Madurai, Tamil Nadu

Discover Madurai

Tamil Nadu’s inland city of Madurai is a treasure trove of personality and unique sights. Evidence of the city’s ancient character can be found in the records of trade links with the Romans dating back to the 4th Century BC. Known locally as the city that doesn’t sleep it is also a shoppers paradise with bargains galore to be seized.

Things to do in Madurai

Today Madurai offers some truly remarkable sights including:

• The Meenakshi Amman Temple, around which the city is built. It is hard to prepare for the sight of a fabulous tower of vibrantly coloured stacked figurines looming over 50 metres into the sky above you. This temple is dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva and his partner Parvati with the 17th Century structure welcoming one million visitors for pilgrimage over a ten day period in April and May each year.
• Another must see is the Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal palace which originally stretched over 20 acres when it was constructed in 1636 for King Thirumalai Nayak, today it spans only a quarter of that area, yet that is plenty to invite a visitor’s mind to boggle at the palace’s former glory. With rows of white pillars standing guard along each hallway and atrium, today it is the ideal spot for its nightly sound and light show depicting the history of the palace.
• There are plenty of captivating retail outlets and local markets in Madurai too, for example, banana lovers will be smitten with Madurai’s banana wholesale market, which stocks 16 different varieties of banana including the red banana! In short, the city’s high activity is bound to win you over, even if you only make a short stop here.
• The City also hold annual festivals including Teppam (float) festival and the Meenakshi Thirukalyanama which keeps the tradition of Indian culture alive.

The best way to see Madurai

If you would like to visit Madurai, why not take a look at one of our wonderful ATOL and ABTA protected holidays?  Please remember all our private tours are designed to meet your exact requirements, and the tours mentioned are just examples to help inspire you. Contact our travel experts on 01792 315499 or email info@aitholidays.com for more information.