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THE ANCIENT CITY
Madurai is the mighty ancient Capital of the Pandya kingdom. It is called the temple city in the name of Goddess Meenakshi and God Sundareswarar.It is known as the Athens of South India on account of its greatness and beauty. This city is now well known to the world. The Greek Ambassador Megastaneese who adorned the court of Chandra Guptha Mauria (B.C. 302) had left a note that a Pandya princess was ruling at Madurai. Evidence is not wanting to show that there was pleasing trade between Pandya Country, Rome, and Greece in the west
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Madurai means sweetness. There is a puranic story of how the name was derived. Dhananjayan, a merchant found a Sivalinga in the forest of Kadamba Trees.
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He mentioned this to king Kula Sekhara Pandya. The king destroyed the forest, built a temple and established a city around it. As nector was found to drip near the Sivalinga its sweetness was taken as the basis for the derivation of the term “Madura”
TAMILSANGAM
It was here that the Third Tamil - Sangam or the assembly of the poets existed. The world famous poet Thiruvalluvar secured the approval of the sangam for his great work “Thirukkural”.
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