Madurai, the oldest and the second largest city of Tamil Nadu, is situated on the banks of River Vaigai in Madurai District which is 498km (308 miles) south west of Chennai and 160km (99 miles) west of Trichy. This temple city of south India , famous for its Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, has occupied a vital place in the history of Tamil Nadu for over 2500 years. The city had served as the capital of the great Pandya kings and was an important cultural and commercial centre even as early as 550 AD. Madurai is declared as the Corporation in 1971 having 10 state assembly constituencies and 1 parliament constituency. The temple and its premises on the southern bank form the old city, while its textile mills, engineering industries and the large Madurai Kamaraj University form the new Madurai. Even though, the city is now crammed with pilgrims, dusty roads, restaurants and shops, mainly handlooms; it still embodies the spirit of Tamil Nadu's deeply embedded temple culture. This beautiful and culturally-significant place attracts a large number of pilgrims and visitors from all over the world.