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Madurai History
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The Pandya
King Kulasekaran built a temple, which would later be known as
the Meenakshi Temple, and created a lotus shaped city around the
temple. Legend has it that on the day the city was to be named,
as Lord Shiva blessed the land and its people, divine nectar was
showered on the city from his matted locks. This city was
henceforth known as Madhurapuri, meaning "The Land of
Divine Nectar". According to a different theory, the name
Madurai is actually a transformation of the Tamil
word "Marudhai", which means a fertile agricultural
land with alluvial soil. Many natives continue to refer to the
city as Marudhai. Madurai is also referred to as 'Then Madurai'
or south Mathura, 'Vada Madurai' being Mathura in North India.
The city has been called the "Athens of the East"
because of its great architecture and meticulous planning,
comparable to that of the Greek capital. Madurai is Tamil Nadu's
oldest city and one of India's oldest cities, with a history
dating back to the Sangam period of the pre-Christian era. It
was home to the ancient Tamil Sangam
(The Academy of Tamil Learning), the literary conclave that
produced the first Tamil epic Silappathikaaram
and other masterpieces of Tamil literature. Megasthenes,
the ancient Greek diplomat and envoy to India in 3rd century BC,
had written in glowing terms about it in Indica,
his celebrated account on India. But Madurai was to reach its
heights of glory in the hands of the Cholas,
and finally the Pandyas
in the 13th century. After all, the Pandyas were the ones that
made the city their capital, and built the Meenakshi Temple,
which has always been the greatest attraction of the city. The
city flourished under Pandya rule when it was a major trading
hub with trading contacts with Greece,
Rome, and
Middle
Eastern countries.
In 1311, it was occupied by Malik
Kafur, the general of Alauddin Khilji of Delhi. In 1371, Vijayanagar
Rulers raided and annexed the city to their Kingdom. The
Vijayanagar Rulers had the practice of appointing Governors to
administer their distant territories. The Governors appointed to
rule Madurai were called Nayaks
(or Naiks), and it was during their rule that the city regained
some of its past glory. When the Vijayanagar empire collapsed in
1565, the Nayaks proclaimed themselves rulers of the territories
they governed.
The Nayak Rulers, Thirumalai
Nayak, in particular, gave a good boost to the architectural
legacy of the city by creating new structures and expanding the
existing landmarks in and around the city. The Raja Gopuram (The
Main Tower) of the Meenakshi Temple, Puthu Mandapam (The New
Mansion) and the Thirumalai Nayak Palace are living examples of
his unparalleled contribution to the city's architecture.
On Thirumalai Nayak's death in 1659, the kingdom began to break
up. His successors were weak rulers and invasions of Madurai
recommenced. Shivaji
Bhonsle, the great Maratha Ruler, invaded the south; and so did
Chikka Deva Raya of Mysore and other Muslim Rulers, resulting in
chaos and instability all around. The one redeeming feature of
this period of confusion and anarchy was the regency of Rani
Mangammal, who stood up against these invasions. Though her
rule lasted no more than two decades, she will forever be
cherished by the people of Madurai for the prudence,
determination and courage she exhibited during a particularly
troublesome period, with very little support from outside.
Madurai soon started slipping into the hands of the British
East India Company. By 1801, the whole of Madurai district,
which then was made up of Dindigul, Palani, Kodaikkanal,
Ramanathapuram and Sivagangai was brought under the control of
British East India Company.
Today, Madurai stands on the banks of the river Vaigai. This
ancient city is surrounded by three small prominent hills which
are called the Anaimalai, Pasumalai and Nagamalai from their
supposed resemblance to an elephant, a cow and a snake
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