Like Kanchipuram, Madurai is one of the oldest living cities in India and renowned across the globe as the City of Mother Meenakshi. Ancient Madurai was as much of a holy place as a busy centre of commerce, and no less a seat of culture. Ptolemy described it as emporium of the south. For centuries before Christ Madurai had trade links with Greece and Rome, apart from other old cities abroad. In Arthashastra (4th Century BC), Kautilya (Chanakya) says that Madurai was famous for its textile products and pearls. After plundering the city, Sultan Alauddin Khilji returned with a booty that consisted of 512 elephants, five thousand horses and five hundred mounds (a mound is about 85 pounds) of jewels like diamonds, pearls, emeralds, and rubies — an historical fact regarding the wealth of the city.
Madurai was the capital of the Pandyas for long. Then it became a part of the Vijayangar Empire. Later it was the capital of the Nayak rulers. Madurai, one of the historical places of Tamil Nadu and described as Temple City, is located 450 kms south to Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu. Madurai is synonymous with the famous Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, located on the banks of the Vaigai River. Madurai is famous across the globe for its illuminating tradition passed from the great Tamil era of more than 3000 years. Madurai has been an important center of arts, religion, culture and commerce since 550 BC. It is the second largest city and the cultural capital of the state of Tamil Nadu.