Madurai (மதுரை, mɐd̪ɯrəj) is a town and a municipal corporation with a city population of 922,913 according to 2001 census. It is situated on the banks of River Vaigai in Madurai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Madurai boasts of a cultural heritage that goes back 2500 years and has functioned as an important commercial center as early as 550 AD. Madurai was the capital city of the Pandya kings of South India. Today the city of Madurai is the administrative capital of Madurai district.