Location- Tamil Nadu, India
Destination Type – Cultural

Pongal is a multi-day Hindu harvest festival of South India, particularly in the Tamil community . This year it comes around 15^th January to 18^th January. Madurai the ancient city in South India celebrates Pongal at its pomp and glory.

History of Pongal celebrations in Madurai

1. The Pongal festival is mentioned in an inscription in the Viraraghava temple dedicated to Vishnu (1070-1122 CE)
2. Similarly, the 9th-century Shiva bhakti text Tiruvembavai by Manikkavachakar vividly mentions the festival
3. According to Andrea Gutiérrez the history of the Pongal dish in festive and religious context can be traced to at least the Chola period ( 3^rd century BC)

Activities for tourists during Pongal celebrations in Madurai

1. Participate in Bhogi pongal , first day of pongal festival and Surya ( Sun) Pongal in second day enjoying the traditional ceremonies and cultural shows
2. Take part in Mattu ( Bullock) Pongal in third day and participate in Jallikattu the bull fight
3. Enjoy Kanum Pongal and cherish on sugarcane and other local delicacies including Pongal a sweet dish
4. Participate in the cattle worship poojas
5. Visit historical sights of Madurai and enjoy Kolangal the colourful designs /patterns made with colour powders and rice flour

How to reach there

Air

Madurai airport is connected to Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore Delhi , Singapore, Dubai and Colombia through flights 

Train

Madurai is conneted, Chennai, Nagerkoil, Thirvananthapuram, Guruvayoor, Delhi Mumbai through train

Road

The National highway connets Madurai to all major cities in India. The state trasport department operates buses to Rameshwara, Kochi, Kollam Kanyakumari etc

Nearby destinations for tour operators / travel agents

1. Kodaikanal (116 kms awy)
2. Munnar (153 kms away)
3. Thekkady ( 138 kms away)
4. Idukki (139 kms away)
5. Rameswaram ( 172 kms away)

Some hotels in Madurai for tourists and tour operators with room tariff less than Rs.5000/- per night

The Thangam Grand Hotel http://thethangamgrand.in/

M3 Boutique Hotel http://www.m3hotels.com/

Astoria Hotels http://astoriahotels.in/

West Marret Hotel http://purpletreepalacewestmarret.syncrooms.com/

Hotel The Metropole http://the-metropolehotel.com/

Hotel President https://thehotelpresident.com/

#CRMfortouroperators #leadmanagerfortouroperators #itinerarybuildersoftware #Softwarefortouroperators #Tourbeetle

 #Madurai #Internationalcamelfestival #Pongal  #Newyeaeardetsination  #touroperatorsoftware #itinerarybuilder #Indianculturaldestinations

 Photo courtesy- By Jason Chung – https://www.flickr.com/photos/jsonchung/33314940508/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83509979