ALAGAR KOVIL –MADURAI DISTRICT- CULTURAL TOURISM-A CASE STUDY(An abstract of a paper submitted to the National Conference on Tourism to be held on 27.7.11-28.7.11 at Gandhigram rural university-Tamilnadu).
In India tourism has become one of the major sectors of the economy, contributing to a large proportion of the national income and generating huge employment opportunities. It has become the fastest growing service industry in the country with great potentials for its future expansion and diversification. Tourism has emerged as an instrument for employment generation, Poverty alleviation, and sustainable development. Tourism promotes international understanding and gives support to local handicrafts and cultural activities.
The first organized efforts to promote tourism in India were made in 1945, by the Government under the chairmanship of Sir John Sargent, the educational advisor to Government of India.The travel and tourism sector creates more jobs per million rupees of investment than any other sector of economy and is capable of providing employment to a wide spectrum of job seekers from the unskilled to the specialized, even in the remote parts of the country. India witnesses’ more than 5 million annual foreign tourist arrivals and 562 million domestic tourist visits. It contributes 6.23 percent to the National GDP and provided 8.78 percent to the total employment.
The tourism industry in India generated about US $100 billion in 2008and that is expected to increase to US $275.5 billion by 2018at a 9.4 percent annual growth rate. The Alagar kovil of Madurai is one among the place where there is a great potentiality to develop tourism of Tamilnadu.
TOURISM
Tour represents the act of leaving and then returning to the original starting point. The OECD glossary of statistical terms defined tourism as the activities of person traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited.
CULTURAL TOURISM
Cultural tourism in rural areas comes in wide range of forms most of which are unique to an individual local and valuable component of rural tourism product. Cultural tourism includes temples, rural buildings including war remnants, monuments to famous artistic, historic remains, archaeological sites, traditional parkland etc.
AREA OF THE STUDY
Alagar Kovil is situated on a hill, and hence, the place is also known as Alagar Malai. The statues of Lord Kallalagar can be found in seated, standing and reclining postures . Alagar is popularly known as Soundara Rajan, meaning 'very beautiful king'. It was also said that Alagar come to Madurai to give blessing to Mandooka Maharishi who is in the Vaigai river as a Frog. Alagar visits Madurai every year in the month of April to attend the marriage of his sister Meenakshi. He travels 21 Km from his place to madurai in his Horse in human form for a week and gives darshan to lakhs of people and visits more than 500 mandapams of various community during this time to create commonweal harmony during this time. Alagar temple is one among the vaishnavaite temples, is considered to be the foremost among the eighteen vaishnavaite temples of pandiya kingdom. The sculpture of Urchavar “Sundara raja perumal” made up of “Apparanji gold”. According to Mahabharatha, Alagar kovil was visited by both Yudhistra and Arjuna.
PLACE OF TOURIST IMPORTANCE
The lord Dharma devan built this temple with the help of famous vasthu consultant of the vedic period called “Viswa karma”, on the banks of river “Noopura Gangai”. The Viswa karma built this beautiful temple with the three tiers “Somachandira Vimanam” which stands for its architectural features. The Alagar temple was renovated by Pandiya Kings during 1200 A.D followed by Naicker rulers. Apart from this temple, Alagar malai has so many places of importance for tourist. It has ”pazhamudircholai” a Hindu temple atop a hill covered with dense forests. One of the six abodes Arupadaiveedu of lord Muruga. It has a Holy water point “Noopura Gangai” a four Km walkup the Alagar Hills, believed that drops of Sacred water fell at this place when Brahma was washing Lord Vishnu’s feet after his Trivikrama Avatar and that those drops spread as river Noopura Ganga. The Alagar kovil is also having temple dedicated for “Goddess Rakkayi” at the top of the hill near the spring. The Alagar hills have a tropical forest cover which extends from Alagar kovil in the south to Natham in the north. The Tamilnadu forest department has been maintaining a ‘herbal garden’ in the hills. The “Eighteen steps karuppanasamy” in the Eastern entrance of the temple is the watch god, which watches the entire area of the temple .Still there is a belief among the villages in and around the district that , if anybody tells lie in front of the karuppu they will die within a shorter period. The Alagar malai has the potentialities of cultural, rural as well as Eco-Forest tourism. So there is a need to study the history,and its surroundings and to promote the tourist facilities to attract the tourists of the world.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The objectives of the study are
(i) To trace out the historical background, architectural structures, cultural beliefs of the people about the temple.
(ii) To identify the tourist facilities available in the study area.
(iii) To study the potentialities and to prepare a future plan to promote rural cultural tourism of this temple.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The research methodology involved both the desk research and the field research which was widely used to understand the concept of the cultural tourism and the various aspects that are involved in the successful development of cultural tourism. To collect the details about the Alagar kovil and its surroundings, case study method will be used to explore the history of the temple for the purpose of the study. The study is limited to the area of Alagar kovil, Madurai district.
The study will help to increase the potential for generating employment to the rural folk and to earn large amount of foreign exchange. There is a need to develop the cultural tourism to preserve and sustain the diversity of India’s natural and cultural environments.
KEY WORDS : Cultural Tourism,Alagar Malai , Pazhamudircholai , Noopura Ganga, Eighteen Steps Karuppanasamy.
In India tourism has become one of the major sectors of the economy, contributing to a large proportion of the national income and generating huge employment opportunities. It has become the fastest growing service industry in the country with great potentials for its future expansion and diversification. Tourism has emerged as an instrument for employment generation, Poverty alleviation, and sustainable development. Tourism promotes international understanding and gives support to local handicrafts and cultural activities.
The first organized efforts to promote tourism in India were made in 1945, by the Government under the chairmanship of Sir John Sargent, the educational advisor to Government of India.The travel and tourism sector creates more jobs per million rupees of investment than any other sector of economy and is capable of providing employment to a wide spectrum of job seekers from the unskilled to the specialized, even in the remote parts of the country. India witnesses’ more than 5 million annual foreign tourist arrivals and 562 million domestic tourist visits. It contributes 6.23 percent to the National GDP and provided 8.78 percent to the total employment.
The tourism industry in India generated about US $100 billion in 2008and that is expected to increase to US $275.5 billion by 2018at a 9.4 percent annual growth rate. The Alagar kovil of Madurai is one among the place where there is a great potentiality to develop tourism of Tamilnadu.
TOURISM
Tour represents the act of leaving and then returning to the original starting point. The OECD glossary of statistical terms defined tourism as the activities of person traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited.
CULTURAL TOURISM
Cultural tourism in rural areas comes in wide range of forms most of which are unique to an individual local and valuable component of rural tourism product. Cultural tourism includes temples, rural buildings including war remnants, monuments to famous artistic, historic remains, archaeological sites, traditional parkland etc.
AREA OF THE STUDY
Alagar Kovil is situated on a hill, and hence, the place is also known as Alagar Malai. The statues of Lord Kallalagar can be found in seated, standing and reclining postures . Alagar is popularly known as Soundara Rajan, meaning 'very beautiful king'. It was also said that Alagar come to Madurai to give blessing to Mandooka Maharishi who is in the Vaigai river as a Frog. Alagar visits Madurai every year in the month of April to attend the marriage of his sister Meenakshi. He travels 21 Km from his place to madurai in his Horse in human form for a week and gives darshan to lakhs of people and visits more than 500 mandapams of various community during this time to create commonweal harmony during this time. Alagar temple is one among the vaishnavaite temples, is considered to be the foremost among the eighteen vaishnavaite temples of pandiya kingdom. The sculpture of Urchavar “Sundara raja perumal” made up of “Apparanji gold”. According to Mahabharatha, Alagar kovil was visited by both Yudhistra and Arjuna.
PLACE OF TOURIST IMPORTANCE
The lord Dharma devan built this temple with the help of famous vasthu consultant of the vedic period called “Viswa karma”, on the banks of river “Noopura Gangai”. The Viswa karma built this beautiful temple with the three tiers “Somachandira Vimanam” which stands for its architectural features. The Alagar temple was renovated by Pandiya Kings during 1200 A.D followed by Naicker rulers. Apart from this temple, Alagar malai has so many places of importance for tourist. It has ”pazhamudircholai” a Hindu temple atop a hill covered with dense forests. One of the six abodes Arupadaiveedu of lord Muruga. It has a Holy water point “Noopura Gangai” a four Km walkup the Alagar Hills, believed that drops of Sacred water fell at this place when Brahma was washing Lord Vishnu’s feet after his Trivikrama Avatar and that those drops spread as river Noopura Ganga. The Alagar kovil is also having temple dedicated for “Goddess Rakkayi” at the top of the hill near the spring. The Alagar hills have a tropical forest cover which extends from Alagar kovil in the south to Natham in the north. The Tamilnadu forest department has been maintaining a ‘herbal garden’ in the hills. The “Eighteen steps karuppanasamy” in the Eastern entrance of the temple is the watch god, which watches the entire area of the temple .Still there is a belief among the villages in and around the district that , if anybody tells lie in front of the karuppu they will die within a shorter period. The Alagar malai has the potentialities of cultural, rural as well as Eco-Forest tourism. So there is a need to study the history,and its surroundings and to promote the tourist facilities to attract the tourists of the world.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The objectives of the study are
(i) To trace out the historical background, architectural structures, cultural beliefs of the people about the temple.
(ii) To identify the tourist facilities available in the study area.
(iii) To study the potentialities and to prepare a future plan to promote rural cultural tourism of this temple.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The research methodology involved both the desk research and the field research which was widely used to understand the concept of the cultural tourism and the various aspects that are involved in the successful development of cultural tourism. To collect the details about the Alagar kovil and its surroundings, case study method will be used to explore the history of the temple for the purpose of the study. The study is limited to the area of Alagar kovil, Madurai district.
The study will help to increase the potential for generating employment to the rural folk and to earn large amount of foreign exchange. There is a need to develop the cultural tourism to preserve and sustain the diversity of India’s natural and cultural environments.
KEY WORDS : Cultural Tourism,Alagar Malai , Pazhamudircholai , Noopura Ganga, Eighteen Steps Karuppanasamy.
