SSC CGL 2020 PYQ — Question 34

The correct answer is Option 1 i.e Madurai

1. Madurai is known as  'The Athens of the East'. 

2. It is an ancient city which was planned with the temple as its centre. Concentric rectangular streets surround the temple, symbolizing the structure of the cosmos.

Greek Relation with Madurai:

1. As early as the 3rd century BC, Megasthenes (a Greek ethnographer) visited Madurai. Later many people from Rome and Greece visited Madurai and established trade with the Pandya kings.

2. Athens had the Greek pantheon located at an elevated plane which could be seen from anywhere in the city. Similarly, Madurai had the lofty towers of Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple till concrete structures hid their view.