Rediscovering Madurai - Part I

Rediscovering Madurai

I was using web 2.0 tools like Google Map and finding out what I know about Madurai.
I realized that I know nothing. There is lot to know about India and Madurai.

India has similar highways with numbers, as I am seeing in other countries. How dumb I have been, without knowing the real routes in India.

For the sake of the article, let us just concentrate on Madurai and around.

Madurai is built around Madurai Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple.
I happenned to identify national and state highways running in all directions. Let me explain that...

National Highways will be mentioned as NH and State Highways as SH - henceforth.

(1) NH 45B runs from Chennai to Tuticorin and touches the eastern side of Madurai.
(2) NH 7 runs from Kalyakumari to Varanasi via Madurai, Dindigul, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Nagpur, Varanasi. Isn't it amazing?! My house is just on NH 7:)
(3) NH 49 runs east to west - Kerala to Ramanathapuram (and Gulf of Mannar).

Apart from these, there are state highways - nothing SH 72, SH 33, SH 73 etc.,

(1) SH 72 runs from north to Madurai mid.
(2) SH 33 runs from madurai mid to east.
(3) SH 73 runs far away from Madurai, in the far western part - but north to south direction.

Awesome connection with other states in India. This is only Roadways, we will talk about Railways more later.

Madurai is surrounded by smaller cities(clockwise from south) like - Aruppukkottai, Virudhunagar, Sivakasi, Rajapalayam, Theni, Dindigul, Manapparai, Pudukkottai, Melur, Sivaganga, Manamadurai etc.,

We will talk about it more...