Madurai, located on the banks of the River Vaigai in the state of Tamil Nadu in India is famous for its rich heritage and architectural splendor. The history of Madurai starts from the Sangam literature which was called the golden period of Tamil literature. The legendry name of Madurai was Kadambavanam. It was full of Kadam trees and one day merchant saw Indran worshipping a Swayambulingam under one of these trees. King Kulasekara Pandyan built the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple in that spot. It is also said that the Thiruvilayadals of Lord Shiva were performed in Madurai.

In 2^nd century B.C., the Greek Ambassador Megasthenese visited this place. Marcopolo came here in 1293 A.D. and Ibn Batuta visited Madurai in 1333 A.D. and had written about it in their travelogues. Many travelers from Rome and Greek including Pliny The Younger in 77 A.D., Ptolemy in 140 A.D. and Strabo also have mentioned about this city in their works.

Cholas captured Madurai from Pandyas in 10^th century A.D. From 920 A.D. until the early 13^th century, it was under the control of Cholas. In 1223 A.D., Pandyas got back their kingdom. During the rule of Pandian Kings, Tamil language and literature saw new heights. Many masterpieces of literature including Silapathikaram were written during this time.

In early 14^th centuty, Khilji dynasty ruled from Delhi. Malik Kafur one of the generals of the then ruler Alauddin Khilji was attracted by the vast treasures and precious stones and jewels of Madurai. He came to Madurai in April 1311 and plundered them. The raids after the raids followed and in 1323, it fell into the hands of the Delhi Sultanate which was then under the rule of Tughlak dynasty.

The Madurai Sultanate was established and they continued their rule for about 50 years. In 1371, the Vijayanagar dynasty who had their base station in Hampi captured Madurai and brought it under their control. However for administration reasons, they appointed Nayaks to govern the land. The annual rent had to be paid by the Nayaks to the Vijayanagar rulers.

When the king of Vijayanagar Empire, Krishna Deva Raya died in 1530 A.D., Nayaks became independent rulers. The popular among them was Thirumalai Nayak who ruled the place from 1623 to 1659. Many architectural masterpieces were created during his time. The Pudhu Mandapam, Thirumalai Nayakar Mahal and the Raja Gopuram of Meenakshi Amman Temple were built during his time. The Madurai photos and Madurai videos will reveal the artistic beauty of these great monuments.

In the second half of 18^th century, Madurai slowly started to come under the influence of the British East India Company. British appointed their representatives in 1781 and George Procter was appointed as the first collector of Madurai. In 1801, the full control of Madurai was with the British East India Company. The city saw good development and expansion in 1837. The then collector of Madurai John Blackburn ordered for many new constructions. It was made into a municipality in 1866.

After the independence of India, it became one of the important commercial hubs of the nation with its information technology companies, textile mills and granite industries. Due to its busy activities all round the clock it is rightly called Thoona Nagaram meaning the city that never sleeps.

Article Posted By : Sumazla  On February 21, 2012lView All Articles

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