498km (309 miles) SW of Chennai; 160km (99 miles) W of Trichy Located on the banks of the Vaigai River, the temple town Madurai -- apparently named for the nectar that flowed from Shiva's hair as a blessing for the new city ( madhuram is the Tamil word for sweetness) -- was built by the Pandyan king Kulasekara. The oldest living city in the Indian peninsula, it was the capital of a kingdom that ruled much of South India during the 4th century B.C., and that conducted trade as far afield as Greece and Rome. Madurai also became a center for the great festivals of poetry and writing -- the Tamil Sangams -- that were being held more than 2 millennia ago. Through the millennia, various dynasties have battled over the city. The Vijayanagars built much of the temple during their reign, which lasted until the 16th century, when the Nayaks came to power, who in turn ruled until the arrival of the British in 1736. Today Madurai is also Tamil Nadu's second-largest city, a hodge-podge of chaotic streets and rutted lanes leading into industrial sectors plagued by pollution and traffic jams and other ills characteristic of unchecked development. It is a fascinating city, a place of pilgrimage and joy, and in many ways the embodiment of Tamil Nadu's temple culture. Certainly the labyrinthine Meenakshi Temple -- celebrating the love of the Meenakshi goddess and her groom, Sundareswarar (the "Handsome God"), an avatar of Lord Shiva -- is easily our first choice among Tamil Nadu
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