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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