The City of Vegavathi

The City of Vegavathi

Names and Legends:

Madurai as she is called now had numerous names in the past with rich culture behind it. The name Madurai seems to be a favorite one in early ages, as we can find a place called Matara in the southern part of Sri Lanka. There is an island called Madura near Java. The name itself had some special significance and meaning which made it popular, but has been long forgotten at present. Here are some such names from the book “Madurai Through the Ages”.

The name Madurai is derived from the Tamil word madhuram meaning sweetness. It’s believed that when king Kulasekhara Pandyan first built the city, to purify and bless the city Lord Siva sprinkled the whole city with amrtam (sweet nectar). Hence the city was named Madurai.

The Pandyan kingdom had different capitals during different time. To distinguish the city it was called as “The Northern Madurai (Vadamadurai)” , as the previous capital was known by Tenmadurai, in the extreme south of the peninsula, now submerged by the sea. Tenmadurai is said to have been the original Pandyan kingdom.

As many early Tamil works describe Madurai as Kudal, which mean the confluence of rivers. The name signifies that Madurai was built at the confluence of the Vaigai (Vegavathi) and one its tributaries, which may have changed its course.

The Tiruvilaiyadal Puranas mention Madurai as Nanmadakkudal, meaning the cluster of four towers. The Purana explains the term as “ Varuna tried to destroy the Pandyan capital by means of deluge of rain, God Sundaresvara sent four clouds which joined together to form a protective barrier. Which saved the city from destruction. Hence the city got the name Nanmadakkudal. During the deluge the city was flooded to some extent, that the original boundaries were not known. To identify the original boundaries of Madurai God Sundaresvara sent a serpant to guide the Pandya king. So the city came to be known as Alavay or Thiruvalavay.

Kulasekhara Pandya cleared a vast area covered with kadamba forest to built Madurai, and was built on well planned lines. Hence the city was called Kadambavanaksetra.

Goddess Meenakshi as Pandya princess Tatatakai ruled over Madurai during her young age. So the was also known as Kannipuram or Kanyakapuram.

Samastividyanagari, Sivanagaran, Dvasasantastalam, Bhulokasivalokam were some of the names of Madurai.