Geography

Today, vast stretches of lush paddy fields, dusty roads and crowded bazaars make it seem almost like an overgrown village that is just blossoming into a town. The city, situated on the banks of the River Vaigai, is the second largest in Tamilnadu. It is also a burgeoning industrial center with its famous textile mills, engineering industries and vast university campus. It covers an area of 22 sq. KMs. and contains a population of 10,93,702. Lying at an altitude of 100.58 meters, it receives an average rainfall of 85 CMs.

Vaigai River

River in Madurai, flowing 150 miles (240 km) generally southeast. Rising in the Varushanad Hills of western Tamil Nadu, it initially flows northeast through the Kambam and Varushanad valleys. In its central reaches the Vaigai flows eastward into the Vaigai reservoir at Narasingapuram. Near Sholavandan it bends to the southeast, passing Madurai town on its course to its mouth on Palk Strait, which separates the southeast coast of India from Sri Lanka. The Vaigai River rarely floods; its chief tributaries are the Siruliar, Theniar, Varaha Nadi, and Mangalar.