Genisis and Development of Tourism in Madurai District - A ...jicrjournal.com/gallery/55-november-2019.pdf · The world „tour‟ is derived from the Latin word „Tornos’ which

Genisis and Development of Tourism in Madurai District

- A Historical View

Dr.K.Jeyakalai,

Assistant Professor of History,

PTMTM College, Kamuthi,Tamilnadu,

email:[email protected]

Abstract:

Travel is a continuous process of human civilization. It is a first step for the development

of human culture. Since the dawn of civilization man has been an ardent traveler with main

motivation either to expand trade, to conquer new places or to go on pilgrimage. Whatever may

be the objectives, man has been sauntering to other areas to know more facts or to acquire more

wisdom. In the contemporary world travel is popularly known as “tourism”. It has acquired

wide social cultural and economic dimension. Tourism has always stood as a unique vehicle for

the cultural propagation that is necessary to a deeper understanding of people. The objective of

history is to teach the past events to the present generation in different ways to understand the

present world, and to find out the riddles of past events. Tourism is a one of the means to learn

history, culture, and civilization. The Greek historian Herodotus roamed the ancient world,

examining the customs of many lands before writing history. Hundred of years later a young

man from Venice named Marco Polo, the prince of medieval travelers, set out for China, and his

writings opened the Far East to Europeans of his times. Ibn Batuta travelled about 75,000 miles

and recorded his wanderings in the widely read Rihlah (Travels). In general, the people are

interested to know their ancestral life and glorious history of the ancient world. The legendary

temples, age old historical monuments, museums, and living cultural festivals are some of the

main components of tourism attraction that assist very much to discover and to learn history,

culture, and civilization of different peoples of the world. The paper mainly spotlize the tourism

potentialities of Madurai. Keywords: Legends, Monuments, civilization , pilgrimage,

topographical

Introduction

Travel is a continuous process of human civilization. It is a first step for the development

of human culture. Since the dawn of civilization man has been an ardent traveler with main

motivation either to expand trade, to conquer new places or to go on pilgrimage. Whatever may

Journal of Interdisciplinary Cycle Research

Volume XI, Issue XI, November/2019

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Page No:468

be the objectives, man has been sauntering to other areas to know more facts or to acquire more

wisdom. In the contemporary world travel is popularly known as “tourism”. It has acquired wide

social cultural and economic dimension. Tourism has always stood as a unique vehicle for the

cultural propagation that is necessary to a deeper understanding of people. The objective of

history is to teach the past events to the present generation in different ways to understand the

present world, and to find out the riddles of past events. Tourism is a one of the means to learn

history, culture, and civilization. The Greek historian Herodotus roamed the ancient world,

examining the customs of many lands before writing history. Hundred of years later a young

man from Venice named Marco Polo, the prince of medieval travelers, set out for China, and his

writings opened the Far East to Europeans of his times. Ibn Batuta travelled about 75,000 miles

and recorded his wanderings in the widely read Rihlah (Travels). In general, the people are

interested to know their ancestral life and glorious history of the ancient world. The legendary

temples, age old historical monuments, museums, and living cultural festivals are some of the

main components of tourism attraction that assist very much to discover and to learn history,

culture, and civilization of different peoples of the world.

Meaning of Tourism

Tourism is a phenomenon which is not easy to define; however several attempts have been

made to define it. Some of these are fairly comprehensive. Most of the definitions on tourism

explain the tourism in the context of movement1.In Sanskrit literature, there are three terms of

tourism partyathana, desatana and tirthatana derived from the root atana2. It means going out or

leaving home for some other place, but each of these words has a different connotation. The term

paryatana means going out for pleasure or knowledge. The term desatana means going out of the

country primarily for economic gains. The term tirthahana means going out to places of religious

merit.3

1. Prannathseth, Successful Tourism, Vol. I. Sterling Publishers, New Delhi, 2008, p.4.

2. V.S. Apte, A Students Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Delhi, 2012.

3. Negi, J.M.S. Tourism and Hotelierring: A Study wide Industry, New Delhi, 1982, p.22.



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The world „tour‟ is derived from the Latin word „Tornos’ which means a circle or turners

wheel4. Mostly, the English dictionaries give the meaning of Tourism as a journey from one place

to another place. The International Dictionary of Tourism defines that the tour is nothing but as a

Journey or a circulative trip5. The Macmillan English Dictionaries refer that Tourism is a journey

in which a person or group visit several different places in order to play or perform6.One of the

earliest definitions of tourism was given by an Austrian economist Hermann V. Schullard in the

year 1910, who defined it as the sum total of operators, mainly of an economic nature, which

directly relate to the entry, stay and movement by foreigners inside and outside a certain country,

city or region7. Hunziker and Krapt, Swiss professors, had defined tourism in 1942 as the totality

of the relationship and phenomenon arising from the travel and stay of strangers, provided the

stay does not imply the establishment of permanent residence and is not connected with a

activity.8

Traces of Evidences on Tourism in Madurai

In the history of mankind, Travel is important aspects human life.9 They undertook

journeys for the purpose of pilgrimage and trade activities. During the prehistoric period, human

beings were wandering place to place to gather food. They feared wild animals and natural

calamities and they believed in the existence of super power. They began to worship the natural

forces to protect them from the dangers that existed around them and later their beliefs became a

religion. It therefore became the crux role of life. Pilgrimages were the main urges to travel. This

urges has taken people to various places in a perennial stream and has created great pilgrim

centers all over the world. Travel in early day was hence confined to pilgrimage. This flux of

human history has been reflected in the journey of pilgrims of great saints like Parsvanatha,

4. Bhatia, A.K., Tourism Development Principles and Practices, Sterling Publishers, New Delhi, 1995,

p.95.

5. The International Dictionary of Tourism, International Tourism Academy Monte Carlo 1953 p.150.

6. Macmillan Comprehensive Dictionary, Macmillan India LTD, New Delhi, 2006, p.2184.

7. Bhatia, A.K., Op.cit., p.34.

8. Pranath Seth, Op.cit., p.5

9. Government of Tamil Nadu, Tourism and Culture Department, Tourism Policy Note, 2004-2005, p.3.



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Buddha, Mahvira, and Sankara. Every culture has got an archetypal guest and in every age this

search has expressed in journeys and pilgrimages that encompass the highest values of culture.

Pilgrimage is a site where people gather to create symbolic reflections of existing social

relations.10

The Brahmins, Jains, and Buddhists undertook travels in different places for preaching

the ideology of their sect among the common people. People who desire to attain enlightenment

prefer to go to holy places of their faith.11

Madurai is a living legendary city of in the modern world. It is popularly called as

Thiruvilanagaram (city of festivals). It is a well known pilgrimage centre of South India. For last

two tourists years Madurai has been served a great centre of Dravidian culture and civilization.

The famous Meenakshi Sundaresevarar temple, the two abodes of Lord Murukan and number of

puranic temples are located within the Madurai region12

. These temples are enhancing the

divinities of Madurai. Since the ancient times of Madurai large number of spiritualists came to

visit in these holy places. According to sthalapurana the Rishi Vyasa, who is declared to have

learnt the facts therein set forth from Agastya. Agastya and other Rishis [ṛṣi] were worshipping

the Liṅga one day at Kāsi. When he was asked to tell them which was the holiest book in the

universe, which the holiest spot, and which the holiest water, He informed them that be Skanda

purana was the holiest of all books for it told the praise of Sundara Linga, the Kadamba tree

forest (on the site of which Madurai is said to have been built) was the holiest of all spots both

naturally and because it contained the most holy Linga and the most holy water was the Swarna-

push-karini or pool of the golden lilies. In the above said forest of kadamba trees was the place in

which the Lord Siva had performed sixty-four miracles.13

The Tēvāram and several other literary

works are in praise of the holiness of Madurai. So we to know, in the earliest times Madurai has

been a favourite resort of the pious Hindus.14

10. Anand Sing, Op.cit., p.125.

11. P.V.Jegadisa Ayyar, South Indian Customs, Asian Educational Services New Delhi, 2001, p.17

12. R.K.K. Rajarajan & Jeyapriya Rajarajan, Minākiṣi-Sundareśvara: the Tiruviḷaiyāṭaṟ Purāṇa in Letters,

Design and Art, Delhi, 2013, Cjaps. I & II.

13. Nelson J.H., The Madura Country A Manual, part 3; The Political History of the Madura Country,

Asian Educational Services, New Delhi, 1983, pp.3-4.

14. Ibid., p.4.



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Yet another types of travelers to go through the length and breadth of the Tamil Nadu

were poets, Musicians and scholars who moved constantly from place to place and from kingdom

to kingdom to display their artistic talents and knowledge. As a pilgrimage and travel occupied

such a an important places in the lives of the people, the Tamil Kings took upon themselves the

responsibilities of providing basic amenities for these travelers like the high ways. Providing

water supply facilities near them and establishing choultries for travelers to stay. This perhaps

leads to the growth of tourism. Madurai served as the centre of Tamil Academy, called Caṅkam.

A large number of poets and musicians came to Madurai and exhibited their talents and published

their work.15

The lotus pond of Meenakshi Sundareshwara temple is believed to have acted as the

centre in deciding the aesthetic merit of any literary work during the Sangam period.16

Madurai

was the centre of civilization and heart of the kingdom in every respect. It represented the best in

the Hindu life and thoughts of those times17

.

Later on the development of traditional industries and trade resulted in a stream of

business travelers visited Madurai. Several trade routes were established and traders started to

visit the centres of trade from distance places. Madurai served as the famous trade centre during

the ancient and medieval times. Pliny (75 A.D) mentions Madurai as the Mediterranean emporium

of South.18

There was separate settlement of Romans in Madurai to mint the coins for commercial

activities19

. The Travels accounts of Ptolemy (130 A.D) and Strabo (25 BC) contain reference

about Madurai overseas trade contact20

. According to the Silapatikaram, the classical Tamil work,

15. Viswanathan, E., Madurai Tamil Sangam, The Madurai Temple Kumbabhisheka Souvenir, Madurai,

1974, p.183.

16. Valayapettai, Ra. Krishnan, The Great Temple of Madurai Meenakshi Arulmigu Meenakshi

Sundareswarar Temple, Madurai, 2014, p.45.

17. Sathianathaiar, R., History of Nayaks of Madurai, Asian Educational Service, New Delhi, 2001, p.114.

18. Francis, W., Madura Gazetteer, Cosmo Publications, New Delhi, 2000, p.26.

19. Edgar Thurston, The Madras Presidency with Mysore, Coorg and the Associated States, Asian

Educational Services, Chennai, 2005, p.263

20. Valayapettai Ra. Krishnan, Op.cit., p.12.



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Roman soldiers were employed as bodyguards and gatekeepers of palace by the Pandya kings.21

Further, a number of Roman coins were unearthed in Madurai region.22

Marco Polo was a Venetian traveler who visited Madurai during 1288 A.D. to 1293 A.D.

The travel account of Marco Polo contains basic information about the medieval Madurai, Which

was known to them as Ma‟bar (Mabar). Marco Polo says that Ma‟bar was one of the great

provinces of the greatest Indian and also the best of all the Indies and this province is the finest

and noblest in the world.23

The term „Ma‟bar‟ is an Arabic word used by Marco Polo denoted as

Madurai. But, there has been controversy over the term of Ma‟bar relating to Madurai among the

historians. However, it has been thought as Madurai. The King (Sundara Pandya Deva) possesses

vast treasures and wears upon his person great store of rich jewels. He maintained the great state

and administered his kingdom with great equity and extends great favour to merchants and

foreigners so that they were very glad to visit his city (Madurai).24

Wassaf, a medieval Muslim historian, states that Maravarman Kulasekhara I the ruler of

Ma‟bar, enjoyed a highly prosperous life. His coffers were replete with wealth, in as much, that in

the treasury of the city of Madurai there were 1200 corers of gold deposited, every crore, being

equal to a thousand lakhs and every lakh to one hundred thousand dinars. Besides this there was

an accumulation of precious stones, such as pearls, rubies, turquoise and emeralds. More than is in

power of language to express25

. Since the ancient times Madurai has served as the international

metro plus with overseas, commercial and cultural contacts with distant countries of the ancient

world both in the east and the west.26

The history of tourism in Madurai in the ancient and medieval period was therefore

closely connected with pilgrimage and trade activities. Due to the introduction of modern ways of

21. Purnalingam Pillai, M.S., Tamil India, International Institute of Tamil Studies, Chennai, 1999, p.64.

22. Ibid., p.62

23. Devakunjari, D., Madurai Though the Ages from Earliest Times to 1801 A.D., Society for

Archaeological, Historical and Epigraphical Research, Madras, 1979, p.140.

24. Sathianathaier,R., History of India, Vol, II, S.Viswanathan, PVT., LTD, Chennai, 1998, p.82.

25. Devakunjari, Op. cit., p.141.

26. Ibid., p.2.



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transport and communication into Madurai has become a well known international tourist centre

with its own heritage and pilgrimage background. The emergence of large urban middle class

coupled with better transport and communication facilities created a new class of holidays of

leisure tourist in the modern period. The construction of circuit houses and forest lodges provided

the infrastructure for leisure and wild life Tourism. The Archaeological Survey of India and State

Department of Archaeology have identified number of heritage and historical monuments in

Madurai district. It opened new doors in the tourism of this region. Further, the growth leads to a

development and innovative re-construction over the tourist spots without disturbing the heritage

of Madurai.

The place of Madurai in History

Madurai the seat as ancient Pandyan kingdom and well known as a pilgrimage centre

today is one of the oldest cities in South India.27

It is located on the bank of river Vaigai28

. For the

last two thousand years it was a great centre of Dravidian culture and civilization.29

It has a

continuous history and occupied the brightest place in the history of mankind. Though many cities

could be ancient origin not all of them could claim a continuous history, the great cities of Kanchi,

Tiruchirapalli, for instance are ancient centres like Madurai. But they have no unbroken history

and they were preeminent centre only during comparatively short period. Kanchi was capital of

Pallavas and sometime early Cholas but faded off as a political capital. The Cholas had capital at

different places. The most ancient of them Uraiyur is now only a suburb, Gangai Konda

Cholapuram had only a very brief history. Tanjur had comparatively long history but its origin

does not have date back early the 8th

- 9th

century A.D. 30

Madurai however is one of the few cities to have enjoyed continuous history which could

be traced back to prehistoric times.31

Politically Madurai was capital of a single dynasty of the

Pandyas, who ruled continuously from early years of CE down to the 14th

century. These facts

27. Devakunjari, D., Op.cit., p.1.

28. Stanely Wolpert, Encyclopedia of India, Vol. III, London, 2006, p.80.

29. Lasrado Shenoy, J.P. Madura the Temple City, C.M.V. Press, Madurai, 1937, p.1.

30. Devakunjari, D., Op.cit., p.1

31. Ibid., p.1.



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alone more than anything else to prove the Madurai has unique place in the history. Even after the

Pandyas. Madurai has continued as the capital of some dynasty or other for centuries more. It has

therefore had a continuous history as a political capital for eighteen centuries. At the present day

Madurai is still one of the premiers in the state next only to Chennai in importance.

The Madurai city, its environs and the Madura country are rich in materials that belong to

the prehistoric period, though much archaeological exploration and excavation have get to be

done in this region. Robert Bruce Foot, a British archaeologist was popularly called as Father of

Indian prehistory32

who collected the palaeolilthic remains in the river bank of Vaigai and also a

single palaeolithic remains in Aviyur 12 miles south of Madurai. Further he found the middle and

later stone remains at Thirumangalam, Sivarakottai, Tidiyan, and T. Kallupatti 33

. The Neolithic

remains were found at Vallankulam south of Madurai, Thuvariman and Kovalan-pottal, Dadapatti

and Karunkalakudi.34

The Mesolithic monuments were found almost all the places of Madurai

region. In 1887 Alexander Rea of the Archaeological Department had unearthed Burial –Urn at

Anupanadi, Dadampatti Paravai and Tovariman.35

These artifacts of Prehistoric, Neolithic and

Mesolithic prove the existence of human beings in Madurai since ancient times.

Early Reference of Madurai

The glorious history of Madurai has been pictured in legends, literary, epigraphy and

foreign accounts had provided several numbers of references in connection with tourism. It can be

categorized, Thiruvilaiyadal Puranam of Paran Jothi Munivar as Sthalapuranam of Meenakshi

Sundaresevararr temple narrates the 64 lilai/līlā (miracles) performed by the god Sundareshvara.

All the lila are centered round Madurai and temple on its neighborhood. According to the legend

Siva as Sundareshvara is said to have married to goddess Meenakshi, the daughter of Pandya king

32. Venkatraman.R, Indian Archaeology (a Survey), Ennes Publications, Udumalpet, 1999, p.22.

33. K.Rajan, V.P.Yatheeskumar, S.Selvakumar, Catalogue of Archaeological Sites in Tamil Nadu

vol.1.Heritage of India Trust,Thanjavur, 2009, p.45

34. Sridhar .T.S,Madurai Mavatta Tholiyal Kaiyedu (T)The Archaeological Hand Book of Madurai District,

Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology, Chennai, 2005, pp.10-12

35. Devakunjari.D, Op.cit., p.10.



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and to have ruled over the kingdom himself. This divine sovereignty is peculiar to Madurai.36

The

Madurai temple has exercised great influence over South Indian life and culture from the earliest

times. Besides Tiruvajppudiyar temple, (Tevara Stalam) the Kudal Alagar temple, Alagar temple

(are Divya Desam), Tirupparankunram Muruga temple (one of the six abodes of Lord Muruga)

and Tiruvathavur temple has own Sthalapurana deals with the greatness of Madurai in a historical

account.37

The Periyapuranam, the Tevaram hymns and Tiruvasakam of Manikkavasagar also

exercised the story of heritage of Madurai.

The cultural prominence of Madurai in ancient times has earned for the city the epithet,

the Athens of South India.38

It was a great centre of learning from very early times. As seat of the

Tamil academy called Sangam, it wielded great influence in the literary and cultural field.

Madurai has popularly known as centre of Centamiḻ.39

The Sangam works Purananuru,

Pattupattu, Silapathikaram, Manimekalai and the Maduraikanci of Mankudi Maruthanar and

Tirumurukarrupatai of Nakkirar provide sufficient historical events and the glorious background

of Madurai. The epic, Ramayana and Mahabharata also refer to Madurai as the capital of

Pandyas. The Pandya king is said to have take part in the great Bharata War40

. Kautilya, the

reputed author of the Arthasastra or manual of politics was of opinion that the commerce with the

south was of greater importance than that with the north, because the more precious commodities

came from the Peninsula, while the northern regions supplied only blankets, skins, and horses.

Gold, diamonds, pearls, and conch shells are specified as the product of south. Besides, Madurai

was famous for her textile fabrics.41

Regarding the foreign literary references, the Mahavamsha,

the Ceylon chronicle of Buddhism had mentioned the earliest information of ancient Madurai

city42

.

36. Devakunjari, Op.cit., p.2.

37. Ibid., p.21.

38. Lasrado Shenoy, J.P., Op.cit., p.1.

39. Puranalingampillai, M.S., Op.cit., p.12.

40. Sridhar, T.S, Op.cit., p.14.

41. Sesha Iyengar, T.R., Ancient Dravidians, MJP Publishers, Chennai, 2007, p.46.

42. Ibid., p.47



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The epigraphical evidences prove the antiquities of Madurai. In Madurai district caverns

with Brahmi inscriptions have been found at more than a dozen places. Such type of inscription;

have been mostly discovered in Madurai district when compare other districts of Southern India.

In particular, within the radius of about twelve kilometers of Madurai, Muthupatti,

Tirupparankundram and Anaimalai seem to be more significant in connection with the historical

tourism as well as epigraphical potentiality. The caverns with the old Brahmmi inscriptions have a

special significance since they are the earliest lithic monuments of the Tamil country. The

epigraphical evidences substantiate that the stone beds seems to be as old as the Brahmi

inscriptions. The inscriptions were palaeographically assigned between 3rd

and 2rd

B.C.

respectively.

The Brahmi inscriptions are thrown lights on topographical, social, cultural, and

commercial activities of Madurai, during the ancient period. Besides these, the Brahmi

inscriptions at Siddharmalai Hill, which is situated near the village of Mettupatti, Alagarmalai and

Pulankurichi has also provided information exactly about the word Madurai which has been

attested in these inscriptions.

Foreign Traveler Notice about the Madurai

The Pandya‟s and their capital city Madurai was well known to the ancient Greeks and

Rome. The account of Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador of Seleukos at the court of Chandra

Gupta Maurya (320 B.C) is the first direct notice of a south Indian kingdom made by the classical

writers of the west. He gives a quaint and elaborate account of the Pandyan kingdom, which

according to him it was governed by Pandia, a daughter of Heracles to whom the assigned portion

was organized into 365 villages. Each one of villages had to bring the royal tribute to the treasury

every day and, if necessary assist the queen in collecting it from defaulters. Trade between south

India and Egypt was carried on in the Hellenistic period and continued more actively under the

Roman Empire.43

43. Nilakanta Sastri, K.A., A History of South India (From Pre-historic times to the fall of Vijayanagar),

Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2008, pp.22-23.



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Strabo (25 B.C) states that a Pandya king sent an embassy to the Roman Emperor

Augustus44

. The above said source information has been attested in Silapatikaram a classical

Tamil work that the Roman soldiers were employed as body guards and a gate keeper of palace of

the Pandyas.45

Pliny (77 A.D) mentions about the term Pandya, which refers the King Pandian

and western coast his Mediterranean emporium of Madura.46

He said Pandaes (Pandyas) who

alone of the Indians were in the habit of having female sovereigns. There was separate settlement

of Romans in Madurai for Mint of coins for the commercial activities47

.

Ptolemy, (130 A.D) a Greek geographer, has also referred Pandian. He shows great

knowledge of the interior of the Tamil country and mentions a number of inland cities of the

Pandya country48

. Marco Polo, the prince of medieval Traveler, says that the Pandya king to

whom the city belong possess vast treasures and wears upon his person a great store of rich

jewels. He maintains great state and administers his kingdom with great equity and extends great

favour to merchants and foreigners so that they are glad to visit his city. Further he quoted the day

today activities and Cultural traditions of Temples of Madurai49

.

Hence, the different legends, literature, epigraphically records, and foreigners accounts are

testimony to the antiquities of Madurai that provide valuable information about glorious ancient

history of Madurai. These evidences are proof of Madurai connected with various parts of nations

for commercial, matrimonial and political activities. So during the early period Madurai was

served as an international city. Therefore, we come to know that Madurai was ruled during the

ancient period by Pandyas as their capital of administration.

Today rich cultural heritage of Madurai district attracts tourist from all corners of the

globe from USA, USSR, UK, Japan, France, Malaysia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka are arrive

44. Francis., W., Op.cit., p.26.


46. Bishop, R., Coldwell, A History of Tinnevelly, Asian Educational Services, New Delhi, 2004, p.16.

47. Pillai, K.K., Tamilaka Varalaru Makkalum Panaptum (T) (History of Tamils and the Tamil land)

International Institute of Tamil Studies, Chennai, 0208, p.56.


49. Nilakanta Sastri, K.A, Op.cit., pp.202-203.



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Madurai to see its calmness, the solemnity of the conservatism and spiritual uniqueness. The

western linguists arrive here to study the antiquities of Brahmi script50

. In general; the people visit

Madurai especially in the sense of tourism to overcome their regular mode of life-structure hurdle

as an outlet. The tourist influx creates awareness and promotional activities of government of

Tamil Nadu to enhance and to regulate the tourism in Madurai district.

In 1960, the government of Madras has established a Tourist Office in Madurai under a

Tourism Officer to promote tourism at the district level. It opens a new horizon in the

development of tourism in Madurai district. The prime objective of this officer was to identity and

to create exclusively in this concern. He also deputed to work on to promote the tourist destination

in and around Madurai. The officer and the tourist officer have to draft promotional schemes to

Government to enhance the tourist avenues in the Madurai district.

In such a way, the seed of tourism was showed in Madurai district and now the

Government has been ripe the harvest of tourism through its several promotional schemes.

Reference:

Government of Tamil Nadu, Tourism and Culture Department, Tourism Policy Note, 2004-2005, p.3.

1. Anand Sing, Op.cit., p.125.

50. K.Gowri., Madurai-Site And Situation, Kumbabhisheka Souvenir Arulmigu Meenakshi Sudaresvarar

Tirukkoil, Madurai,1974, p.190.

Conclusion

Madurai as a legendary city has been serve as the attractive place of world through the

ages. Number of travelers and traders from various part of the world were come to Madurai

for different needs. Their accounts were attested the greatness of Madurai in different periods .

The classical Tamil literatures also glorified the cultural greatness of Madurai. These evidence

are have been prove Madurai as a best tourist place in the world.



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1. P.V.Jegadisa Ayyar, South Indian Customs, Asian Educational Services New Delhi, 2001, p.17

1. R.K.K. Rajarajan & Jeyapriya Rajarajan, Minākiṣi-Sundareśvara: the Tiruviḷaiyāṭaṟ Purāṇa in Letters,

Design and Art, Delhi, 2013,

Cjaps. I & II. Prannathseth, Successful Tourism, Vol. I. Sterling Publishers, New Delhi, 2008, p.4.

1. V.S. Apte, A Students Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Delhi, 2012.



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Genisis and Development of Tourism in Madurai District - A ...jicrjournal.com/gallery/55-november-2019.pdf · The world „tour‟ is derived from the Latin word „Tornos’ which