It's the most famous festival in Madurai, celebrated for 12 days in tamil month of Chitirai (during april and may). Starting from Flag hoist, the next 8 days Meenakshi in a chariot will go around Madurai in different avatars followed by pattabishekam and dikvijayam. On the 9th day, the wedding of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar is celebrated and later in the evening they go around Madurai in a palanquin decorated with flowers. On the 10th day Ther tiruvizha or Car Festival is celebrated.11th day is Ethir Sevai where people from madurai will welcome Alagar (Brother of meenakshi) from Alagar hill. After Alagar hears that the marriage got over he decides to leave the gifts in the middle of the vaigai river and so Alagar steps into vaigai river on the 12th day and later he goes back to alagar hills without entering South Madurai.
Jallikattu is an ancient game played by Tamizhans, where the bull is raised by people like it's one of their family and are trained to escape from capturing it on the hump and to make their horns stronger by making it dash on the sand. The bull is released into the crowd of trained people. The one who catches the bull's hump is awarded with prize. Kangayam bull is mostly used in jallikattu. It is conducted in Alanganallur, Avaniyapuram and Palamedu in madurai. It happens on Mattu pongal, which is on January.
One of the creative festivals is theppa thiruvizha. Where Goddess Meenakshi and Sundareswarar are brought from Meenakshi Amman Temple to Theppakullam. They are placed on a floating chariot and are pulled around the tank from both the sides accordingly. They pull it once in the morning, then they are taken inside the temple. Again they will pull the floating chariot twice in the evening. This festival is celebrated on Thaipusam which is a day on tamil month Thai. Which mostly occurs on the month of february.
Thiruparankundram's most famous festival is vikasi visakam. Where whole people will go to vaigai river to take bath those who owed to god would carry pots filled with milk, also take Kavadi and pierce their cheeks or tongue with spears and walks to the temple. In the way to thiruparankundram, those people are provided with free water and food by sponsors. This happens on the tamil month of vaikasi which is in the month of may and june.
Sound and light is performed everyday in Thirumalai Nayakar Palace. Where the history of thirumalai nayakar on ruling Madurai is described beautifully with the light visuals and audio for about 50 minutes. The payment for this show will be 50 for adults and 25 for the children/students. This show is described twice a day. One in english at 6.45 PM to 7.35 PM and in tamil at 8 PM to 8:50 PM.
Most vegan people from madurai would prefer this restaurant because of the unique taste and hygenic foods. Chappati and panner butter masala is the most liked food here.
It's a non-vegetarian restaurant and it is famous for it's curry dosa and elumbu roast which are available at standard price. Big building with AC rooms and friendly uniformed employees.
The best place for South Indian food - be it breakfast, lunch or dinner! This vegetarian restaurant is located near Meenakshi temple which makes people to go in there and have a good meal. Dosa with tasty sambar and chilly parotta are famous here.
If you are a chapati lover, you should defenitely go to this restaurant, where we can find different variety of chapati servered with our favourite spicey gravy items. Butter chapati with panner butter masala and panner rolled chapati are famous here. Under 150 ruppees is enough here to fill a meal.
Amma mess is a non-vegetarian restaurant where the cost is little more high than other places. But tastes are worth the cost. Sea foods and mutton varities are the famous foods here. People used to say that place is little congested over there. Also, they have opened another restaurant with improved buildings and spaces in melur.
This temple is believed to be built by Kulasekara Pandyas. Where Nayaks did those wonderful works on the temple. Meenakshi amman temple consists of 14 temple towers (Gopuram), which are built in different centuries by different rulers. It has a tank named potramarai Kulam (pond with golden lotus), in Which on those days tamil scholars used to throw their poetic works into the pond and those works which floats on the water are believed to be good ones. It has a golden shrine over the sanctum of Meenakshi, Meenakshi Nayakkar Mandapam (hall of thousand pillars) and many more. Viravasantharaya Mandapam is the hall where marriage of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar is held.
It is one of the six abodes of Murugan which is also believed to be built by Pandyas. It is a rock-cut architecture and newer constructions in front. The history of this temple The demon king, Surapadman who imprisoned Indra in thiruchendur. Indra seeked for help from Murugan, where Murugan killed the sons of the devil. Surapadman who hid inside the water was split into two pieces, which went on becoming Murugan's vehicle peacock and rooster. The day when Muruga slayed Surapadma is celebrated as Skanda Sashti festival in all the Murugan temples. Indra made his daughter Deivayanai to marry Murugan at Thiruparankundram to lower Murugan's anger.
Azhagar Temple is dedicated to Vishnu, which is situated on the top of the hill is also believed to be built by Pandyas. Lord Vishnu is popularly called as Kallazhagar, Kallar in tamil means Thief. Azhagar steals his devotees heart with his beauty. The water that flows from the top of the hills is named as Nupura Ganga. Taking a holy bath in this water is said to fulfill the desires of the people. Also Pazhamuthir Cholai is situated close to Azhagar temple, which is one of six abodes of Lord Murugan. It is a small temple with Murugan, Deivayanai and valli in a shrine and Lord Ganesh in another separate shrine.
This temple is believed to be built before Meenakshi Amman temple. THe history of this temple is that before one rules a kingdom, they need to do a puja to Lord Shiva. After meenakshi rules madurai for three months, she asked shiva, her console to rule Madurai for the next three months. So Lord Shiva himself did puja on a Shivalinga facing westward, which means Meenakshi and Sundareswarar are behind Shivalinga. So that devotees can have rear side dharsan. People who request pardoning for their sins can achive goodness at the same time, defines the name of the temple.
This Church is built in the period 1840 AD. It is a seat of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madurai. It has two Roman style bell towers which is even visible from a distance. The architecture of this Church is splendid both inside and outside. We can have very calm atmosphere from the inside of the Church. It is built adjacent to Thirumalai Nayakar Palace. The church was dedicated to Viagulamatha (Mother Mary), and was initially known as Viagulamatha Koil by the locals.
This Mosque is built in 13th century by Hazrat Kazi Syed Tajuddin, who received this land from Kulasekara Pandya. The mosque is popularly known as Periya Pallivasal, meaning the Big Mosque, which can accommodate around 2,500 people. The Maqbara, which is the dargah of descendants of Prophet Muhammad, is located within the premises of the mosque. Kazimar Big mosque has been managed by the descendants of Kazi Syed Tajudding from the day of the inception of the mosque.
Gandhi Museum is located in the Rani Mangammal Palace, which is inagurated in the year 1959 by former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. It is one of the seven Gandhi Memorial Museums in India. The reason that they built his Memorial is because, he has visited TamilNadu 14 times in which he came to Madurai 5 times as he loved it here. The museum has 14 articles, blood-stained cloth, a pair of spectacles, a towel, a loincloth, a dhoti, a wooden and a leather chappal, spoon made of wood, thread spun by him, shawl, kerchief (napkin), pillow, blanket, a letter written to a Devakottai friend and to Adolf Hitler.
Yanai Malai is a natural hill which looks like a sitting Elephant. Yanai Malai is named after the look where Elephant in tamil is Yanai and Hills in tamil is Malai and so Yanai Malai. This is a historical hill for the Tamil Jain people as the sculptures of Mahavira, Gometeshware and other Tirthankaras fashioned by Jain Monks. Also there are two Hindu Temples at the foothills namely Shaivite Temple and Yoga Narashima Temple. Both are rock-cut temples constructed by the Pandyas, belonging to the 8th century.
Kutladampatti falls is located in a village kutladampatti near vadipatti. This falls is a good place to hangout for the people from Madurai. This Waterfall is in a reserve forest managed by the Department. The water falls from a height of about 27 metres. The walk to the top from the kutladampatti is a different kind of experience as people will love as they reach to the top. The peak season, when the tourism flourishes at the falls is from the months of September to February.
Nagamalai is known for its Snake biodiversity and so it is named as Naga (snake) malai. The top of the hill consists of naturally formed rocks which resemble the form of a crocodile. Even though there is no water source at the top of the hill, it has an permanent flow of water on one side at Puluthu, which is a herbal water which can be directly drunk. There are three hills in a triangular form which connects Madurai. They are Nagamalai, Pasumalai and Yanaimalai.
