Madurai is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the Indian peninsula, with a history dating all the way back to the Sangam period of the pre-Christian era. It was the seat of power of the Pandyan empire. The Sangam period poet Nakkeerar is associated with some of the Tiruvilayaadal episodes of Sundareswarar - that are enacted as a part of temple festival traditions even today. As early as the 3rd century BC, Megasthanes visited Madurai. Later many people from Rome and Greece visited Madurai and established trade with the Pandya kings.
According to legend, the original town of Madurai was known as Kumari Kandam and was destroyed by a tsunami. Madurai flourished until the 10th century AD and then it was overthrown by the Cholas, the arch rivals of the Pandyas. The glory of Madurai returned in a diminished form in the earlier part of this millennium when it came under the rule of the Vijayanagar kingdom and it was ruled by the Nayak Emperors.
The most famous and the most visited places in Madurai are the Meenakshi-Sundareswar Temple and Thirumalai Nayak Palace. Today the Meenakshi-Sudareswar temple remains one of India’s greatest cultural and architectural landmarks. It was built by the early Pandya King Kulasekara. The labyrinthine Meenakshi Temple, celebrating the love of the Meenakshi goddess and her groom Sundareswarar (the Handsome God) is highly regarded for its architecture.The ancient city of Madurai was laid out in a lotus-like formation, with the temple at the center and the streets and main thoroughfares layered one after the other concentrically, outward from the center.
One legend says that on the day the city was to be named, Lord Shiva blessed the land and its people while divine nectar showered on the city from his matted locks. The city hence came to be known as Madhurapuri meaning The City of Divine Nectar. The legend is likely a late tale attempting to Sanskritise the otherwise-Dravidian derivative of Madurai. This the place where Lord Natarajar performed the dance raising his right leg . (Kal maariya Aadiya natarajar). Lord shiva was very happy with the temple construction and performed a different dance. This is the temple which survived after Kannagi burnt the entire city.
The Thirumalai Nayak Palace complex was constructed in the Indo-Saracen style by Thirumalai Nayakar in 1636. It is a national monument and is now under the care of the Tamil Nadu Archaeological Department. The original palace complex was four times bigger than the present structure. It was divided into two parts, Swarga-vilasa and Ranga-vilasa. In each of these there are royal residences, theater, shrines, apartments, armory, palanquin place, royal bandstand, quarters, pond and garden. The ceilings are decorated with large paintings showing Shaivite and Vaishnavite themes.