Hiren Pandit: There is no end to the number of places people have to go in the rush of life and work. There has already been an opportunity to visit 62 of the country’s 64 districts while visiting official works or conducting research. I like to do some sightseeing after work if I have time. I had an opportunity to go to Madurai city in Tamil Nadu for office work. There have been opportunities to go to many places, most for the sake of office—Dhaka-Kolkata-Chennai-Madurai flight. There was no direct flight from Dhaka to Chennai at that time, but recently, some flights have become available now. You have to go to Kolkata, then Chennai, and then you can reach Madurai in one hour from Chennai. Even going by train from Kolkata will take more than 36 hours.
Madurai is called the city of poets because Madurai has given birth to many famous Tamil poets. Madurai is a small city. But there is much to see. Dr. Prajna interested us and asked us to visit Meenakshi Temple at least once. Apart from this, there are many other things to see in Madurai. One can look at the clock on the hill above. Then you can see Periyar Bus Stand, Teppkulam Mariaman Tank, Vaigai River, Madurai Meenakshi Sundareshwar Temple, Madurai City Skyline, Tirumalai Nayakkar Palace and Madurai Corporation Building.
Madurai, a metropolis in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is not just a city, but a cultural treasure trove. As the 26th largest city in India and the second largest metropolis in Tamil Nadu, Madurai holds a unique position. It is the second-largest municipal corporation in Tamil Nadu and is often referred to as the cultural capital of the state. Nestled in the southern part of Tamil Nadu, Madurai’s cultural significance is unparalleled.
Madurai, with its fertile plains, is a picturesque city nestled on the banks of the Vaigai River, southeast of the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu. The Vaigai River, like a lifeline, flows from the northwest to the southeast of the city, adding to its natural beauty. The city is flanked by two majestic hills, Sirumalai and Nagamalai, on the north and west sides. Most of the land in Madurai is dedicated to agriculture, with the main crop being paddy, and various pulses, millets, oilseeds, carpus, and sugarcane being cultivated.
Madurai’s climate is hot and dry for eight months of the year. The effect of heat is most significant from March to July. From August to October, the weather is moderate. During this time, there is heavy rain and thunder. November to February is mildly astonishing. Most people in Tamil Nadu are educated.
It is midnight when we reach Madurai. There was no problem getting the hotel car for us at the airport. The Tamil driver of the vehicle nodded as he pointed out the small sign saying I was the man he was waiting for. Invited to get in the car. The car was going towards the hotel on the road. At midnight, I saw a male police officer and a female police officer patrolling the road on a motorcycle. That’s an excellent thing, or that’s why Tamil Nadu is far ahead of other states in India. It is good to say that Tamil Nadu is the native place of world-famous music artist composer AR Rahman. Several of India’s Nobel laureates were born in Tamil Nadu. However, since almost all the signboards in Madurai are written in Tamil, there were some initial problems, but they were not significant issues.
Madurai city has an 85.8% Hindu population, 8.5% Muslim population, 5.2% Christian, and 0.5% others. Tamil is the primary mother tongue here. It is straightforward to go from Madurai to Kerala or Bangalore. Madurai Railway Station is the city’s central railway station. Madurai is the headquarters of the Madurai Railway Division, which belongs to the Southern Railway. From the station, Madurai is connected by rail to the cities of Kochi, Chennai, Rameswaram, Thoothukudi, Bangalore, and Coimbatore.
Madurai Airport was established in 1957, 12 km from the central city. Far Away was established at Avanyapuram. After Chennai, Coimbatore, and Tiruchirappalli, this airport is the fourth busiest airport in Tamil Nadu. Air India, IndiGo, and Sri Lankan Airlines are available here. Madurai Airport is the fourth largest airport in the state of Tamil Nadu. The airport has air connectivity with Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore and Coimbatore airports. However, Chennai is the nearest international airport.
Madurai is traditionally an agrarian society, with rice as the main crop. Cotton cultivation was introduced in areas including Krishnamurti in the Madurai district during the Nayak rule in the 16th century to increase farmers’ income. Madurai North, Melur, Neelkotai, and Uthampalayam are the paddy fields in the Vaigai delta. Farmers supplement their income by dairying, poultry-rearing, pottery, brick-making, mat-weaving, and woodworking.
Like Jashore in Bangladesh, Madurai is famous for its jasmine gardens, known as Madurai Malli, mainly at the foothills of Kodaikanal, and the morning flower market. An average of 2,000 farmers sell flowers in the flower market every day. Thank you, Dr. Prajna, for giving this information to the people.
Industrialization in Madurai, with the semergence of small-scale industries, has resulted in employment in this sector across the district. Madurai has rubber-based industries. Gloves, sports goods, mats, other utility products, and automobile rubber components are the primary products these industries produce. Automobile manufacturers are significant consumers of rubber components made in the city. Madurai has many textile, granite, and chemical industries. The city has experienced tremendous economic growth.
Madurai has been selected as a second-tier IT city, and some software companies have opened offices there. The Software Technology Parks of India, an organization of the Government of India, has allowed several such organizations to avail themselves of facilities under the National Information Technology Development Program. The state government proposes two IT-based Special Economic Zones in Madurai, and IT firms fully populate these. HCL Technologies and Honeywell have their campuses at ILCAT IT Park in Madurai.
The staple food of Tamilnadu is what we call vegetarian or vegetable. They call it Sambar, which is very delicious. There are many vegetarians and non-vegetarians among the Tamils, but most of them are vegetarians. Dr. Prajna tells us about the Meenakshi temple, Meenakshi, a form of Parvati, Shiva, and his consort, Sundareswar, a form of Shiva. The temple is located in the heart of the ancient temple city of Madurai, mentioned in Tamil Sangam literature; the goddess temple is mentioned in 6th-century texts. The Madurai Meenakshi Sundareswar Temple is said to have been built by King Kulasekara Paya. The temple is so high that I made a little joke with Dr. Prajna because by looking at the temple’s height, it seemed that an attempt was made to get closer to Lord Shiva, who is in heaven; Dr Prajna smiled.
The gopuram is named after the frescoes and reliefs depicting Hindu culture’s secular and religious aspects. The temple was rebuilt after the fourteenth century. Meenakshi Sundareswar Temple is a theologically and culturally crucial Hindu temple. Professor Christopher Fuller opined that the temple’s account of the wedding of Meenakshi Debi and Sundareswar Shiba, the divine importance of the right to emigration, the freedom and well-being of a married woman who lives with her husband, etc. It highlights human marriage. The Meenakshi temple unites one of the three main sects of Hinduism. This temple is suitable for Hindu marriages, although not many marriages are performed in this temple. The main ceremony of the less time-consuming marriage is performed here, but other rituals are performed elsewhere. The Meenakshi temple is a religious place and the region’s economic center. Various puja items and other items centered around the temple play a massive role in the economy of Madurai city.
There is a traditional version of the temple’s history called Shiva-Lila, and sixty episodes of it are painted as murals around the temple’s walls. As of 1 October 2017, this temple has been considered one of the best iconic places in India. Thank you, Dr. Prajna, for highlighting the history and traditions of the despite our busy schedule. Dr. Prajna joked again that the Tamil Tourism Corporation is none other than me, but I tell the people who come to this city to visit this 6th-century temple. Meenakshi Sundareswar temple has many interesting craftsmanship but with touches of different colors. Our Kantajew temple in Dinajpur is also magnificent.
Hiren Pandit is an essayist
and a researcher.