Nagamalai ("naga"=snake, "malai"=hill) is a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

of Madurai situated about 10 km west of Madurai City, Tamil Nadu, India, along the Madurai-

Theni Theni is a valley town situated in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu at the foothills of Western Ghats. It is the headquarters of the Theni district, located in a distance of 70km from Madurai. It is known for the large-scale trading of garlic, c ...

highway.

Environment

Hills

Nagamalai-puthukkottai-Pillar-rock-Madurai-TamilNadu

Madurai is surrounded by eight hillocks that once served to guard the city from invading forces. Of these hills, three small but prominent hills (

Yanaimalai Yanaimalai (Elephant Hill) is a List of State Protected Monuments in Tamil Nadu, protected monument and tourist attraction in Tamil Nadu, India. It has Jainism, Jain sculptures, a Shaivism, Shaivite temple, and a Vaishnavism, Vaishnavite templ ...

, Pasumalai and Nagamalai — Elephant, Cow, and Snake Hill respectively) have several interesting legends associated with them.

Samanar Hills Samanar Hills, also known as Samanar Malai or Amanarmalai or Melmalai, is a rocky stretch of hills located near Keelakuyilkudi village, west of Madurai city, Tamil Nadu, India. They stretch east–west over 3 kilometers towards Muthupatti villa ...

, which is opposite to Nagamalai, is of historical importance.

Samanar Tamil Jains (Tamil Samaṇar, from Prakrit '' samaṇa'' "wandering renunciate") are Tamils from Tamil Nadu, India, who practice Jainism (Tamil ). The Tamil Jain is a microcommunity of around 85,000 (around 0.13% of the population of Tamil Nad ...

s (

Tamil Jain Tamil Jains (Tamil Samaṇar, from Prakrit '' samaṇa'' "wandering renunciate") are Tamils from Tamil Nadu, India, who practice Jainism (Tamil ). The Tamil Jain is a microcommunity of around 85,000 (around 0.13% of the population of Tamil Nad ...

) were said to have stayed on the hill, fearing persecution from the then rulers of Madurai. Many stone statues and other artifacts are present in Nagamalai.

Biodiversity

Nagamalai is also known for its snake biodiversity, and a government proposal is in the works for creating an ecotourism snake park in the area.

Water

The top of the hill consists of naturally formed rocks which resemble the form of a

crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to inclu ...

. Even though there is no water source at the top of the hill, it has an permanent flow of water on one side at Puluthu, which is a herbal water which can be directly drunk.

Education

Nagamalai is a notable educational hub in the outskirts of the Madurai city. The Madurai Kamaraj University is located in close proximity to Nagamalai. It accommodates a number of other educational institutions such as: * Palkalai Nagar Middle School * Nadar Mahajana Sangam S. Vellaichamy Nadar College * M.N.U. Jayaraj Nadar Higher Secondary School * S.B.O.A. Matriculation Higher Secondary School * Sirumalar Girls Higher Secondary School * Akshara Matriculation Higher Secondary School * M.N.U.J. Annapakiyam Matriculation Higher Secondary School * KMR International School

References