Madurai, is an ancient city more than 2500 years old. Madurai is believed to have been built by the Pandyan King Kulasekara. Legend has it that drops of Madhuram (nectar) fell from Lord Shva's locks when he came to bless its people for constructing a temple for him.

Madurai's history can be divided into roughly four periods namely the Pandyan, the Cholas, the Nayaks and the Vijayanagara kings who appointed the Nayaks as governors who in time became powerful in their own right. They ruled for 200 years and it was the golden period of Madurai.It's one of south India's oldest cities, and has been a center of learning and pilgrimage for centuries.