Madurai, formerly (until 1949) Madura, city, south-central Tamil Nadu state, southern India. It is located on the Vaigai River, about 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Dindigul. Madurai is the third most populous, and probably the oldest, city in the state. The ancient history of the region is associated with the Pandya kings, and Madurai was the site of the Pandya capital (4th–11th century ce). Later it was conquered by Chola, Vijayanagar, Muslim, Maratha, and British rulers. In the 1940s it became known as the centre of the civil disobedience movement against the British raj, and it remained an important
Meenakshi Amman Temple, also called Meenakshi Templeor Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, temple complex in Madurai, Tamil Nadu state, India, said to originally date as far back as the 4th century CE but in its present form built in the 16th–17th centuries. According to Hindu legend, the god Shiva came to Madurai in the form of Sundareswarar to marry Meenakshi, the daughter of the Pandya ruler; Meenakshi was a manifestation of the goddess Parvati. The Meenakshi Amman Temple is dedicated to their union. The massive temple is enclosed by high walls entered through soaring gopuras, or gateway towers. Inside are colonnades, columned