The MADURAI Athens of the East Mubassir Sal Mea aed) Sana AmalMADURAI , Popularly known as the TEMPLE CITY Also called as ATHENS OF THE EAST, CITY OF JUNCTION, CITY OF JASMINE, CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS and CITY OF FOUR JUNC- TIONS. Madurai is third major economic, industrial, commercial, political centre and a major transportation hub for the southern Tamilnadu. The city is renowned for tourism, festivals and vi- brant cultural life in general and is consi- dered to be the states cultural capital. The rich and vibrant natural and cultural landscape with different linguistic and cultural group co-existing together in its UNIQUE CUSTOMS, TRADITIONS AND ART FORMS make it a classical example of an urban environment where in diver- sity becomes the source of strength rather than conflicts.LOCATION Madurai is administrative headquarters of Madurai District. The capital of the Pandyan kingdom was initially Korkai, around 600 BCE and was later moved to Koodal ie, Madurai during the reign of Nedunj Cheliyan. The district is bounded on the north by Dindigul district on the east by Sivaganga on the west by Theni district and on the south by Virthunagar District. ‘mapural DISTRICTHISTORY Madurai has a long and well recorded history. As early as the 3rd century BC, Megasthenes Visited, the city being referred to as Methora. Madurai has been described as the seat of the Pandyan Dynasty. The capital of the Pandyan kingdom was initially Korkai, around 600 BCE and was later moved to Koodal ie, Madurai during the reign of Nedunj Cheliyan. The city was home to the third and last Tamil sangam between 300 BCE and 200 CE. After the Sangam age, most of present day Tamilnadu, including Madurai, came under the rule of the Kalabhras Dynasty, which were ousted by the Pandyas around 550 CE. The Pandyas were in their turn removed from power by the Chola Dynasty during the early 9th century. Col RdThe city remained under control of the Cholas until the early 13th century, when the second Pandyan empire was established with madurai as its capital.After the death of the last Pandyan ruler, Kulasekara Pandyan. Madurai came under the rule of the Delhi sultanate. The Madurai Sultanate then seceded from Delhi and functioned as an independent kingdom till its destruction by the Vijayanagar Empire in 1378. Madurai became independent from Vijayanagar in 1559 and came under the Nayaks Nayak rule ended in1736 and Madurai changed hands several times between Chanda Sahib, Arcot Nawab and Muhammed Yusuf Khan in the middle of the 18th century.TIMELINE 3rd Century 9th Century-13th Century 1880 AD-1885 AD Madurai referred to as Methora Chola Dynasty 1559 AD-1736 AD Madurai reurveyed acne 1308 AD Nayaks 1801 AD Madurai Under Under British East 300 8C-200AD —_Pandyan Dynasty Delhi Sultanate India Company Sangam age 1866 AD 200 AD-550 AD 1378 AD Macurai Const Kalathras Dynasty 1230 Gontury _—vjayanagar Unt Mid18t Century Magura Constited Second Pandyan Empire, Empire Madural changed hands er "ect al me Muhammad Yusuf Khan In 1801 the British East India Company took control of Madurai and brought it under the Madras Presidency. IN 1837, the city was expanded to accommodate the growing population by demolishing the fortifications around the temple. This was done on the orders of the collector John Blackburn. The moat was drained and debris was used to construt new streets- Veli,Marat and Perumaal Mesthiri streets. The city was constituted as a Muncipality in1866URBAN EVOLUTION Older core city was a fortified settlement on the southern banks of river Vaigai, few scat- tered buildings and agricultural farm lands outside the fort area. After the 1900s, the city’s growth started towards Northern part with the advent of the railways and other public services. The administration centre of the city also shifted to the Northern part as a decongestion measure. While the Northern part of the city provides administrative and civic services, the South city provides com- mercial and socio-cultural activities. The Government order issued by the Munici- pal administration and water supply depart- ment in 1997 prohibited construction of buil- dings over 9 m within a radius of 1 km from the outer walls of Madurai. But there are 30 m buildings that had been constructed ille- gally. This height restriction is a determinant factor in the urban growth pattern. It helps to maintain the skyline of Madurai. TTR udURBAN EVOLUTION Early Centuries ————— 1560 ———_ 1757 > 6th century BC- Prehistoric > 1372. Captured by fettomonts > atm century BC-Settement —\\ iyanagara ing between 2 branches of vig... \ > Madura vied into > Fonted 12 datone > Capita of panayan kingdom > 3 Major communtios > cy plan- Around tomple mrated (kings palace) > 1559- Nayak Dynasty 4 Main streets Occupied by different groups > Core remained compact > Houses-Traditional+Colonial arches > Northern part-Intitutions > Victor mayor bridgr across vagai > Palaces- Administrative offices > Outer street- Vell veedi > Vacant plots-Religious institutions and corn markets after Independence > Phenominal urban growth > Area - 61082 SqkM > Core city - business headquarters of region City that Never SleepsCITY STRUCTURE ‘Meenakshi amman temple 2 Sethupath high schoo! 3.Spencer and company limited 4 South avani moola street North masi street \. 8.North vel street © 7.vaki new street \ 8.7Vs building | 8.imperi cinema | t0cTher mutty ('” ‘4.Residental Neighbourhoods 12Madurai Junction ‘ 13.Historic city boundary — 4 14.Slum settlements Open 23% 15Palace HE eee zr« Cor A medANCIENT PLANNIN The old city is a planned settlement based on ancient town planning principles of Shilpasatra, as four concentric squa- res with Meenakshi Amman temple in the center. The plan- ning is also based on caste and occupational hierarchy. The old city of Madurai is considered to be designed accor- ding to the Rajdhani plan, described in Manasara, one of the Shilpasastra, and has the fivefold concentric rectangular formation with Meenakshi- Sundareshwara Temple at a very centre point. The city was a well planned one with bazaars and many broad streets with high and luxurious mansions on both sides. The city was built around the temple complex as the focal point with a combination of a concentric street pat- tern. Ancient Tamil classics record the temple as the centre of the city and the surrounding streets appearing liken a lotus and its petals. eee ee ME)ANCIENT PLANNING hey ‘Meenakshi Amman temple towers acts {35 cardinal points and visual landmarks points The city's axes were aligned with the four-quarters of the compass, and the four gateways of the temple provided access to it. The wealthy and higher echelons of the society were placed in streets close to the temple, while the poorest were placed in the fringe streets. With the advent of British rule during the 19th century, Madurai became the headquarters of a large colonial poli- tical complex and an industrial town; with urbanisation, the social hierarchical classes became unified tt The 4 temple towers: act as Cardinal The temple towers leading to Axial The inner str link to the concentric planning. > chabiisvet The streets gets wider towards the eriphory mee eee ME ele ts form a perpendicular‘Cardinal Pattorn a vor race Mr Tose Mi Svive Toros Ancient Town Planning Method City as Diagram ‘Temple Landmarks Meenakshi Amman temple placed centrally the city progresses accordingly to class di sions like the center we have meenakshi amman temple then come the royal palaces then the brahmins,priests wo looks after the temple and then the jwellers, traders, vais- hnavites, zarastriyans, kshatriyas and the sudras. The Government order issued by the Municipal administration and water supply depart- fel A aoe)STREET MOVEMENT = aa =, 4 Beg satay Movement Network The street concentric to the temple complex formed the major streets viz,chithirai street,avani moola streets and masi streets.the next order of the streets are perpendicular to the above streets and lead to temple entrances. The development within and beyond these streets are on irregular pattern.a definite hierarchy of street pattern was adopted with the width of the street decreasing as they branched out, ending up in stone streets and lanes, the width of some being just 0.60m.the entire city was enclosed with the fort walls and surrounded by a moat.the fort wall has been razed down and the moat filled upto present day veli streets feta eh deARCHITECTURAL STYLE This city is closely associated with Tamil lite- rature. We could find their influence in the form of distinct architecture of each period. Meenakshi Amman Temple is an example of Dravidian architecture. Tirumalai Nayak Palace St. Mary's cathedral St. Mary's cathedral is an example of Victorian Dravidlansistamic styie Victorian Architecture architecture. \ \ Goripalayam dargah is an example of islamic architecture. pom & Dravidian architecture, Islamic architecture, Tirumalai Nayak palace — which is a combina- tion of both Dravidian and Islamic style, and — Meenakshi Amman Temple Goripalayam Dargah Victorian era architecture Dravidian Architecture Islamic Architecture The Athens of the East