Story of Madurai

Madurai is one of the largest metropolitan areas in Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It's located on the banks of the River Vaigai. The settlement at Madurai city began 2 thousand years ago and it is deemed as one of the oldest populated cities in the globe. It was named by various names as Naanmada Koodal, Aalavai, Koodal, Koodal Nagaram and Thiruvalaivai. It is said the name Madurai city must have originated from the term Madhura which means sweetness. Also it is said the landscape on the banks of the River Vaigai was referred to as Marutham and Madurai was the mutation of that name.

The original city was named Then Madurai which had been destroyed by terrific Tsunami in Kumari Kandam. The various names of the location had been cited in the 17th century writings by Paranjothi Munivar named Thiruvilayaadal Puraanam. According to the Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva's blessings were showered on the land and therefore it had been named Madhurapuri that signifies The town of Divine Nectar.

The story of Madurai begins with 3 hundred B.C. when the Greek ambassador Megasthenes traveled to the location. He had written about the name of the town as Methora in his works. There had been a mention with regards to the city in Arthashastra composed by Kautilya, the Greek geographer Strabo and the works of the Roman historians Ptolemy and Pliny. Sangam literary works blossomed here at the time of the reign of Pandya rulers. The great epic Silapathikaram was created during the second century A.D.

In the beginning, Kalabhras were ruling this particular place. They were considered as wicked rulers and were definitily not good-hearted. In 550 A.D. Pandyas ousted them and came to power. They reigned over the location for a lot more than 3 centuries. Within the 9th century, Chola empire held supremacy over the area. They held sway for next 4 years till the Pandyan empire was once more established in 13th century. Kulasekhara Pandiyan was the final Pandiyan leader. Right after this, Delhi Sultanate took away the location and added it under its control. Nevertheless, Madurai Sultanate was established and this served as an independent kingdom.

In the year 1378, Vijayanagar rulers captured Madurai city and reigned over the area. The Nayaks of Madurai city conquered the Vijayanagar king in the year 1559 and added Madurai city under their control. The rule of Nayaks went on for almost 200 years. In the year 1736 Madurai changed hands. Many kings such as Chanda Sahib, Arcot Nawab and Maruthanayagam had the control of the place after that. They ruled over this location till the outset of 19th century.

In 1801, the city of Madurai came under the immediate control of the English East India Company. The city saw huge developments right after that. It evolved into a municipality in 1866. At the time of the battle for independence many personalities from Madurai city including N.M.R. Subbaraman, Mohamed Ismail Sahib and Meer Niyamatullah Ibrahim Sahib took part in that. Right after the independence of India, Madurai developed to become the third biggest metropolis in the state of Tamil Nadu.

Madurai city is well-known for the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple. It was constructed in the course of the regime of Kulasekara Pandyan. The Madurai photos and Madurai videos show this grand temple standing in the center of the city. This ancient historic place is really worth visiting.

Suhaina Mazhar is a freelance author and blogger and has authored thousands of original articles. Just click here to uncover significant information regarding Madurai and watch Madurai photos and Madurai videos.