Madurai
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priyankaMadurai
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priyankaMadurai (/ˈmædjʊraɪ/ MAD-yuu-ry,[3][4] also US: /ˌmɑːdəˈraɪ/ MAH-də-RY[4][5][6]) is a major city in
the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative
headquarters of Madurai District, the third largest city in Tamil Nadu and 44th most populated city in
India.[7] Located on the banks of River Vaigai, Madurai has been a major settlement for two millennia.
Madurai is closely associated with the Tamil language, and the third Tamil Sangam, a major
congregation of Tamil scholars said to have been held in the city. The recorded history of the city
goes back to the 3rd century BCE, being mentioned by Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador to
the Maurya empire, and Kautilya, a minister of the Mauryan emperor Chandragupta Maurya. Signs
of human settlements and Roman trade links dating back to 300 BC are evident from excavations
by Archeological Survey of India in Manalur.[8][9][10] The city is believed to be of significant antiquity
and has been ruled, at different times, by the Pandyas, Cholas, Madurai Sultanate, Vijayanagar
Empire, Madurai Nayaks, Carnatic kingdom, and the British East India Company British Raj.
The city has a number of historical monuments, with the Meenakshi Amman Temple and
the Tirumalai Nayak Palace being the most prominent. Madurai is an important industrial and
educational hub in South Tamil Nadu. The city is home to various automobile, rubber, chemical
and granite manufacturing industries.[11]
Madurai has important government educational institutes such as the Madurai Medical College,
Homeopathic Medical College,[12] Madurai Law College, Agricultural College and Research Institute.
Madurai city is administered by a municipal corporation established in 1971 as per the Municipal
Corporation Act. The city covers an area of 147.97 km2 and had a population of 1,561,129 in
2011.[13] The city is also the seat of a bench of the Madras High Court. The Madurai Bench has been
functioning since 2004.
In 1801, Madurai came under the direct control of the British East India Company and was annexed
to the Madras Presidency.[32][33] The British government made donations to the Meenakshi temple and
participated in the Hindu festivals during the early part of their rule.[34] The city evolved as a political
and industrial complex through the 19th and 20th centuries to become a district headquarters of a
larger Madurai district.[34] In 1837, the fortifications around the temple were demolished by the
British.[35] The moat was drained and the debris was used to construct new streets – Veli, Marat and
Perumaal Mesthiri streets.[36] The city was constituted as a municipality in 1866 CE.[37] The British
government faced initial hiccups during the earlier period of the establishment of municipality in land
ceiling and tax collection in Madurai and Dindigul districts under the direct administration of the
officers of the government.[38] The city, along with the district, was resurveyed between 1880 and
1885 CE and subsequently, five municipalities were constituted in the two districts and six taluk
boards were set up for local administration.[38] Police stations were established in Madurai city,
housing the headquarters of the District Superintendent.[38] Under the British Madurai prospered.
It was in Madurai, in 1921, that Mahatma Gandhi, pre-eminent leader of Indian nationalism in British-
ruled India, first adopted the loin cloth as his mode of dress after seeing agricultural labourers
wearing it.[39] Leaders of the independence movement in Madurai included N.M.R.
Subbaraman,[40][41] Karumuttu Thiagarajan Chettiar and Mohammad Ismail Sahib.[42] The Temple
Entry Authorization and Indemnity Act passed by the government of Madras Presidency under C.
Rajagopalachari in 1939 removed restrictions prohibiting Shanars and Dalits from entering Hindu
temples. The temple entry movement was first led in Madurai Meenakshi temple by independence
activist A. Vaidyanatha Iyer in 1939.[43][44]
