Located on the River Vaigai, Madurai has been a major settlement for two millennia. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities[5] in the world. The city is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. The capital of the Pandyan kingdom was initially Korkai, around 600 BCE,[6] and was later moved to Koodal (now Madurai) during the reign of Nedunj Cheliyan I.[7] Madurai is famous
for its temples built by Pandyan and Madurai Nayak kings in the Dravidian style of architecture. It is also one of India's most prominent Hindu pilgrimage centres. Madurai is also called as City of Junction (Koodal nagaram), City of Jasmine (Malligai maanagar), Temple city (Koil maanagar), City that never sleeps (Thoonga nagaram) and City of four junctions (Naanmada koodal).
