Why madurai is called madurai

Madurai flourished till 10th century AD when it was captured by Cholas the arch rivals of the Pandyas. The Cholas ruled Madurai from AD till the beginning of the 13th century. In AD Pandyas regained their kingdom and once again become prosperous. Pandian Kings patronised Tamil language in a great way. During their period, many master-pieces were created. In April , Malik Kafur, the general of Alauddin Khilji who was then the ruler of Delhi, reached Madurai and raided and robbed the city for precious stones, jewels, and other rare treasures.

This led to the subsequent raids by other Muslim Sultans. In , the Pandya kingdom including Madurai became a province of the Delhi empire, under the Tughlaks. The , the Vijayanagar dynasty of Hampi captured Madurai and Madurai became part of the Vijayanagar empire.

Kings of this dynasty were in habit of leaving the captured land to governors called Nayaks. This was done for the efficient management of their empire. The Nayaks paid fixed amount annually to the Vijayanagar empire. After the death of Krishna Deva Raya King of Vijayanagar empire in AD, the Nayaks became independent and ruled the territories under their control.

Among Nayaks, Thirumalai Nayak was very popular, even now he is popular among people, since, it was he who contributed to the creation of many magnificent structures in and around Madurai and expanded the city. Nayaks ruled over Madurai and became weak after the death of Tirumalai Nayak.

Then Queen Mangamma, a brave lady ruled Madurai for 17 years. Few years later Madurai rulers tried to rule Madurai and they were ineffective because British and French people laid their foot strongly in the region.

In , the British rulers appointed their representatives to look after Madurai. In BC, Megasthanes visited Madurai and was followed by Marcopolo and Ibn Batuta, all of whom mentioned about their visit in their travelogues. There were many others travelers, from countries like Rome and Greece, who visited the city and established trade with the Pandya Kings. Madurai was captured by the Cholas in the 10th century AD and was ruled till the end of the 13th century.

In AD, Pandyas came to power again and patronized the Tamil language. The city became prosperous during the reign of the Pandya Kings. Many master-pieces or "Silapathikaram" were created during that time. The great Tamil epic was also written during this time. It is based on the story of Kannagi, who burnt Madurai in lieu of injustice caused to her husband Kovalan.

In April , Malik Kafur, the general of Alauddin Khilji, the then ruler of Delhi, raided and robbed Madurai for precious stones, jewels, and other rare treasures.

This was followed by subsequent raids by other Muslim Sultans. Finally, in , the Pandya kingdom came under the Delhi Empire ruled by the Tughlaks. The year saw the downfall of the Tughlaks and Madurai came under the reign of the Vijayanagar dynasty of Hampi.

Kings of this dynasty left the captured land to governors called Nayaks, for the efficient management of their empire. Among Nayaks, Thirumalai Nayak was the most popular one. He is remembered by the people of Madurai even today, for his immense contribution to the city. He created many magnificent structures in and around Madurai. In , British appointed George Procter to look after the city. He was the first collector of Madurai. After independence, Madurai became one of the major commercial districts of Tamil Nadu.

It is surrounded by several hills, mainly Annamalai, Pasumalai and Nagamalai, named after their resemblance to an Elephant, a Cow and a Snake respectively. The city is a major exporter of Jasmine flowers.