...Inside Madurai...

Thirumalai Nayak Palace is a 17th century palace was built by King Thirumalai Nayak, one of the Madurai Nayak rulers in 1636 AD in the city of Madurai, India. This Palace was built with the help of an Italian Architect and is a classic fusion of Dravidian, Islamic and European styles.Tirumalai Nayak’s Palace at Madurai was considered to be one of the wonders of the South. Thirumalai Palace was declared as a national monument and is now under the protection of the Tamil Nadu Archaeological Department. The time for the visit to the palace is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the payment of the entrance fee. The palace is well equipped to perform Light & Sound shows depicting the story of Silapathigaram both in Tamil and English languages. The Palace is located in the eastern side of the city, around 1.2 km South East of the Meenakshi Amman Temple in the city of Madurai. Madurai being a popular tourist center is well connected by railways and has daily flights to Mumbai and Chennai.

Rani Mangamma’s palace has been renewed and converted to Gandhi museum. The museum displays information about Mahatma Gandhi, and most importantly it showcases the original blood-stained garment of Gandhi when he was assassinated by Nathuram Godse. The other piece of the garment is kept at the Gandhi Museum in Delhi. This museum is one of the 5 museums in India (others in Mumbai, Barrackpore, Sabarmati and Patna) known as Gandhi Sanghralayas. No entry fee for museum visitors. Gandhi Memorial Museum at Madurai has been built and organized by Gandhi Smarak Nidhi. It is accepted as a building probably constructed by the Nayak Queen Rani Mangammal, as evidenced by a letter written to her in 1700AD. It was in the year that the palace with about 13 acres of land was gifted by the Tamilnadu state Government, to the Gandhi Smarak Nidhi for the purpose of housing Gandhi Memorial Museum.

Alagar Koil is a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is situated at a distance of 21 km from Madurai, on foot of Alagar hills. It is a temple that has the residing deity as Vishnu. The Lord here is known by the name Azhagar. He is the brother of Goddess Meenakshi and when the wedding of the Lord and Goddess takes place in the month of Chithrai, amongst the natural beauty of the woods. The Vaishnavite temple is famous for its beautiful sculptures and exquisite ‘Mandapam’. It is believed that pilgrims visited Azhgar Koil even in the early days of the Sangam age. There is another shrine nearby, dedicated to Karuppannaswamy, the God of Kallars. There are finely carved eighteen steps, which are an object of both worship and amazement by the devotees. It is claimed that nobody dares to tell a lie at this spot. The place is also known for its holy springs called Silamboru and Noopura Gangai. According to local tradition, these springs originated from the anklets of Maha Vishnu during His incarnation as Trivikrama.

St. Mary’s Church in Madurai, Tamilnadu, India was first constructed in 1840. An imposing building with two tall (42 meters) Bell towers, the church has been elevated to the status of a Cathedral in 1969. St. Mary’s Church is located on East Veli Street in Madurai; St. Mary’s Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madurai. It is one of the oldest Roman Catholic churches in India, situated about 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) south-east of Madurai Railway Station. Its two elegant Roman style bell towers, about 42-meter-high (140 feet), are visible from a distance. The façade of the church is an amalgamation of various forms of European and Continental styles. The new church, the one we see today, was constructed during 1916.