Reaching Madurai by Road

Madurai has very good connectivity to other parts of South India through National Highways NH7 and NH 45.State Government and private buses continusoly operate bus services to various towns of Tamil Nadu & in the neighbouring states of Karnataka and Kerala. There are five bus terminals in Madurai, Periyar Bus Stand in the centre of the city, Anna Bus Stand (city buses), Matthuthavani (north and east bound buses), Palanganatham (south bound buses) and Arapalayam (west bound buses).

By Rail

Madurai is an important junction of Southern Railways and has daily train services to Bangalore, Coimbatore, Chennai (8 hours), Rameshwaram (6 hrs), Thanjavur and Tiruchirappalli. Many Madurai bound trains cross Trichy Jn, approximately 2.5hrs away. The best journeys are those from Kerala, which take you over the Eastern Ghats.

By Air

The airport is 10km away from Madurai City.Madurai is connected by air to Bangalore, Kochi and Chennai with daily connections from Chennai, Trichy and Bangalore.  

Meenakshi  Temple is one of the most famous temple in South India. The temple complex covers almost  6 hectares of land  and is dedicated to Lord Shiva and  named after Goddess Parvati. The temple was constructed by Kulasekara Pandya.Everyday thousands of p[ilgrims visit the temple. The towers of the temple are famous for detailed carvings of the Gods and Goddesses, mythological figures and running depictions of legendary tales. The huge southern gopuram has over 1500 sculptures!   

 Ayirankkal Mandapam-the hall with thousand pillars has exquisitely carved 985 pillars which support the roof over a 5548sq mt hallway. The mandapam houses the Temple Art Museum with a fine collection of images, drawings and photographs showing the 1200 year old history of temple architecture in South India. 

Samanar Hills is situated 10 km away from the famous Meenakshi Temple. The caves built in around 1 A.D  here were used by Samanar, the Jains. The Jain sculptures & carvings found here are amazing. The hill top offers splendid view of Madurai. A natural fountain  called Pechchi Pallam is a great place to spend considerable time in solitude.

The Maraimman Thepukullam Temple dedicated to Lord Vigneshwera (Ganesha) has a  1000X 950ft tank built in 1636.The temple is about  5km from the Meenakshi Temple.The underground channels connected to the Vaigai River feed the tank & it is also the venue of the annual Float Festival (Jan-Feb.). 

Koodal Azhagar temple  dedicated toLord Vishnu is situated 2 km away from the city’s west. It is considered as one of the ancient temples with a rich past and its contributions to language, art and culture in South India.

Thirupparankundram is one of the six places chosen by Lord Murugan as his abode. It is said  Lord Murugan married Devasena here. It is also considered as the place where sun and moon abide. This cave temple is dedicated to the element of earth among the five elements and various Tamil classical texts mention this hill as ‘Southern Himalaya’. It might interest you to learn that the hill not only houses Murugan temple but also an Islamic Shrine, which is dedicated to Sekunder.

It is yet another famous temple dedicated to Lord Murugan and it is located on hill top.  The sculptures carved of marble and wood are unique. The giant steps in front of the temple make for a great climb. It is one of the most beautiful temples in South India.

The Gandhi Museum is a great place for anybody who wants to discover the Mahatma. Several little known facts are displayed, as is his bloodstained dhoti from his assassination.