MADURAI - A Temple City - Tourist Guide

TOURIST INFORMATION

Madurai is Known as the Athens of the East, Madurai, the second largest city in Tamil Nadu is situated on the banks of the river Vaigai. An ancient city, more than 2,500 years old, Madurai is believed to have been built by the Pandyan King Kulasekara in the 6th century BC.

During the rule of the Nayaks, the bulk of the Meenakshi temple was built, the main attraction for visitors, today. Madurai also became the cultural center of the Tamil people. Madurai passed on to the East India Company in 1781, and in 1840, the Company razed the fort which had previously surrounded the city, and filled in the moat, constructed the veli streets and expanded the city.

The below table is the approximate distances in Kilometers from Madurai to various towns or cities.

Name of the Town / City	Distance in Kilometers	Name of the Town / City	Distance in Kilometers
Bangalore	427	Palani	119
Chennai	447	Pollachi	180
Chidambaram	310	Pondichery	339
Coimbatore	227	Pudukottai	111
Dharmapuri	269	Rajapalayam	85
Dindigul	63	Ramanathapuram	121
Erode	206	Rameshwaram	167
Hosur	380	Salem	235
Kanchipuram	396	Thanjavur	168
Kanniyakumari	253	Tiruchendur	214
Karur	140	Tiruchy	128
Kodaikanal	120	Tirunelveli	151
Krishnagiri	270	Tirupati	440
Kumbakonam	197	Tiruppur	190
Mahabalipuram	459	Tuticorin	133
Nagapattinam	237	Vellore	413
Nagercoil	235	Yercaud	251
Ooty	325