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Madurai which is
usually called 'Nanmadakkudal ' in Tamil literature
is an ancient city more than 4000 years old. Kudal means
assembly and as all the 3 Tamil Academies (Sangams) were
established in Madurai , it got the name Kudal. Literary
evidences prove that the first Madurai was devoured by the
sea and what we now see is the second Madurai founded by the
Pandya king Kulasekara in 6th Century B.C. The culture of
Tamilnadu is woven with the history of Madurai in all
aspects - history , religion, art, legend , polity ,
learning and so on It was the city of elites and learned men
, so its is aptly called the Athens of the east.
The name Madurai is
associated with ' Maduram' meaning nectar. The legend
is that when Lord Shiva came here to marry Devi Meenakshi ,
few drops of nectar fell from his locks and therefore named
as Madurapuri, the land of nectar which was shortened later
as Madurai.
From the Sangam age , it
was the capital of the Pandyas and except for a brief spell
under the Cholas till the Muslim invasion by Malik
Kafur ( 1290 - 1320 A.D) , it was ruled by the Pandyas.
Afterwards , it came under Vijayanagar rule and their
governors , the Nayaks from 1371. The Nayaks ruled for over
200 years and their reign is the golden age when Madurai was
at its height in art , architecture and learning . They
embellished Madurai with temples and buildings , including
the Meenakshi temple , which are landmarks of the city.
Madurai now is the 2nd largest city of Tamilnadu very much
modern and progressive.
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