Coorinates: 9°48′N 78°06′E / 9.8, 78.1 Madurai pronunciation (help·info) (Tamil: மதுரை, IPA: [mɐd̪ɯrəj]) is a city and a municipal corporation situated on the banks of the River Vaigai in Madurai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The city is also known as Madura (pronounced as Ma ju ra) and as Nan mada kudal (the original name). The city of Madurai, with a population of 922,913 according to the 2001 census, is the administrative capital of Madurai district.