Madurai is the second largest city of Tamil Nadu. As soon as you reach Madurai, you will realise there is the world full of holiness to witness and experience in this beautiful land. It is an ancient city in India dating back to 550 AD. Tamil Nadu is famous for housing age old temples in its heart. Madurai is a pious city for the Hindu pilgrims. Not only Madurai Tourism guarantees serenity to the devotees but also promises historical excursion and knowledge to seekers.
Madurai is tagged as the City of Temples and it has been an eminent human settlement for thousand of years. Mostly visited for the auspicious sight of Meenakshi temple, however, there are a lot more to discover in this land. A journey of 2-3 days is enough to fulfill the curiosity of the place. This article talks about the prominent attractions of the city and the famous Chithirai Thiruvizha festival in Madurai.
Head to Madurai in the month of April to appreciate the vibrant Chithirai Thiruvizha. The city comes alive during the festival. Chithirai Thiruvizha is an auspicious festival which is celebrated in honour of the marriage of its central deity, Goddess Meenakshi with Lord Shiva. It is held in the “Chithrai” month of Tamil Calender which means April. This is the much-awaited festival of the town. During the festival, thousand of devotees throng to Meenakshi Temple.
The structure of Meenakshi Temple is grand. It is difficult to understand the dimensions of the great yet mysterious Meenakshi. There are more than 12 gopurams and the South tower is the tallest. The temple complex is spread over 60,000 sq m. Meenakshi temple is multi-faced and it takes time to see this exquisite temple. The paintings and photographs are a must see here. You can call the temple as an extended art gallery of sorts with over 30 million pieces of sculpture and images.
Chithirai Thiruvizha is a 2-week long festival. The whole town comes together to celebrate the wedding of their most important deity. The celebration commences with a flag hosting and a grand vibrant procession is of the idols is held in golden chariots. It is indeed a joyous occasion for the town dwellers.
Other than Meenakshi temple, the Murugan temple at Thiruparankundram is a prominent temple to visit. October to March is considered as the best time to meander around Madurai and its attractions. As summers are exceedingly hot. You can catch the festivities of Pongal in January. Around Madurai, Alanganallur (15 km), Pazhamudircholai (21 km NE) and Azhagar Kovli are some of the spots to explore.
Reaching Madurai is not a problem. The city houses one of the fourth largest domestic airports. Check Mumbai to Madurai flights. From Chennai Madurai can be reached within 9 hours by rail, 1 hour by air and 8 and a half hour by road. So, this vacation, fix a good travel itinerary and fly to Madurai.