Madurai
Introduction And History : Madurai is one of the ancient and great temple towns of Tamilnadu. It is situated on the banks of river Vaigai, which has a very rich history and heritage which is more than 2000 year old. It was an important cultural and commercial centre even as early as 550 AD, which was also the capital city for the great Pandya kings.The Pandyan King Kulasekarar built a great temple and created a lotus shaped city around the temple. It is believed that on the day the city was to be named, Lord shiva blessed the land and its people with a divine nectar, which is called as ‘Madhu’, from which the city derives its name from.
What To See : Badami is very famous for its carved rock temples, made of soft Deccan red stone. The main cave temples are dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Jain saints. Bhuthanatha Temples, Badami Fort, Archaeological Musuem, Aihole, Durga Temple, Ravanaphadi Cave, Bhagavati Temple and Pattadakal are the major attractions in Badami. The ideal time to visit Badami is between September and February. Madurai can be visited throughout the year.
Accomodations : As Madurai is one of the important tourist destinations in Tamilnadu, it offers multiple options for accommodation. Various types of hotels and resorts are available to suit all budgets, which charge from 500 up to 3000 rupees per day.
Mode Of Transport :Madurai has an Airport which is 10 Kilometers away from the city. It has flights frequently connecting to Chennai, Bangalore and Coimbatore. It is also one of the important railway junctions in Southern India, which has both broad and meter gauge rail roads. It has five bus stands in the City, which connects it to almost all major cities nearby. Bus frequencies are also very good.
Related links:
• Official information: http://www.madurai.nic.in
• Tourist information: http://www.madurai.com/
See also (Nearby places): Kodaikanal, Vaigai Dam, Suruli hills, Thekkady, Countrallam, Rameshwaram and Palani hills are some of the nearby tourist attractions.
