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BUY BOOKS: Arts and Crafts of Tamil Nadu
A taste of Madras: Cookbook
English-Tamil-English Dictionary
Poems of Ancient Tamil
Colloquial Tamil (Tamil self-study)
South India
Rough Guide to South India
India: A History
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MADURAI A very old city, Madurai is situated on the banks of Vaigai river. The legendary Meenakshi temple and the ancient part of the city are on the southern bank. The temple is the center point, with streets going in circles. The idols are of Meenakshi and her consort Shiva, ie Sundareswarar. Thousands of devotees and tourists throng the place in a day. The temple's towers are very tall and several centuries old. The Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple has a mandapam or hall which has about a thousand pillars.
The Thirumalai Nayak Mahal, the palace, is another sight in the town. An everyday sound-and-light show lays focus on the history of the Nayaks. Tamil epic Silappathikkaram is also illustrated in the program. Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam is a temple tank. Water for the tank comes through underground channels from Vaigai river. In January-February there is a float festival.
Other Excursion Sites: Vaigai dam (70 km): a picnic spot; Periyar wildlife sanctuary (Thekkadi) (137km) (see Kerala state); Megamalai (130 km), at 1500 mts above sea level, the hills have cardamom and tea estates, wild animals like sambhar, spotted deer, tiger, cheetah, gaur etc can be seen; Suruli Falls (123 km): an attractive tourist spot; Courtallam (160 km): a health resort situated in the Western Ghats in Tirunelveli district, June to September is the the season, trekking is undertaken; Palani (119 km): a very famous pilgrim center of south India, there is a Lord Subramanya temple, bus goes there up to the foothills; Kumbakkarai How to reach: By
air Madurai is connected to Madras, Bangalore and Tiruchirappalli. The
city is also well-connected by rail and road. City bus, taxi, autorickshaw,
cycle rickshaw are the modes of local transport.
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