Sign In
Learn bits
History & Culture
Pradeep Kumar

31/03/21 10:00 AM IST

Stories of Madurai

In news

The Ministry of Tourism’s Dekho Apna DeshWebinar series held its 82nd webinar titled “Stories of Madurai” on 30th March 2021.

About Madurai
  • Madurai, one of the oldest living cities, holds the soul of Tamil Nadu in its magnificent and grand temples that are among the finest and most awe-inspiring specimens of architecture in the country.
  • The most spectacular of these is the Meenakshi-Sundareswarar Temple, which is the heartbeat of the city and is visited by thousands of devotees.
  • Madurai once traded with ancient Rome and it preserves its distinct character in various arts and textiles that have been bestowed by the Pandian kings (4th century-16th century).
  • Madurai grew around the Meenakshi Amman Temple, which was constructed 2,500 years ago by Pandian king, Kulasekhara.
  • Popularly called the Athens of the East, it was visited by Greek explorer, Megasthenes in 3rd century BC.
  • Other famous travellers who visited this ancient south Indian city included Pliny in 77 AD, Ptolemy in 140 AD, Marco Polo in 1203 AD and Ibn Batuta(1333 AD).
Meenakshi temple
  • An excellent example of Dravidian architecture, the temple is sprawled over a huge area, bordered by well-laid gardens and pristine fountains.
  • One of the halls of the temple is famous as the "Hall of a 1,000 pillars" though only 985 of them exist today. It is said that whichever direction you view these pillars from, they always seem to be in a straight line.
  • The highlight of the temple is the outermost corridor that comprises musical pillars.
  • These produce different musical notes when tapped. While one of the sanctorum, Sundareswarar, is dedicated to Lord Shiva, the other is devoted to Goddess Meenakshi.
Source: PIB

More Related Current Affairs View All

20 Aug

How should toll collection practices be reformed?

'The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has proposed major changes to toll collection on national highways, including a recommendation to end the practice of perpetual t

Read More

20 Aug

China plans to connect the restive Xinjiang to Tibet

'Recently, China established the Xinjiang-Xizang Railway Co Ltd, which state media described as a “significant step in the development of one of China’s most advanced t

Read More

20 Aug

Nominations to UT Assemblies

'The Union Home Ministry informed the J&K High Court that the Lieutenant Governor can nominate five members to the Assembly without ministerial advice, reviving the debate on n

Read More

India’s First Ai-Driven Magazine Generator

Generate Your Custom Current Affairs Magazine using our AI in just 3 steps