A Case Study of Madurai Meenakshi Temple, Tamilnadu, India

Saurabh Kumar Dixit, G.K. Sreenivasan Tourism development & sustainability: A case study of Madurai Meenakshi Temple, Tamilnadu, India Saurabh Kumar Dixit G.K. Sreenivasan [email protected] [email protected] ABSTRACT Sustainability is essential for any business forever. Meeting competition would be possible only when sustainability is attained. In the 2006-07 even though Madurai Meenakshi Temple gave a tough-competition in the Þ rst voting stage of new seven-wonders of the world, this could not Þ nd a place in the second stage, regardless of the fact that this temple carries with it a huge cultural and religious heritage. This paper attempts to focus the issues faced / being faced by Madurai Meenakshi Temple that might have caused not to Þ nd a place in the new seven wonders of the world. Mean- while, attaining the sustainability also becomes important in this modern era to preserve and maintain its heritage. Attention would also be also paid to list down suggestions for the same. Keywords: Sustainable Tourism, Sustainability, Religious Tourism, Cultural and Heritage Tourism. INTRODUCTION: For an ever-gradual growth of the tourist destinations, sustainability is an important factor that would, not only, preserve the tourist centres, but also develops it. The World Tourism Organization has de Þ ned the word ‘sustainable tourism’ as ‘ ‘Sustainable tourism development meets the needs of present tourist and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future . Therefore, it asserts that all tourism activities should Þ t into this de Þ nition irrespective of which market segments they target. This de Þ nition of tourism is said to be particularly “important for tourism based on nature and cultural heritage where the risk of damaging the environment and the socio-economic fabric of a destination is potentially higher” . 134 Tourism Today - Fall 2009 - Full Paper Tourism development & sustainability: A case study of Madurai Meenakshi Temple, Tamilnadu, India A 4-Step model as listed below can be opted for developing cultural tourism sustainably in any destination: 1. Assess the Potential 2. Plan and Organize 3. Prepare, Protect and Manage, and 4. Market for Success OBJECTIVES: This study aims to discuss the correlation between the tourism development and sustainability of a destination in particular. In order to get concrete results the researchers identi Þ ed Meenakshi Temple of Madurai as the case for study. Therefore, the present study was con- ducted in order to achieve following objectives: (1) To Þ nd out in ß uence of tourism developmental activities on the sustainability of a destination. (2) To identify major concerns in ß uencing the sustainability of Meenakshi Temple, Madurai. (3) To suggest measure to be implemented to cope up with the tourism development and making Meenakshi Temple, Madurai, a more sustainable tourism destination. METHODOLOGY: The research was based on the secondary analysis of literature on the topic of sustainability of heritage attractions and their proper upkeep. Literature on sustainable tourism policies in India, although having received attention during the last few years, is still limited. While the primary source of this work is the personal visit to Madurai Meenakshi Temple for percep- tion, the secondary sources are various books, journals, portals and newspapers. The prime objectives of the research work were (i) To throw light on the importance of Madurai, a temple city, and Madurai Meenakshi Temple (ii) To address the problems being faced by the tourists / devotees at the temple, and (iii) To make suggestions for the problems faced. Non-availability of data, shortage of funds and time are the main constraints of this study. Perceptional method of primary source is only undertaken for data collection. LITERATURE REVIEW: As sustainable development seems to become a goal pursued by increasingly more destinations globally, research on the activities that contribute to this goal becomes important. Moore (1996) de Þ nes sustainable tourism development in line with the World Tourism Or- ganisation’s characterisation – that is, to be sustainable tourism development must meet the need of the present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future. Sustainability, according to Moore, also involves total integration with the community in which the tourism organisation is located. Total integration here is referred to Tourism Today - Fall 2009 - Full Paper 135 Saurabh Kumar Dixit, G.K. Sreenivasan as involving health and safety issues, conservation of natural resources, renewable energy supplies, and other environmentally friendly manifestations. Leposky (1997) also dwells on the issue of total integration, and emphasises that it entails ‘maintenance and preservation of lifestyle and dignity of the local inhabitants’ via the protection of the social fabric of the local community, assuring local economic opportunities, and guarding against exploitation by the outside world (Leposky 1997, 10) . For many decades, tourism destination development has been dominated by a philosophy of “promoting established attraction- and service facilities.” The assumption was that the development of destination’s facilities would follow (Gunn 1994) . The attraction and service facilities establish themselves, independent of other developments and sectors, of a destination (Inskeep 1991) . Nowadays, it is generally acknowledged that these ‘unplanned’ types of development are the ones most likely to be associated with low levels of visitor satisfaction and adverse impacts on resources. In the last ten years, destination sustainability has been signi Þ cantly promoted by a number of important international institutions as a sustainable economic activity, particularly for communities with low levels of economic income per capita that live in rich, diverse natural and cultural environments. It is seen to successfully combine a number of objectives such as environmental protection, Þ nancial improvement of individual livelihoods, regional economic development, preservation of cultural identity and community self-suf Þ ciency (Wood, 2002).These are all crucial in achieving sustainable development and, as a result, a signi Þ cant number of destinations in the developing world have responded positively, adopting it for their betterment. STUDY AREA: Tamilnadu is rich of history and tradition combined with culture to live in harmony. Tamil- nadu, well-off in ancient monuments and temples, which re ß ect the religious, artistic and cultural accomplishment of the state, has been surrounded by Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in the north while Kerala lies on the west. The Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean form the eastern and southern limits respectively. Mudumalai wildlife sanctuaries and Point Calimere form the western and eastern boundaries of the state whereas Cape Comorin or Kanyakumari forms the southernmost tip of Tamilnadu. Architectural heritage of the state is the most important aspect of the Tamil culture. There- fore, Tamilnadu is also called the cradle of south Indian temple architecture. It represents a living museum of architectural styles that originated in the 7th century and culminated in the huge temple complexes studded with towering gateways called “Gopurams”. Brihadeshwara temple at Thanjavur is the Þ nest example of Sikhara and Gopuram architecture. A few of the pilgrim centers of Tamilnadu are Chidambaram, Kumbakonam, Rameswaram, Palani, Srirangam, Tiruttani, Mahabalipuram, Kanchipuram, and Kanyakumari and of course, Ma- durai, the Temple City. 136 Tourism Today - Fall 2009 - Full Paper Tourism development & sustainability: A case study of Madurai Meenakshi Temple, Tamilnadu, India ABOUT THE CITY MADURAI: Madurai is the seventh largest city in Tamil Nadu; it is situated in the banks of river Vaigai. Bestowed with an af ß uent cultural heritage and glorious tradition, Madurai is grouped among the antique cities of the India. The history of Madurai dates back to 6th century B.C. during which, the city was the much-acclaimed capital of the Pandya kings. Then, it functioned as a key commercial center of South India. Madurai is Þ rmly described in Tamil literature and tradition. It is the abode of many poets and artisans and houses a profusion of literary wealth of both classical and modern Tamil. It was the seat of the Tamil Academy in the past. The three Tamil Sangams evolved and ß ourished here. Table 1: Tourist Arrival in Tamilnadu Destination 2003 2007 Domestic Foreign Total Domestic Foreign Total Chennai 4972191 361422 5333613 8750587 651623 9402210 Chidambaram 241673 7884 249557 432473 13872 446345 Kancheepuram 855247 41648 896895 1486774 79162 1565936 Madurai 2622512 66959 2689471 4707275 268191 4975466 Mamallapuram 859768 79224 938992 1420740 161906 1582646 Palani 1639060 4985 1644045 4733617 10530 4744147 Rameswaram 1721377 5766 1727143 2988553 9871 2998424 Thanjavur 747277 28230 775507 1405341 51720 1457061 Thiruchendur 1487784 6878 1494662 2201413 12714 2214127 Thiruvannamalai 795833 4949 800782 2196654 12984 2209638 Total Arrival in Tamilnadu for the year 2003: Domestic: 27059002; Foreign: 901504; Total: 27960506 Total Arrival in Tamilnadu for the year 2007: Domestic: 50647188; Foreign: 1753103; Total: 52400291 Source: Dept of Tourism, Tamilnadu Hence, when a cultural tourist centre, like Madurai, receives the tourists at an increasing numbers, the preservation and maintenance of the “cream” of the product attracts

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