| Places around Madurai |
| Palani Hills |
| The Palani Hills runs parallel to the west coast of India, are an eastward extension of the Western Ghats ranges. The highest part of the range is in the southwest, and reaches 1,800-2,500 metres (5,906-8,202 feet) elevation; the eastern extension of the range is made up of hills 1,000-1,500 m (3,281-4,921 ft) high. It is also home to one of the shrines of Lord Karthikeyan or Murugan, worshipped as a god in Tamil Nadu. Palani Hills is part of the oldest mountain range that can be found in India. This mountain range dates back to the prehistoric Pre-Cambrian period and is made up of such rock types as gneisses, charnockites, and schists. Palani Hills 440 km from Bangalore,480 km from Chennai. |
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| Suruli Falls |
Suruli falls originates from the Meghamalai mountain range and is a 2 stage water fall. The falls drops from a height of 150 feet gathers into a pool, flows for a short distance and again plummets to a depth of 40 feet. In the ancient Tamil epic, Silappathikaram written by the poet Ilango Adigal where the beauty of this waterfalls is mentioned.
Suruli falls is one of the major tourist attractions in the Theni district. During the southwest monsoon draws tourists from different parts of the state. Due to monsoon activity June - October is the best season, though there is some flow year |
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| round. With showers and change of cloths area near the falls Suruli falls is relatively tourist friendly.
Suruli falls is located 56 km from Theni and 10 km from Cumbum in the Theni District in Tamil Nadu, India. |
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| Thirumalai Nayak |
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Thirumalai Nayak Palace was built by King Thirumalai Nayak, one of the Madurai Nayak rulers in 1636 AD in the city of Madurai. The palace is considered as the architecture excellence of 17th century. An Italian Architect and is a classic fusion of Dravidian, Islamic and European styles every thing has a great cotribution to the palace construction. The original Palace Complex was four times bigger than the present structure. In its heyday, Tirumalai Nayak's Palace at Madurai was considered to be one of the wonders of the South. |
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| Thirupparankunram |
| A rock-cut temple of Lord Subramanya, situated at a distance of 8 km from Madurai is Thirupparankundram Temple. Temple is one of the holy abodes of Lord Murugan and is thronged by devotees throughout the year. Pandayan King in the 8th century built the temple. The innermost shrine is cut out of a solid rock. Lord Shiva, Lord Vinayaka, Goddess Durga, Lord Vishnu and other deities are present apart from Lord Subramanya, there are also separate shrines. The entrance of the temple has cubical pillars with lotus medallions. |
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| Vaigai Dam |
| Vaigai Dam near Andipatti, in the Theni district is built across the Vaigai River. Vaigai dam provides water for irrigation for the Madurai district and the Dindigul district as well as drinking water to Madurai and Andipatti. The Government of Tamil Nadu has constructed the Agricultural Research Station for researching the growing of a variety of crops, including rice, sorghum, blackgram, cowpea and cotton Near the dam. This is a good picnic spot. The dam is beautifully illuminated on Sundays. Regular buses are available from Madurai. The Dam is 4 miles from Aundipatti railway station on the Madurai Bodinayakanur railway line. |
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