Madurai is among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the Indian peninsula.It is an ancient and prestigious city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, situated on the banks of the River Vaigai in Madurai district.

The city is widely known as the Temple City and is often also referred to as City of four junctions (Koodal Maanagar), Cultural center of Tamil Nadu (Kalaachaara thalainagar), City of Jasmine (Malligai Maanagar), Sleepless city (Thoonga Nagaram), Athens of the East and The City of Festivals (Thiruvizha nagaram).It is the third largest (was second largest from its origin till 2001) city by population in Tamil Nadu and second largest by area.

Madurai was the capital city of ancient Southern civilization. Madurai's cultural heritage goes back 2,500 years, and the city has been an important commercial center and has conducted trade as far as Rome and Greece since as early as 550 BCE.

Climate

Dry and hot, with rains during October-December
 

Summer Temperature:

37.5°C – 26.3°C
 

Winter Temperature:

29.6°C – 20.9°C
 

Average Rainfall:

85 cms

Accessibility

By Air
Madurai houses its own airport, which is situated 10 km away from the city center. There are daily flights from Madurai to Chennai, Bangalore, Tiruchi and Coimbatore. From the airport, you can easily find taxis to take you inside the city, costing around Rs 200.

By Rail
Madurai, being an important pilgrimage site and the seat of Madurai Kamraj University, has a railways station of its own. In fact, the city.