Madurai is one of the districts in Tamil Nadu with a rich cultural and historic heritage. It is said that the droplets of nectar from Lord Shiva’s  hair fell on the ground here and hence the name “ Madurai. It is said that the Romans and Greeks visited Madurai and established trade with the Pandya kings. The Cholas, Pandyas, Moghuls, Vijayanagara Kings, the Nayaks and the British.. Notable among the rulers was Rani Mangamma who ruled the region for 17 years, Krishna Deva Raya,  and the very popular Thirumalai Nayakar.

The many magnificent buildings in the city of Madurai  were built by Thirumala Nayakar, notably the  Nayak Palace in 1636, the Rajagopuram of the Meenakshi Amman Temple and the Pudu Mandapam. The Thirumalai Nayak Palace is stately and is believed to be designed by an Italian architect. 

Madurai is famous for its jasmine flowers which are exported to many countries in the world. 

Madurai is synonymous with Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple. The temple is dated to 2000 years ago and many complexes were added by the various rulers. It is a sprawling city in itself.  The Hall of Thousand Pillars is a unique building with lifelike sculptures carved on each pillar. The hall is an architectural wonder with pillars that are in a straight line when viewed from any angle. There are musical pillars of stone in the outermost corridor.