Genisis and Development of Tourism in Madurai District
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Journal of Interdisciplinary Cycle Research ISSN NO: 0022-1945 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 Volume XI, Issue XI, November/2019 Page No:468 Journal of Interdisciplinary Cycle Research ISSN NO: 0022-1945 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. Volume XI, Issue XI, November/2019 Page No:469 Journal of Interdisciplinary Cycle Research ISSN NO: 0022-1945 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. Volume XI, Issue XI, November/2019 Page No:470 Journal of Interdisciplinary Cycle Research ISSN NO: 0022-1945 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.