Madurai, the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu is located on the banks of River Vaigai, Madurai has been a major settlement for two millennia. It is often referred to as "Thoonga Nagaram", meaning "the city which never sleeps".
ETYMOLOGY:
The word Madurai may be derived from the word Madhu(sweetness) arising out of the divine nectar showered on the city by the Lord Siva from his matted hair.
According to Iravatham Mahadevan, a 2nd-century BCE Tamil-Brahmi inscription refers to the city as MATIRAY, an Old Tamil word meaning a "walled city".
Another theory is that Madurai is the derivative of the word Marutham, which refers to the type of landscape of the Sangam age.
Madurai is one of the many temple towns in the state which is named after the forests (KADAMBA)which is believed to cover the city. Hence it is also called as KADAMBAVANAM.
The city is referred by various names including
- "Madurai",
- "Koodal",
- "Malligai Maanagar",
- "Naanmadakoodal" and
- "Thirualavai".
HISTORY:
🔸The recorded history of the city goes back to the 3rd century BCE, being mentioned by 'Megasthenes', to the Mauryan empire and the minister 'Chandragupta Maurya'.
🔸The third Tamil Sangam, a major congregation of Tamil scholars said to have been held in the city.
🔸The city is believed to be of significant antiquity.
FESTIVE:
The Meenakshi Tirukalyanam festival, also called Chithirai Thiruvizha, is celebrated during April–May every yearv for 10 days.
two different verions oh story exists regarding the history of the chithirai thiruvizha.
the detailed history will be explained in our following post.
Interesting ✨ very useful 💖
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