Madurai

History

Madurai is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities of Tamil Nadu, dating back to the 3rd century BCE. The Sangam period settlement site of Keeladi, dating back to the 6th century BCE, is located about 12 kilometres southeast of Madurai. Inscriptions of the Pandya king Netunceliyan I (c. 2nd century BCE) are found in Mangulam, a village located 25 kilometres from Madurai. The second book of the Tamil epic Silappatikaram (c. 5th century CE) is set in Madurai. Megasthenes may have visited Madurai during the 3rd century BCE, with the city referred as "Methora" in his accounts. Madurai is also mentioned in Kautilya's (370–283 BCE) Arthashastra. Madurai is mentioned in the works of Roman historians Pliny the Younger (61 – ), Ptolemy (), those of the Greek geographer Strabo (64/63 BCE – ), and also in Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. which was ousted by the Pandyas under Kadunkon, around 590 CE. By the 7th century CE, Madurai had become the primary capital of the Pandyas, as evidenced from the works of the Bhakti period saints like Appar and Sambandar. until the early 13th century, when the second Pandyan empire was established with Madurai as its capital. After the death of Kulasekara Pandian (1268–1308 CE), Madurai came under the rule of the Delhi Sultanate. Nayak rule ended in 1736 CE and Madurai was repeatedly captured several times by Chanda Sahib (1740 – 1754 CE), Arcot Nawab and Muhammed Yusuf Khan (1725 – 1764 CE) in the middle of the 18th century. The British government made donations to the Meenakshi temple and participated in the Hindu festivals during the early part of their rule. 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. In…

Geography

The Corporation of Madurai has an area of . Madurai is located at . It has an average elevation of 134 metres. The city of Madurai lies on the flat and fertile plain of the river Vaigai, which runs in the northwest–southeast direction through the city, dividing it into two almost equal halves. The Sirumalai and Nagamalai hills lie to the north and west of Madurai. The land in and around Madurai is utilised largely for agricultural activity, which is fostered by the Periyar Dam. Madurai lies southeast of the Western Ghats, and the surrounding region occupies the plains of South India and contains several mountain spurs. The soil type in central Madurai is predominantly clay loam, while red loam and black cotton types are widely prevalent in the outer fringes of the city. Paddy is the major crop, followed by pulses, millet, oil seed, cotton and sugarcane. As is typical for Tamil Nadu, Madurai has a hot semi-arid climate (BSh), although it borders closely upon a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw/As). Madurai is hot and dry for eight months of the year. Cold winds are experienced during February and March as in the neighbouring Dindigul. The hottest months are from March to July. The city experiences a moderate climate from August to October, tempered by heavy rain and thundershowers, and a slightly cooler climate from November to February. Fog and dew are rare, occurring only during the winter season. Being equidistant from mountains and the sea, it experiences similar monsoon pattern with the Northeast monsoon and the Southwest monsoon, with the former providing more rain during October to December. The average annual rainfall for the Madurai district is about 85.76 cm. Temperatures during summer generally reach a maximum of and a minimum of , although…

Most-observed species

• Common Myna

  Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  3,420
• House Crow

  Corvus splendens Vieillot, 1817 · Aves
  3,262
• Black Drongo

  Dicrurus macrocercus Vieillot, 1817 · Aves
  3,026
• Rose-ringed Parakeet

  Psittacula krameri (Scopoli, 1769) · Aves
  3,013
• Asian Koel

  Eudynamys scolopaceus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,857
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  2,819
• Indian Pond-Heron

  Ardeola grayii (Sykes, 1832) · Aves
  2,660
• Red-vented Bulbul

  Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,585