of Indra. There is a rock cut temple here built by the Pandya rulers in the 8th century. The temple has been beautifully carved and decorated with mandapas. A 14-day temple festival is held in March/April to commemorate the victory of Murugan over the demon Suran.

Kadal Alagar Temple

Towards the south west of Meenakshi temple is the Alagar Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The temple is considered to be one of the 108 sacred Vaishnavite shrines in India. The temple has three superimposed sanctuaries of diminishing size, housing Lord Vishnu. The outer wall has beautiful sculptures and stone carvings. The temple remains open on all days but not allowed to non-Hindus.

Alagar Koil

The temple at Alagar Koil, 12 kms north of Madurai is dedicated to Kallalagar, a form of Lord Vishnu, who is known to be Meenakshi’s brother. The main attractions here are Sadhus (Swamiyars), or homeless, casteless holy man passing, mischievous monkeys among the families that bring their small children to have their heads shaved, coated in cooling sandalwood paste, and blessed. This small town is located at the foot of the Alagar Hills.

Anglican Cathedral

Towards west of Madurai, is a magnificent Church, designed by Robert Fellowes Chisholm and was consecrated in 1881. This church is a fine example of Neo-Gothic architecture of the British era, a widely visited site in Madurai.

Saravana Poigai – Thirupparankundram Temple, Madurai

Saravana Poigai is the temple tank of the hugely popular Thirupparamkundram Arulmigu Subramaniam Swamy Thirukovil in Thirupparandundram, that is located in the suburbs of the South Indian city of Madurai (about 8km from the city center), Tamil Nadu. The saravana poigai is located about 500m from the main entrance of the temple and is the place where devotees get their heads tonsured. It is believed that the poet Nakkeerar sang praises while standing in this pond


Museums

Gandhi Museum

Gandhi Museum is one of the distinct places of Madurai retaining the living memorial of the Father of Nation – Mahatma Gandhi. The museum houses some of the rare objects used by Gandhiji, valuable books and manuscripts.


Other Attractions

Tombs of the Madurai Sultans

Towards the north of Vaigai River are the tombs of the Madurai rulers. The sultans were buried to the north of the city. The complex includes Alaauddin’s Mosque with its flat-roofed prayer hall and the tomb of a local Sufi saint, Bara Mastan Sada built in the 16th century.

Thirumalai Nayaka Palace

About 1.5 kms from Meenakshi temple is a grand palace built by Thirumalai Nayaka in 1636. The palace reflects the power and wealth of Nayakas who ruled the city for over centuries. The building with its interesting Islamic influence was partially restored in the 19th century by Lord Napier, Governor of Madras between 1866 and 1872.


How to reach

By Air : Madurai has an airport, 12 kms from city centre, that connects important cites of the country. Indian Airlines operates flights from Madurai to Chennai, Calicut and Mumbai.

By Rail : Madurai is well connected by rails via Chennai with all important cities of the country.

By Road : Madurai is connected by a well maintained network of roads to important towns and cities of Tamil Nadu as well as its neighboring states.

Distance Chart :

      Madras - 472 kms
      Trichy - 142 kms
      Rameshwarm - 139 kms
      Kanyakumari - 232 kms
      Tirunelveli - 151 kms
      Kodaikanal - 120 kms
      Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary - 136 kms
      Palani - 122 kms
      Hanjavur - 223 kms
      Bangalore - 446 kms
      Bombay - 1454 kms