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It is originally a Temple city with eight or more circular streets surrounding the temples of goddess Meenakshi, Sri Sundaraswara and other deities. According to the legend, a Merchant Dhananjayan who came across a temple with a 'Linga' surrounded by the Kadamba trees. 

The king who had set up a temporary capital at Manavur, a village east of Madurai visited the "Linga" in the midst of Kadamba trees and found the site fit for establishing the capital. The Pandiyan princess Meenakshi who ruled over the city becomes the consort of Lord Shiva. It is said that the Pandiyan Kingdom extended beyond the present Kanyakumari, which was engulfed by the sea.  The first capital of pandyas known as "Then" (south) Madurai. The Pandya king moved northwords and set up the capital of Kapadapuram, which was mentioned in Valmiki's Ramayana as "Pandya Kavatakam".

The pandya capital in his `Brihatsamhita` Kalidasa in his `Raguvamsa` describes how Ragu, the Pandya king conquered his capital during his conquest of various countries. The Arta Sastra speaks about the cotton textiles produced in Madurai. Not only Indian works but also those from foreign countries speak about Madurai. The kind of Srilanka sent ambassadors to the city of Madurai in the Dakkina, who visited chandragupta`s kingdom (320 B.C), describes about Pandya Kingdom as the earliest Epigraphical records about Pandyas and Madurai and the Asokan epics and the Brahmi inscriptions. While we can quote numerous such literary evidence about the city, not many are found in the temple and its festivals. 

Only paripadal and maduraikkani mention about the temple former about ``Annan Kovil`` which was considered to be temple of Balarama, but no trace of it was available now. The City had gained name and fame because of temple had been described as the centre of lotus flower. Though this temple is famous for its festivals celebrated throughout the year. The most important festival is the Brahmotsavam celebrated in the Tamil Month of Chithirai originally it was celebrated in Tamil month of Masi and it was King Tirumalai Nayak who changed the month of its celebration to Chithrai. During the celestrial wedding the Lord indulged in various divine dramas. All these episodes are re-enacted during the Chithirai Festival, which culminates with the car festival and theerthavari. After that would begin the kallazhagar Festival with Ethirsevai at Tallakulam. He called on his Boothagana, Gundotharan who made the food disappear in no time. To quench his thirst the Lord let loose Ganga from his locks and she flowed as river Vaigai and Gundadharan`s thirst was quenched. Then begin the Kallazhar festival with Ethirsevai held at Tallakulam. 

Holy ritual in the Hoary city  Lakhs of people, a majority of them villagers assembles on the banks of the Vaigai river during the Chithirai festival when Lord Kallazhagar enter the river on the full moon day. The villagers attending the Alagar festival also observe a certain raws. On the  chithra pourmani day they take bath in the Silamparu river above the hills and wear `thirumann` on their faces, orthodox vaishnavities used to do and then worship the lord. During the festival one could see a large number of villages wearing colourful dresses and peculiar headgear.

some of them appear with lord's image and carrying a water bag made of leather of a newly sacrificed goat with a water syringe and also a small narrow nozzled outlet. It would be filled with the Vagai river water, mixed rose water and sandal paste etc. These devotes who used to dress each other as `Azhagar` they would company the lord right from the Tallakulam temple at Madurai to the vaigai river and at Ramarayar mandapam near the Medical College, where thousands of them would assemble inside it and all of them would open the water bag simultaneously bathing the Lord and his `Kurthiri Vazhanam` and also the priest accompanying the deity. Some people would take up a sword or a bull hook will march, dance and chanting a Lord`s name 'Govinda, Govinda` another group of devotes would drive bull with a big drum placed on its back. Yet another section of devotes, wearing colourful dresses and a buffoon`s cap. All these pecuilar vows were being observed to provide light during nights when the deity was taken in procession in the bygone era when there was no electricity. The water sprayed from water bag with the help of syringe would have a cooling effect in the hot summer days.