Tamil civilization is among the oldest in the world. Pandyan, Chera, and Chola dynasties ruled Tamilakkam (Tamil Nadu), and together they shaped Tamilakkam with a distinct culture, tradition, and language, contributing to the progress of Sangam literature, which is considered among the oldest of the world's literature. Marutham refers to the type of vista of the Sangam age (300 BCE–300 CE), and the name Madurai was derived from the word Marutham. Madurai is also referred to as Koodal, which aptly translates to a congregation or assembly of scholars, pointing out the three Tamil Sangams held at Madurai.

With rice as the primary crop, Madurai was traditionally an agrarian society. To increase the revenue from agriculture, the regions with black soil in Madurai district were introduced to cotton crop cultivation during the Nayakar rule in the 16th century. Fast forwarding several centuries, Madurai city is the administrative headquarters of Madurai district and is the second most populous city in Tamil Nadu.

The year 1991 marked the liberalisation of the Indian economy, and this was attributed to the arrival of small-scale industries. The industrialization of Madurai increased employment across the district. The city is now the abode of various chemical, granite, rubber, and automobile manufacturing industries. Madurai has shaped itself as a second-tier city for information technology.