Madurai Trip Overview
Experience the spectacular ancient southern city which has earned the sobriquet, ‘Athens of the East,’ one of the great historical importance in the country. On this tour explore the most iconic attractions of city
Additional Info
Duration: 4 to 6 hours
Starts: Madurai, India
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Madurai Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
Experience the spectacular ancient southern city which has earned the sobriquet, ‘Athens of the East,’ one of the great historical importance in the country. On this tour explore the most iconic attractions of city
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple, Venmani Rd, Sellur, Madurai 625002 India
Meenakshi Amman Temple is cleanest iconic in India and also one of the top 30 nominees of the ‘New Seven Wonders of the World’. This temple has the ninth-tallest gopuram (170 ft) in the world, built during 1623 to 1655 CE and known to host an estimated 33,000 sculptures, And the notable ‘Thousand Pillared Hall’, each pillar portraits the Dravidian deities, just outside this hall, towards the west, are the Musical Pillars. Each pillar, when struck, produces a different musical note. Meenakshi Amman Temple is a major pilgrimage destination within the Shaivism tradition, dedicated to Meenakshi Devi and Shiva. However, the temple includes Vishnu in many narratives, sculptures and rituals as he is considered to be Meenakshi’s brother (Open Times: 5 am to 12.30 pm and 4 pm to 9.30 pm)
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Aayiram Kaal Mandapam, Inside Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai India
Within Meenakshi Amman Temple complexes Temple Art Museum-1000 Pillar Hall Opening Hours: 07:00 to 12:30 and 16:00 to 20:00
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Koodal Azhagar Temple, Perumal Koil Sannathi Street Opp Periyar bus stand, Periyar, Madurai 625001 India
This 3rd Century Temple was initially built during Pandya reign, while the pillars and shrine were developed later during Vijayanagar dynasty and the rule of Madurai Nayak kings. The five-tiered rajagopuram which is the gateway is one of the most attractive features of this temple. The temple and all its shrines are surrounded by granite walls. The main shrine of the temple has the idol of main deity Koodal Azhagar. There is shrine of Goddess Madhuravalli who is the consort of Koodal Azhagar towards the south. Along with this, there are many small shrines of other God and Goddesses such as Lord Krishna, Lord Rama, Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Narayana. Worship Time: Morning – 05.30 AM – 12.00 PM Evening – 04.00 PM – 09.00 PM
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Thirumalai Nayakar Mahal, Mahal Vadampokki St Near Meenakshi Temple, Madurai 625001 India
Thirumalai Nayakkar Palace was considered to be one of the wonders of the South in the 17th century. It is a classic fusion of Dravidian and Rajput styles, The most notable feature are gigantic pillars with wideness of around 19 feet and height of 82 feet, there are a total of 248 pillars, the interior is richly decorated whilst the exterior is treated in a more austere style (open time 9.00 am to 5.00 pm (lunch break: 01.00 pm to 01.30 pm) sound & light Show Time: 6.45 pm to 7.35 pm in English)
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam, Teppakulam, Madurai India
Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam A temple pond complex with a man-made island in the middle considered as one of the largest temple tanks not only in Tamil Nadu but in South India, this temple tanks receives its water from the River Vaigai.
Built in 1645 AD during the rule of Thirumalai Nayak, this temple pond is surrounded by granite steps on all the four sides while in the middle a Vigneshwara Temple is located, which is dedicated to Lord Vinayaka/ Lord Ganesha. These long stairs around the pond along with the temple were built by King Thirumalai Nayak.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Gandhi Memorial Museum, Tamukkam, Madurai 625020 India
The building that houses the Gandhi Memorial Museum, Madurai is the historic Tamukkam Palace belonging to Rani Mangammal of Nayak Dynasty built about 1670 A.D. Among the exhibits at the Museum is part of the blood-stained garment worn by Gandhiji when he was assassinated by Nathuram Godse. Other exhibits in the Museum include a original letter written personally by Gandhi to Shri Narayanan Sathsangi of Devakottai. A congratulatory message sent by Gandhi to freedom fighter and poet Subramania Bharati is also preserved in this Museum. Yet another interesting letter is the one, written by the Mahatma to Adolf Hitler addressing him as ‘Dear Friend’.
The Museum contains a ‘Visual Biography of Bapuji’ containing photos, paintings, sculptures, manuscripts, quotations and some of the selected photostat copies of many of the letters written by him. (Opening timings of Gandhi Memorial Museum are from 10AM to1PM. It again opens in evening from 2 PM to 5.45 PM Except on Fridays)
Duration: 20 minutes
