Madurai

This article is about the city in Tamil Nadu, India. For the administrative district of Madurai, see Madurai district.

Madurai
Madura (colonial)
Metropolis
Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple
Koodal Azhagar temple
Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal
Gandhi Museum
Madurai Junction
Madurai Airport
Vaigai river
Thiruparankundram Aerial view
Nickname(s): 
Thoonga Nagaram (The City that never sleeps), Athens of the East, City of Jasmine, City of Festivals, Temple City
Map
Madurai in Tamil Nadu
Coordinates: 9°55′31″N 78°07′11″E / 9.925200°N 78.119800°E / 9.925200; 78.119800
Country India
State Tamil Nadu
DistrictMadurai
Government
 • BodyMadurai Municipal Corporation
 • MayorV. Indirani Ponvasanth, DMK
Area
 • Metropolis
303.97 km2 (117.36 sq mi)
 • Rank2
Elevation
134 m (440 ft)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Metropolis
1,017,865 [a]
 • Rank44th
 • Metro
1,465,625
 • Metro rank
31st
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
625 xxx
Telephone code0452
Official languageTamil, English[3]
ClimateBSh
GDP(2020)US$13.026 (equivalent to $15.34 in 2023)Billion[4]
Websitemaduraicorporation.co.in

Madurai (/ˈmʌdʊraɪ/ MUH-doo-rai,[5][failed verification][6][failed verification] US also /ˌmɑːdəˈraɪ/ MAH-də-RY,[6][7][8] Tamil: [mɐðuɾɐi̯]), formerly known by its colonial name Madura 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, which is governed by the Madurai Municipal Corporation established in 1 November 1866. As of the 2011 census, it is the third largest metropolis in Tamil Nadu after Chennai and Coimbatore in terms of population and 27th largest urban agglomeration in India.[9] Located on the banks of River Vaigai, Madurai has been a major settlement for two millennia and has a documented history of more than 2500 years.[10][11] It is often referred to as "Thoonga Nagaram", meaning "the city that never sleeps".[12]

Madurai is closely associated with the Tamil language. The third Tamil Sangam, a major congregation of Tamil scholars, is 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 Mauryan Empire, and Kautilya, a minister of the Mauryan emperor Chandragupta Maurya. Signs of human settlements and Roman trade links dating back to 300 BCE are evident from excavations by Archeological Survey of India in Manalur.[11][13][14] The city is believed to be of significant antiquity and has been ruled, at different times, by the Pandyan Kingdom, Chola Empire, Madurai Sultanate, Vijayanagar Empire, Madurai Nayaks, Carnatic kingdom, and the British East India Company's British Raj. The city has a number of historical monuments, with the Koodal Azhagar temple, Meenakshi Temple and the Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal 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.[15] Madurai has important government educational institutes such as the Madurai Medical College, Homeopathic Medical College,[16] Madurai Law College, Agricultural College and Research Institute and All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Madurai. The city covers an area of 147.97 km2 (57.13 sq mi) and had a population of 1,470,755 in 2011.[17] The city is also the seat of a bench of the Madras High Court.[b]

It is one of the few towns and cities in List of AMRUT Smart cities in Tamil Nadu selected for AMRUT Schemes [18] from central government and the developmental activities are taken care by government of Tamil Nadu.[19]

  1. ^ "Madurai District census handbook" (PDF). Government of India. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 August 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  2. ^ "Socio-Economic Resources Profiling". Madurai Corporation. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  3. ^ "52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India" (PDF). nclm.nic.in. Ministry of Minority Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  4. ^ https://metroverse.cid.harvard.edu/city/8344/overview
  5. ^ "Madurai". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Madurai". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  7. ^ "Madurai". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  8. ^ "Madurai". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  9. ^ "Tamil Nādu – City Population – Cities, Towns & Provinces – Statistics & Map". Thomas Brinkhoff. 2011. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  10. ^ Geiger, Wilhelm (1912). The Great Chronicle of Ceylon. Oxford University Press. p. 59.
  11. ^ a b "ASI just found a 2500 year old city". The Times of India. 13 October 2015. Archived from the original on 15 November 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  12. ^ "Madurai Thoonga Nagaram". Serendib (BT Options Pvt Ltd). April 2017. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  13. ^ "A site of human settlements turned into a coconut grove". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 7 June 2015. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  14. ^ "Archealogical excavation uncovers Roman Pandyan trade links". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 27 November 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  15. ^ "An industry that can bolster the economy of Madurai". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 25 October 2007. Archived from the original on 26 October 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference college was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ "Census Info 2011 Final population totals – Madurai". Office of The Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2013. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  18. ^ "Tufidco". Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  19. ^ "Directorate of Town and Country Planning, Government of Tamil Nadu". tcp.tn.gov.in. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.


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