Login

why was varanasi and madurai famous?

Great efforts by all.

Keep posting!

  • -2
View Full Answer
Madurai, derived from Madura the Tamil word for sweetness, is the name of the third largest city of Tamil Nadu. This city is famous all over India for Madurai Meenakshi Temple which is the city’s central attraction. Locals believe deeply in the goddess Meenakshi to whom this huge temple complex is dedicated. Hindu’s and Jain’s consider seven cities as sacred and Varanasi that stands on the banks of River Ganga in Uttar Pradesh is one among them. The city is famously called as Kashi or Benares and is famous for its historic temples and educational institutes. This city is recorded to be the oldest city in India and one among the few continuously inhabited cities of the world. History has seen this city as a rich city with many beautiful temples, but, 12th century saw a mass destruction conducted by Mohammad Ghauri. The temples which presently stand in the city date back to the period when the city was under the Mughal Rule under the leadership of Akbar.
  • 3
Madurai: Also known as Banaras and Kashi situated on the bank of holiest river of India “Ganges”. Varanasi “The city of temples” is one of the oldest city in the world. Varanasi is also known as the “Religious capital of India”. The city has been a culture and religious center in India for several years. The Indian classical music given by “Banaras Gharana”. Many prominent poets, writers and musician belong to this Holy city of India. Kashi “The city of lights” is one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in India. Varanasi is home for famous universities like Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Sampurnanand Sanskrit and Kashi Vidyapeeth, so peoples refer Banaras as “the city of learning” and among the best cities for education and spirituality. 
  • 1
Varanasi:​Madurai is the second largest city of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest cities in India. It is situated on the banks of river vaigai. Madurai also known as “The Temple City” is famous for Meenakshi Temple, which is India’s greatest cultural and architectural landmarks. The entire Madurai city is laid out in the shape of a lotus with the temple at the center and the streets and main thoroughfares layered one after the other concentrically, outward from the center.
sorry i have got a mistake in the answers.
  • 0
VARANASIA sacred city of the Hindu religion is Varanasi, also known as Benares or Banaras. Situated on the northern bank of the Ganges River in northern India, Varanasi is bounded by the river's two tributaries, Varuna on the north and Asi on the south. Each year more than 1 million religious pilgrims visit the city.

 

The Ganges River frontage has miles of ghats, or steps, for religious bathing. The older city sections are a maze of narrow streets full of little shops. The semicircular Panchakosi Road around the city has been used by pilgrims since ancient times.

Varanasi is also known as the “city of a thousand temples.” Among the most venerated is the Visvanatha Temple. It is dedicated to the god Shiva. The ruins of ancient Buddhist monasteries and temples are in nearby Sarnath, where Buddha delivered his first sermon in the 6th century BC.

Varanasi has been renowned as a city of learning for many centuries. There are numerous schools and centres imparting traditional religious education. Brahman pandits, or learned men, are responsible for the continuation of traditional learning. The Benares Hindu University is one of the most prominent educational institutions in India. The observatory on the Manmandir Ghat dates from about AD 1600.

Varanasi is a centre of arts, crafts, music, and dance, and its musicians and dancers have gained international fame. The major traditional handicraft is weaving silk brocades with gold and silver thread work. Other handicrafts include wooden toys, glass bangles, ivory work, jewellery, and brass ware.

A contemporary of Thebes and Babylon, Varanasi is probably one of the oldest existing cities in the world. Originally known as Kasi, it was the capital of the kingdom of Kasi during the 6th century BC. It gained prominence as a centre of education and artistic activities during the 4th through the 6th century AD. Under Muslim occupation beginning in 1194, Varanasi's prosperity declined, and most of its ancient temples were destroyed.

Because of this destruction very few of the shrines left in Varanasi were built earlier than the 18th century. The city was ceded to the British in 1775. In 1910 the British made Varanasi a new Indian state. In 1949, after India's independence, the Varanasi, or Benares state became part of the state of Uttar Pradesh.  Population (2001), 1,100,748.

MADURAI


 

city, south-central Tamil Nadu state, southeastern India, bounded on the west by Kerala state. It is the second largest, and probably the oldest, city in the state. Located on the Vaigai River and enclosed by the Anai, Naga, and Pasu (Elephant, Snake, and Cow) hills, the compact old city was the site of the Pandya (4th–11th century CE) capital and is centred on Minaksi-Sundareshvara Temple. The temple, Tirumala Nayak palace, Teppakulam tank (an earthen embankment reservoir), and a 1,000-pillared hall were rebuilt in the Vijayanagar period (16th–17th century) after the total destruction of the city in 1310. The city walls were removed by the British in 1837 to enable the city to expand, and administrative and residential quarters formed north of the river.

Large-scale industry has developed in the suburbs. Predominant are cotton spinning and weaving and the manufacture of transport equipment, tobacco, and sugar. Small-scale hand-loom weaving of silks and cottons, which have made Madurai famous throughout history, remains important. In the early years CE, Madurai was also well known for its Tamil shangam (literary society), and a new shangam was established in 1901. The city is the seat of Madurai-Kamaraj University (1966).

Lying southeast of the Eastern Ghats, the surrounding region occupies part of the plain of South India and contains several mountain spurs, including the Palni and Sirumalai hills (north), the Cardamom Hills (west), and the Varushanad and Andipatti hills (south). Between these hills in the west lies the high Kambam Valley. Eastward, the plains drop to 300 feet (90 metres) above sea level but contain isolated hills. The chief river, the Vaigai, flows northeast through the Kambam Valley and east across the centre of the state.

The ancient history of the region is associated with the Pandya kings. Later it was conquered by Chola, Vijayanagar, Muslim, Maratha, and British rulers. In the 1940s it became known as the centre of the civil disobedience movement and remained an important seat of political leadership.

The region has never been self-sufficient in rice, despite the completion of the Periyar (1895) and Vaigai (1960) irrigation works. Its chief cash crops are peanuts (groundnuts), cotton, sugarcane, coffee, cardamom, potatoes, and pears. Pop. (2001) city, 928,869.

  • 1
What are you looking for?